bechtelNOAA

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Dispersants: A Guided Tour." //NOAA's Ocean Service Office of Response and Restoration//. NOAA, 22 Oct. 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. .
 * Full citation. **

**Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? ** The NOAA is a division of the US Department of Congress responsible for keeping track of any hazards caused by industry to the oceans or air. As a result, this group is primarily responsible for monitoring corporations’ emissions. More specifically the Office of Response and Restoration provides scientific and technical support to prepare for and respond to oil and chemical releases, determines damage to natural resources from these releases, protects and restores marine and coastal ecosystems and works with communities to address critical coastal challenges. NOAA is a primary source of scientific information to the government and the public following an oil spill.

**What is the main topic or argument of the text? ** The purpose of this text is to describe how and why dispersants are used post spill to mediate the effects of an oil slick. It also describes some of the effects of dispersants and oil spills.

**Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. ** The main topics can be fleshed out by reading the introduction or by following links to the different subtopics for more information. A lot of information can also be gained by viewing the images depicted on this page.

**What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? ** “ Both dispersants and dispersed oil particles are toxic to some marine organisms… In any particular situation, the decision to use dispersants involves balancing the potential advantages of dispersant use--removing oil from the water surface and avoiding some shoreline impacts--with the potential disadvantages, such as impacts to plankton or other water column organisms. Part of the work of planning the response to potential oil spills is the difficult task of evaluating these tradeoffs, which requires careful consideration of the resources and issues involved. “ “Oil slicks on the water surface are particularly dangerous to seabirds and fur-bearing marine mammals… Dispersing an oil slick can also prevent oil from coming ashore” “To avoid contaminating the sea floor, most dispersant use to date has been restricted to waters deeper than 10 meters (about 30 feet)... Eventually, dispersed oil droplets degrade into naturally occurring substances. There is evidence that dispersed oil degrades more quickly than oil that has not been dispersed.” (4 weeks)

**Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. **  This text supports my research by giving an excellent general look at dispersants. It addresses why dispersants are used, how they are applied, what constraints there are on usage, the impacts of oil dispersants, and more. These are all very general topics that I should consider for more research, most likely in the introduction. The quotes from this page are also excellent for supporting my argument. **  List at least two details or references from the text that will be useful to other members of your research group. **  Oil dispersants definitely have an effect on __human__ and __wildlife health__ and this article is perfect for introducing this. I believe it would be excellent background for use in any of my group members projects.