ABOUT THIS BOOKLET

With the support of many agencies and industry, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have been advising the nation on the sources, fates, and effects of oil in the sea since the 1970s. Reports published in 1975, 1985, and 2003 have been instrumental in helping to improve oil spill science, prevent and reduce inputs from operational and accidental oil discharges, and reduce the impacts of harmful discharges on the environment. This booklet provides key insights from Oil in the Sea IV: Inputs, Fates, and Effects, published in 2022, which benefited from significant advancements in scientific methods to detect the input and fates of oil in the sea, and from lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in 2010. Going beyond previous reports, Oil in the Sea IV includes analysis of human health impacts of oil in the sea, oil in the Arctic marine environment, and prevention and response efforts that can help to both reduce the amount of oil reaching the sea and minimize its effects. The booklet is meant to serve as a reference guide to all those involved in oil spill research and response.