Services
Scientific Support of Oil Spill Response
Leadership for shoreline response operations encompassing shoreline assessment (SCAT), cleanup, inspections, and damage assessment.
Natural resources damage assessment
Unique combination of technical expertise, from pre-planning through restoration, supports critical operational decisions in the context of NRDA and restoration concerns.
Coral Grounding Assessment and Restoration
Support for coral reef damages from ship casualties, anchor damage, oil and chemical spills and wreck removal alternatives among others.
PREVENTION & PLANNING
Spill response, prevention and contingency planning including national planning initiatives (typically through IMO and/or UN programs), integrated response plans, fleet plans, spill and operations manuals, and practical guidelines for response personnel.
Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT)
Polaris scientists helped develop the SCAT process in the 1980s and have performed SCAT leadership and management functions for many significant spill events.
Technical Training
Wide range of training courses that cover a variety of oil spill planning and response topics.
Aerial Video Surveys and Mapping
POLARIS scientists continue to pioneer the use of aerial video surveys for shore-zone mapping, coastal inventories, and oil spill countermeasures planning.
Restoration
Technical representation for responsible parties on restoration projects including: trustee liaison, assessment of alternative restoration/ compensation, project design/coordination, and monitoring.
About Polaris
POLARIS APPLIED SCIENCES, Inc. (POLARIS) was created in 1998 from the merger of three highly successful companies with a broad range of capabilities in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial oil and chemical spill response.
POLARIS’ scientific support staff for oil spill response includes internationally recognized leaders in shoreline treatment operations, shoreline geomorphology, pre-spill planning, technical training of spill responders, and environmental assessment.
Our scientists offer a combined total of over 100 years of response experience from more than 200 spills and groundings. POLARIS has provided clients worldwide with spill planning, spill and grounding response, scientific support, shoreline cleanup assessment technique (SCAT) training and implementation, natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) and environmental restoration services.
Rapid response, worldwide coverage
Decades of experience with NRDA projects
World class plans for marine, coastal and inland operations
Highly skilled and experienced instructors, proven materials
OUR TEAM
Click here for full bios
Greg E. Challenger, M.S.
Dr. Elliott Taylor
Andrew W. Graham, M.S.
Travis M. Scott, M.S.
Dr. Stephan Gmur
Alison Craig, M.S., M.P.A.,
Gary S. Mauseth, M.S.
Contact Us for More Information
Latest news
Scientific Support and SCAT in the the Bahamas
Polaris continues to provide scientific support and SCAT program management for an oil spill in the Bahamas.
Caribbean Sub-regional Assessment of National Oil Spill Response Programs – Basseterre, St. Kitts (11-14 March 2019)
Dr. Taylor participated as an oil spill expert and specialist in national oil spill response (OSR) program assessments and contingency planning with personnel from the RAC-REMPEICT Centre. The 4-day event entailed presentations, tabletop exercises, and assessment of national OSR programs for 14 countries using the ARPEL RETOSTMv2 application. During the workshop, senior maritime representatives were Read more about Caribbean Sub-regional Assessment of National Oil Spill Response Programs – Basseterre, St. Kitts (11-14 March 2019)[…]
National Contingency Planning Workshop – Georgetown, Guyana (18-20 March 2019)
Dr. Elliott Taylor joined Mr. Matt Richards (USCG assigned to RAC-REMPEICT) to facilitate a NCP workshop for Guyana. The objective of the three-day workshop was to provide training on oil spill preparedness and contingency planning, as well as developing hands-on working knowledge of the use, and advantages of the ARPEL Manual and Readiness Evaluation Tool Read more about National Contingency Planning Workshop – Georgetown, Guyana (18-20 March 2019)[…]
REMPEC RETOS Workshop – Valletta, Malta (24-26 April 2019)
Dr. Elliott Taylor was contracted as the lead consultant to deliver a three-day workshop on the use of RETOSTM for the assessment of national oil spill response programs. The Sub-regional Workshop on the use of RETOSTM was organized by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC). Eighteen (18) participants represented Read more about REMPEC RETOS Workshop – Valletta, Malta (24-26 April 2019)[…]
SCAT Training – Victoria, BC (December 2018)
Polaris scientists (Dr. Elliott Taylor and Mr. Travis Scott) provided a three-day training course on shoreline cleanup assessment technique for participants from the Esquimalt Indigenous Nation, WCMRC, industry, and agencies. The course encompassed classroom and field training under favorable weather conditions albeit limited accessible shorelines due to winter tides.