Refugio Oil Spill Fingerprint Results from May 19 to June 2, 2015

An estimated 21,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Pacific Ocean near Refugio State Beach on May 19, 2015. This dataset consolidates forensic fingerprint results from multiple independent reports, depicting 'Match' and 'No Match' classifications for oil samples collected during the response and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). The data was gathered and consolidated by the NRDA, with samples collected from May 19th to June 2nd, 2015.

Use Cases

• Identify the source and spread of contamination based on forensic oil fingerprinting results.
• Support Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) by matching spilled oil to source samples.
• Analyze the temporal progression of the spill from May 19 to June 2, 2015 using sample collection dates.
• Inform environmental restoration planning by determining the extent of degradation from the spill.

Strengths

• Data consolidates results from several different independent forensic reports.
• Covers a specific 15-day critical response period from May 19 to June 2, 2015.
• Managed by authoritative organizations including NOAA and the NRDA.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and data scale are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal and geographic bias specific to the Refugio Beach spill event.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Gathered and consolidated by the NRDA from several different independent forensic reports.

Time Range

May 19th to June 2nd, 2015

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:20:11.382043; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Santa Barbara County, California, near Refugio State Beach and the Pacific Ocean