Mystery release; Kuk River near Wainright, AK

Source report excerpt: “Sector Anchorage provided updated oil location information based on a local reporting party. Sector personnel are due to arrive on-scene at approximately 1500hrs (local) and a C-130 overflight is scheduled for 1700hrs (local). Updated oil location is 0.5 mile offshore of Wainright, AK and 3miles wide (running N/S) by 10miles long (running E/W).”

Source report excerpt: “The black substance offshore of Wainwright, AK was described by eskimo hunters on July 6, 2009 as 100 feet wide by more than 35 miles long, in a current 5 miles off the coast traveling from southwest to northeast (see photos). On that date, the substance was reported to be continuous between coordinates N70.30 W160.30 and N70.48 W159.45. (Please note that these coordinates are not consistent with the description above, but are close if the same numbers are used in deg-min format rather than decimal degrees format.) Sector Personnel arrived at Wainwright on the afternoon of Friday, July 10 with a C-130 overflight scheduled later that same day. After some investigation, the substance thought […]”

Source report excerpt: “Arctic coast plays host to huge blob of goo floating in Chukchi IT'S NOT OIL: No one in the area can recall seeing anything like it before. By DON HUNTER dhunter@adn.com Published: July 14th, 2009 10:54 PM Last Modified: July 14th, 2009 11:32 PM Something big and strange is floating through the Chukchi Sea between Wainwright and Barrow. Hunters from Wainwright first started noticing the stuff sometime probably early last week. It's thick and dark and "gooey" and is drifting for miles in the cold Arctic waters, according to Gordon Brower with the North Slope Borough's Planning and Community Services Department. Brower and other borough officials, joined by the U.S. Coast Guard, flew out to […]”

Source report excerpt: “NOAA ERD was contacted by the USCG on July 10, 2009 regarding a potential mystery oil spill. We prepared a trajectory and hindcast analysis and a resources at risk analysis (assuming it was oil). When pictures were made available we confirmed that it was not oil, but instead was some species of filamentous algae. We then helped to support the USCG on questions they were receiving from the public and media on the algae- what species? was it harmful? where did it come from? was it growing in size? was it a sign of climate change? We provided USCG with some basic information and provided the names of several experts on Alaskan algae. We also contacted several other NOAA offices including the […]”