Summary

Description

Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps are an integral component in oil-spill contingency planning and assessment. They serve as a source of information in the event of an oil spill incident. ESI maps are a product of the Hazardous Materials Response Division of the Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R).ESI maps contain three types of information: shoreline habitats (classified according to their sensitivity to oiling), human-use resources, and sensitive biological resources. Most often, this information is plotted on 7.5 minute USGS quadrangles, although in Alaska, USGS topographic maps at scales of 1:63,360 and 1:250,000 are used, and in other atlases, NOAA charts have been used as the base map. Collections of these maps, grouped by state or a logical geographic area, are published as ESI atlases. Digital data have been published for most of the U.S. shoreline, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.