Sample records for equalization oil spill
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Immediate ecotoxicological effects of short-lived oil spills on marine biota
Brussaard, Corina P. D.; Peperzak, Louis; Beggah, Siham; Wick, Lukas Y.; Wuerz, Birgit; Weber, Jan; Samuel Arey, J.; van der Burg, Bart; Jonas, Arjen; Huisman, Johannes; van der Meer, Jan Roelof
2016-01-01
Marine environments are frequently exposed to oil spills as a result of transportation, oil drilling or fuel usage. Whereas large oil spills and their effects have been widely documented, more common and recurrent small spills typically escape attention. To fill this important gap in the assessment of oil-spill effects, we performed two independent supervised full sea releases of 5 m3 of crude oil, complemented by on-board mesocosm studies and sampling of accidentally encountered slicks. Using rapid on-board biological assays, we detect high bioavailability and toxicity of dissolved and dispersed oil within 24 h after the spills, occurring fairly deep (8 m) below the slicks. Selective decline of marine plankton is observed, equally relevant for early stages of larger spills. Our results demonstrate that, contrary to common thinking, even small spills have immediate adverse biological effects and their recurrent nature is likely to affect marine ecosystem functioning. PMID:27041738
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Immediate ecotoxicological effects of short-lived oil spills on marine biota.
Brussaard, Corina P D; Peperzak, Louis; Beggah, Siham; Wick, Lukas Y; Wuerz, Birgit; Weber, Jan; Samuel Arey, J; van der Burg, Bart; Jonas, Arjen; Huisman, Johannes; van der Meer, Jan Roelof
2016-04-04
Marine environments are frequently exposed to oil spills as a result of transportation, oil drilling or fuel usage. Whereas large oil spills and their effects have been widely documented, more common and recurrent small spills typically escape attention. To fill this important gap in the assessment of oil-spill effects, we performed two independent supervised full sea releases of 5 m(3) of crude oil, complemented by on-board mesocosm studies and sampling of accidentally encountered slicks. Using rapid on-board biological assays, we detect high bioavailability and toxicity of dissolved and dispersed oil within 24 h after the spills, occurring fairly deep (8 m) below the slicks. Selective decline of marine plankton is observed, equally relevant for early stages of larger spills. Our results demonstrate that, contrary to common thinking, even small spills have immediate adverse biological effects and their recurrent nature is likely to affect marine ecosystem functioning.
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Harlequin Duck population injury and recovery dynamics following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Iverson, Samuel A; Esler, Daniel
2010-10-01
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill caused significant injury to wildlife populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) were particularly vulnerable to the spill and have been studied extensively since, leading to one of the most thorough considerations of the consequences of a major oil spill ever undertaken. We compiled demographic and survey data collected since the spill to evaluate the timing and extent of mortality using a population model. During the immediate aftermath of the spill, we estimated a 25% decrease in Harlequin Duck numbers in oiled areas. Survival rates remained depressed in oiled areas 6-9 years after the spill and did not equal those from unoiled areas until at least 11-14 years later. Despite a high degree of site fidelity to wintering sites, immigration was important for recovery dynamics, as the relatively large number of birds from habitats outside the spill zone provided a pool of individuals to facilitate numerical increases. On the basis of these model inputs and assumptions about fecundity rates for the species, we projected a timeline to recovery of 24 years under the most-likely combination of variables, with a range of 16 to 32 years for the best-case and worst-case scenarios, respectively. Our results corroborate assertions from other studies that the effects of spilled oil on wildlife can be expressed over much longer time frames than previously assumed and that the cumulative mortality associated with chronic exposure to residual oil may actually exceed acute mortality, which has been the primary concern following most oil spills.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Goodier, J. Leslie; Siclari, Robert J.; Garrity, Phyllis A.
From a series of nationwide plant surveys dedicated to spill prevention, containment and countermeasure evaluation, coupled with spill response action activities, a need was determined for a spill prevention guideline manual. From Federally accumulated statistics for oil and hazardous substance spills, the authors culled information on spills of hydrocarbon products. In 1978, a total of 1456 oil spills were reported compared to 1451 in 1979. The 1978 spills were more severe, however, since 7,289,163 gallons of oil were accidentally discharged. In 1979, the gallons spilled was reduced to 3,663,473. These figures are derived from reported spills; it is highly possiblemore » that an equal amount was spilled and not reported. Spills effectively contained within a plant property that do not enter a navigational waterway need not be reported. Needless to say, there is a tremendous annual loss of oil products due to accidental spillage during transportation, cargo transfer, bulk storage and processing. As an aid to plant engineers and managers, Federal workers, fire marshalls and fire and casualty insurance inspectors, the document is offered as a spill prevention guide. The manual defines state-of-the-art spill prevention practices and automation techniques that can reduce spills caused by human error. Whenever practical, the cost of implementation is provided to aid equipment acquisition and installation budgeting. To emphasize the need for spill prevention activities, historic spills are briefly described after which remedial action is defined in an appropriate section of the manual. The section on plant security goes into considerable depth since to date no Federal agency or trade association has provided industry with guidelines on this important phase of plant operation. The intent of the document is to provide finger-tip reference material that can be used by interested parties in a nationwide effort to reduce loss of oil from preventable spills.« less
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SIMPLE GREEN® 2013 Reformulation
Technical product bulletin: this surface washing agent used in oil spill cleanups is equally effective in fresh water, estuarine, and marine environments at all temperatures. Spray directly on surface of oil.
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Technical product bulletin: this water based surface washing agent used in oil spill cleanups is equally effective in fresh water, estuarine, and marine environments at all temperatures. Spray directly on surface of oil.
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2003-01-01
According to one recent study, the illegal discharge of oil into the sea through routine operations is equal to over eight times the Exxon Valdez oil spill - every year. Oil pollution is not the only environmental impact stemming from maritime transp...
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Persistence of spilled oil on shores and its effects on biota
Irvine, G.V.; ,
2000-01-01
Over two million tonnes of oil are estimated to enter the world's oceans every year. A small percentage, but still a large volume, of this oil strands onshore, where its persistence is governed primarily by the action of physical forces. In some cases, biota influence the persistence of stranded oil or the rate of its weathering. Oil's deleterious effects on biota are frequently related to the persistence and degree of weathering of the oil, with long-lasting effects in low-energy environments such as salt marshes and coastal mangroves, or in higher-energy environments where oil is sequestered. However, an oil spill can have disproportionately large biological effects when it affects key species or processes (e.g., structurally important species, predators, prey, recruitment, or succession). In these cases, the continuing presence of oil is not always a prerequisite for continuing biological effects. There are relatively few long-term studies of the effects of oil spills; data from these suggest that oil can persist for decades in some environments or situations, and that biological effects can be equally persistent. Broad-based, integrated studies have been the most revealing in terms of the importance of direct and indirect effects, spillover effects between different parts of the environment, and continuing linkages between residual oil and biologic effects. Clean-up and treatment techniques applied to spilled or stranded oil can also have significant, long-lasting effects and need to be carefully evaluated prior to use.
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The Effect of Oil Spills on Marine Microbes: The Importance of Where, When, and How
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Brock, M. L.; Ederington-Hagy, M.; Richardson, R. L.; Snyder, R.; Jeffrey, W. H.
2016-02-01
While much recent attention has been paid to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and biodegradation by microbial communities, it is important to remember that numerous factors may determine the types of environmental effects that may result from oil spills. Not all oil spills (e.g., crude, refined, weathered, fuels, use of dispersants) are created equal, and it is likely that the characteristics of different environments will affect ecosystem response to oil. Temperature, salinity, and solar radiation are three potentially important factors related to location and seasonality. The effects of some of these environmental factors on the formation of Water Accommodated Fractions (WAFs) developed from Deepwater Horizon oils and the subsequent effects on microbial growth is being investigated. WAFs were generated under varying solar but controlled temperature conditions, various temperatures and salinities, as well as from burned and weathered oil. After all WAFs were collected, each was added to a coastal seawater sample and their effects on bacterial production or phytoplankton photosynthesis determined. Results from both assays demonstrated that WAFs produced in the dark had minimal effects on growth while inhibition was proportional to the amount of solar exposure. Burning oil prior to formation of WAFs increased inhibition of production independent of subsequent solar treatment. Preliminary data suggests that temperature plays a minimal role. The results imply that the ecological effects caused by oil spills are very light dependent and thus could vary by season, location, and may occur to significant depths in the ocean.
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Croisant, Sharon A; Lin, Yu-Li; Shearer, Joseph J; Prochaska, John; Phillips-Savoy, Amanda; Gee, James; Jackson, Daniel; Panettieri, Reynold A; Howarth, Marilyn; Sullivan, John; Black, Bishop James; Tate, Joi; Nguyen, Dustin; Anthony, Amber; Khan, Asim; Fernando, Harshica; Ansari, G A Shakeel; Rowe, Gilbert; Howrey, Bret; Singleton, Chantele; Elferink, Cornelis
2017-10-31
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) explosion in 2010 is the largest oil spill (Macondo) in U.S. We focused on gaining an understanding of the physical health and mental health effects attributable to the Macondo oil spill. This is a report of a cross-sectional cohort study (wave 1) to establish 'baseline' findings and meant to provide descriptive information to be used for a multi-wave, longitudinal study. Gulf Coast Health Alliance: health Risks related to the Macondo Spill (GC-HARMS) uses a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, thus including multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional academic partners and representatives of three communities impacted by the spill. Three research sites were selected for human sampling along the Gulf of Mexico coast including two from Mississippi and one from Louisiana, with Galveston, Texas, serving as a comparison site, given that it was not directly impacted by the spill. One hundred participants were selected from each community, representing adults, seniors and children, with approximately equal numbers of males and females in each group. Participants completed initial assessments including completion of a 'baseline' survey and, rigorous physical assessments. Results from wave 1 data collection reported herein reveal changes in self-reported physical health and mental health status following the oil spill, disparities in access to healthcare, and associations between mental health and emotional conditions related to displacement/unemployment. Few environmental health studies have been conducted in communities impacted by significant oil spills. Results imply potential prolonged effects on mental health and community vulnerability.
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Croisant, Sharon A.; Lin, Yu-li; Shearer, Joseph J.; Prochaska, John; Phillips-Savoy, Amanda; Gee, James; Jackson, Daniel; Panettieri, Reynold A.; Howarth, Marilyn; Sullivan, John; Black, Bishop James; Tate, Joi; Nguyen, Dustin; Anthony, Amber; Khan, Asim; Fernando, Harshica; Ansari, G. A. Shakeel; Rowe, Gilbert; Singleton, Chantele; Elferink, Cornelis
2017-01-01
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) explosion in 2010 is the largest oil spill (Macondo) in U.S. history. We focused on gaining an understanding of the physical health and mental health effects attributable to the Macondo oil spill. This is a report of a cross-sectional cohort study (wave 1) to establish ‘baseline’ findings and meant to provide descriptive information to be used for a multi-wave, longitudinal study. Gulf Coast Health Alliance: health Risks related to the Macondo Spill (GC-HARMS) uses a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, thus including multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional academic partners and representatives of three communities impacted by the spill. Three research sites were selected for human sampling along the Gulf of Mexico coast including two from Mississippi and one from Louisiana, with Galveston, Texas, serving as a comparison site, given that it was not directly impacted by the spill. One hundred participants were selected from each community, representing adults, seniors and children, with approximately equal numbers of males and females in each group. Participants completed initial assessments including completion of a ‘baseline’ survey and, rigorous physical assessments. Results from wave 1 data collection reported herein reveal changes in self-reported physical health and mental health status following the oil spill, disparities in access to healthcare, and associations between mental health and emotional conditions related to displacement/unemployment. Few environmental health studies have been conducted in communities impacted by significant oil spills. Results imply potential prolonged effects on mental health and community vulnerability. PMID:29088124
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Scoma, Alberto; Barbato, Marta; Hernandez-Sanabria, Emma; Mapelli, Francesca; Daffonchio, Daniele; Borin, Sara; Boon, Nico
2016-01-01
Oil spills represent an overwhelming carbon input to the marine environment that immediately impacts the sea surface ecosystem. Microbial communities degrading the oil fraction that eventually sinks to the seafloor must also deal with hydrostatic pressure, which linearly increases with depth. Piezosensitive hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria are ideal candidates to elucidate impaired pathways following oil spills at low depth. In the present paper, we tested two strains of the ubiquitous Alcanivorax genus, namely A. jadensis KS_339 and A. dieselolei KS_293, which is known to rapidly grow after oil spills. Strains were subjected to atmospheric and mild pressure (0.1, 5 and 10 MPa, corresponding to a depth of 0, 500 and 1000 m, respectively) providing n-dodecane as sole carbon source. Pressures equal to 5 and 10 MPa significantly lowered growth yields of both strains. However, in strain KS_293 grown at 10 MPa CO2 production per cell was not affected, cell integrity was preserved and PO43− uptake increased. Analysis of its transcriptome revealed that 95% of its genes were downregulated. Increased transcription involved protein synthesis, energy generation and respiration pathways. Interplay between these factors may play a key role in shaping the structure of microbial communities developed after oil spills at low depth and limit their bioremediation potential. PMID:27020120
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Scoma, Alberto; Barbato, Marta; Hernandez-Sanabria, Emma; Mapelli, Francesca; Daffonchio, Daniele; Borin, Sara; Boon, Nico
2016-03-01
Oil spills represent an overwhelming carbon input to the marine environment that immediately impacts the sea surface ecosystem. Microbial communities degrading the oil fraction that eventually sinks to the seafloor must also deal with hydrostatic pressure, which linearly increases with depth. Piezosensitive hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria are ideal candidates to elucidate impaired pathways following oil spills at low depth. In the present paper, we tested two strains of the ubiquitous Alcanivorax genus, namely A. jadensis KS_339 and A. dieselolei KS_293, which is known to rapidly grow after oil spills. Strains were subjected to atmospheric and mild pressure (0.1, 5 and 10 MPa, corresponding to a depth of 0, 500 and 1000 m, respectively) providing n-dodecane as sole carbon source. Pressures equal to 5 and 10 MPa significantly lowered growth yields of both strains. However, in strain KS_293 grown at 10 MPa CO2 production per cell was not affected, cell integrity was preserved and PO43- uptake increased. Analysis of its transcriptome revealed that 95% of its genes were downregulated. Increased transcription involved protein synthesis, energy generation and respiration pathways. Interplay between these factors may play a key role in shaping the structure of microbial communities developed after oil spills at low depth and limit their bioremediation potential.
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Yin, Fang; Hayworth, Joel S; Clement, T Prabhakar
2015-01-01
Managing oil spill residues washing onto sandy beaches is a common worldwide environmental problem. In this study, we have analyzed the first-arrival oil spill residues collected from two Gulf of Mexico (GOM) beach systems following two recent oil spills: the 2014 Galveston Bay (GB) oil spill, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. This is the first study to provide field observations and chemical characterization data for the 2014 GB oil spill. Here we compare the physical and chemical characteristics of GB oil spill samples with DWH oil spill samples and present their similarities and differences. Our field observations indicate that both oil spills had similar shoreline deposition patterns; however, their physical and chemical characteristics differed considerably. We highlight these differences, discuss their implications, and interpret GB data in light of lessons learned from previously published DWH oil spill studies. These analyses are further used to assess the long-term fate of GB oil spill residues and their potential environmental impacts.
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Yin, Fang; Hayworth, Joel S.; Clement, T. Prabhakar
2015-01-01
Managing oil spill residues washing onto sandy beaches is a common worldwide environmental problem. In this study, we have analyzed the first-arrival oil spill residues collected from two Gulf of Mexico (GOM) beach systems following two recent oil spills: the 2014 Galveston Bay (GB) oil spill, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. This is the first study to provide field observations and chemical characterization data for the 2014 GB oil spill. Here we compare the physical and chemical characteristics of GB oil spill samples with DWH oil spill samples and present their similarities and differences. Our field observations indicate that both oil spills had similar shoreline deposition patterns; however, their physical and chemical characteristics differed considerably. We highlight these differences, discuss their implications, and interpret GB data in light of lessons learned from previously published DWH oil spill studies. These analyses are further used to assess the long-term fate of GB oil spill residues and their potential environmental impacts. PMID:25714100
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Jha, Maya Nand; Levy, Jason; Gao, Yang
2008-01-01
Reducing the risk of oil spill disasters is essential for protecting the environment and reducing economic losses. Oil spill surveillance constitutes an important component of oil spill disaster management. Advances in remote sensing technologies can help to identify parties potentially responsible for pollution and to identify minor spills before they cause widespread damage. Due to the large number of sensors currently available for oil spill surveillance, there is a need for a comprehensive overview and comparison of existing sensors. Specifically, this paper examines the characteristics and applications of different sensors. A better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of oil spill surveillance sensors will improve the operational use of these sensors for oil spill response and contingency planning. Laser fluorosensors were found to be the best available sensor for oil spill detection since they not only detect and classify oil on all surfaces but also operate in either the day or night. For example, the Scanning Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (SLEAF) sensor was identified to be a valuable tool for oil spill surveillance. However, no single sensor was able to provide all information required for oil spill contingency planning. Hence, combinations of sensors are currently used for oil spill surveillance. Specifically, satellite sensors are used for preliminary oil spill assessment while airborne sensors are used for detailed oil spill analysis. While satellite remote sensing is not suitable for tactical oil spill planning it can provide a synoptic coverage of the affected area. PMID:27879706
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Extent and frequency of vessel oil spills in US marine protected areas.
Dalton, Tracey; Jin, Di
2010-11-01
Little is known about how marine protected areas (MPAs) may be vulnerable to vessel oil spills in the United States. This study investigated individual size, frequency, and total amount of vessel oil spilled in US MPAs, and how characteristics of MPAs and individual spill events influenced spills. Vessel oil spills in US waters (2002-06) and MPA boundaries were mapped. Total number and volume of oil spills inside and outside MPAs were computed. Results show that the presence of a MPA does not seem to prevent vessel oil spills or reduce the amount of oil spilled, and that a variety of MPA attributes (e.g., scale of protection, fishing restrictions, and others) and spill event characteristics (e.g., vessel type, year of spill, and others) affect oil spills inside and outside MPAs. These results can be used to develop MPA rules and marine transportation policies that reduce the vulnerability of sensitive resources to oil spills. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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[Study of automatic marine oil spills detection using imaging spectroscopy].
Liu, De-Lian; Han, Liang; Zhang, Jian-Qi
2013-11-01
To reduce artificial auxiliary works in oil spills detection process, an automatic oil spill detection method based on adaptive matched filter is presented. Firstly, the characteristics of reflectance spectral signature of C-H bond in oil spill are analyzed. And an oil spill spectral signature extraction model is designed by using the spectral feature of C-H bond. It is then used to obtain the reference spectral signature for the following oil spill detection step. Secondly, the characteristics of reflectance spectral signature of sea water, clouds, and oil spill are compared. The bands which have large difference in reflectance spectral signatures of the sea water, clouds, and oil spill are selected. By using these bands, the sea water pixels are segmented. And the background parameters are then calculated. Finally, the classical adaptive matched filter from target detection algorithms is improved and introduced for oil spill detection. The proposed method is applied to the real airborne visible infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS) hyperspectral image captured during the deepwater horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico for oil spill detection. The results show that the proposed method has, high efficiency, does not need artificial auxiliary work, and can be used for automatic detection of marine oil spill.
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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Five Years Later | NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration
Archive Home Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Five Years Later Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Five Years Later oil leak from the well. Before it was capped three months later, more than 100 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf-resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The Trustees
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Offshore oil spill response practices and emerging challenges.
Li, Pu; Cai, Qinhong; Lin, Weiyun; Chen, Bing; Zhang, Baiyu
2016-09-15
Offshore oil spills are of tremendous concern due to their potential impact on economic and ecological systems. A number of major oil spills triggered worldwide consciousness of oil spill preparedness and response. Challenges remain in diverse aspects such as oil spill monitoring, analysis, assessment, contingency planning, response, cleanup, and decision support. This article provides a comprehensive review of the current situations and impacts of offshore oil spills, as well as the policies and technologies in offshore oil spill response and countermeasures. Correspondingly, new strategies and a decision support framework are recommended for improving the capacities and effectiveness of oil spill response and countermeasures. In addition, the emerging challenges in cold and harsh environments are reviewed with recommendations due to increasing risk of oil spills in the northern regions from the expansion of the Arctic Passage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Genest, M.; Pospelova, V.; Williams, J. R.; Dellapenna, T.; Mertens, K.; Kuehl, S. A.
2016-12-01
Large volumes of crude oil are extracted from marine environments and transported via the sea, putting coastal communities at a greater risk of oils spills. It is therefore crucial for these communities to properly assess the risk. The first step is to understand the effects of such events on the environment, which is limited by the lack of research on the impact of oil spills on phytoplankton. This first-of-its-kind research aims to identify how one of the major groups of phytoplankton, dinoflagellates, have been affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. To do this, sedimentary records of dinoflagellate cysts, produced during dinoflagellate reproduction and preserved in the sediment, were analyzed. Two sediment cores were collected from PWS in 2012. The sediments are mainly composed of silt with a small fraction of clay. Both well-dated with 210Pb and 137Cs, the cores have high sedimentation rates, allowing for an annual to biannual resolution. Core 10 has a sedimentation rate of 1.1 cm yr-1 and provides continuous record since 1957, while Core 12 has a sedimentation rate of 1.3 cm yr-1 and spans from 1934. The cores were subsampled every centimeter for a total of 110 samples. Samples were treated using a standard palynological processing technique to extract dinoflagellate cysts and 300 cysts were counted per sample. In both cores, cysts were abundant, diverse and well preserved with the average cyst assemblage being characterized by an equal number of cysts produced by autotrophic and heterotrophic dinoflagellates. Of the 40 dinoflagellate cyst taxa, the most abundant are: Operculodinium centrocarpum and Brigantedinium spp. Other common species are: Spiniferites ramosus, cysts of Pentapharsodinium dalei, Echinidinium delicatum, E. zonneveldiae, E. transparantum, Islandinium minutum, and a thin pale brown Brigantedinium type. Changes in the sedimentary sequence of dinoflagellate cysts were analyzed by determining cyst relative abundances, species richness, total cyst concentrations and fluxes before, during and after the oil spill. This analysis provided insight into how phytoplankton can be affected by an oil spill and a timeline for their recovery.
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About Us | NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration
Archive Home About Us About Us Restoring the Gulf after the Oil Spill. After the oil spill, the Trustees immediately got to work. Within a month, we were assessing the impacts of oil and oil spill response efforts injured by the oil spill, and increase recreational opportunities in the Gulf. Gulf Spill Restoration Menu
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ansberry, Karen Rohrich; Morgan, Emily
2005-01-01
An oil spill occurs somewhere in the world almost every day of the year, and the consequences can be devastating. In this month's column, students explore the effects of oil spills on plants, animals, and the environment and investigate oil spill clean-up methods through a simulated oil spill. The activities described in this article give students…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-30
.... (Memorandum from Rear Admiral J.A. Watson, FOSC BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, to National Incident Command... Temporary Suspension of Certain Oil Spill Response Time Requirements To Support Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill... Protection Agency (EPA) temporary interim rule will suspend oil spill response time requirements, and certain...
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MEDSLIK oil spill model recent developments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lardner, Robin; Zodiatis, George
2016-04-01
MEDSLIK oil spill model recent developments Robin Lardner and George Zodiatis Oceanography Center, University of Cyprus, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus MEDSLIK is a well established 3D oil spill model that predicts the transport, fate and weathering of oil spills and is used by several response agencies and institutions around the Mediterranean, the Black seas and worldwide. MEDSLIK has been used operationally for real oil spill accidents and for preparedness in contingency planning within the framework of pilot projects with REMPEC-Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea and EMSA-European Maritime Safety Agency. MEDSLIK has been implemented in many EU funded projects regarding oil spill predictions using the operational ocean forecasts, as for example the ECOOP, NEREIDs, RAOP-Med, EMODNET MedSea Check Point. Within the frame of MEDESS4MS project, MEDSLIK is at the heart of the MEDESS4MS multi model oil spill prediction system. The MEDSLIK oil spill model contains among other, the following features: a built-in database with 240 different oil types characteristics, assimilation of oil slick observations from in-situ or aerial, to correct the predictions, virtual deployment of oil booms and/or oil skimmers/dispersants, continuous or instantaneous oil spills from moving or drifting ships whose slicks merge can be modelled together, multiple oil spill predictions from different locations, backward simulations for tracking the source of oil spill pollution, integration with AIS data upon the availability of AIS data, sub-surface oil spills at any given water depth, coupling with SAR satellite data. The MEDSLIK can be used for operational intervention for any user-selected region in the world if the appropriate coastline, bathymetry and meteo-ocean forecast files are provided. MEDSLIK oil spill model has been extensively validated in the Mediterranean Sea, both in real oil spill incidents (i.e. during the Lebanese oil pollution crisis in summer 2006, the biggest oil pollution event in the Eastern Mediterranean so far) and through inter-comparison using drifters. The quality of the MEDSLIK oil spill model predictions depends on the quality of the meteo-ocean forecasting data that will be used. The guidelines set by the MEDESS4MS project to harmonize the meteo-ocean, oil spill and trajectory models input/output formats are implemented in MEDSLIK to suit the operational oil spill predictions. The output results of the trajectory predictions may available in the MEDESS4MS output standards (XML)and in ASCII, while the images in BMP or PNG, TIF,GIF, JPG (image), in KML (Google Earth).
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Chemometric techniques in oil classification from oil spill fingerprinting.
Ismail, Azimah; Toriman, Mohd Ekhwan; Juahir, Hafizan; Kassim, Azlina Md; Zain, Sharifuddin Md; Ahmad, Wan Kamaruzaman Wan; Wong, Kok Fah; Retnam, Ananthy; Zali, Munirah Abdul; Mokhtar, Mazlin; Yusri, Mohd Ayub
2016-10-15
Extended use of GC-FID and GC-MS in oil spill fingerprinting and matching is significantly important for oil classification from the oil spill sources collected from various areas of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah (East Malaysia). Oil spill fingerprinting from GC-FID and GC-MS coupled with chemometric techniques (discriminant analysis and principal component analysis) is used as a diagnostic tool to classify the types of oil polluting the water. Clustering and discrimination of oil spill compounds in the water from the actual site of oil spill events are divided into four groups viz. diesel, Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), Mixture Oil containing Light Fuel Oil (MOLFO) and Waste Oil (WO) according to the similarity of their intrinsic chemical properties. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrates that diesel, HFO, MOLFO and WO are types of oil or oil products from complex oil mixtures with a total variance of 85.34% and are identified with various anthropogenic activities related to either intentional releasing of oil or accidental discharge of oil into the environment. Our results show that the use of chemometric techniques is significant in providing independent validation for classifying the types of spilled oil in the investigation of oil spill pollution in Malaysia. This, in consequence would result in cost and time saving in identification of the oil spill sources. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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Rational application of chemicals in response to oil spills may reduce environmental damage.
Tamis, Jacqueline E; Jongbloed, Ruud H; Karman, Chris C; Koops, Wierd; Murk, Albertinka J
2012-04-01
Oil spills, for example those due to tanker collisions and groundings or platform accidents, can have huge adverse impacts on marine systems. The impact of an oil spill at sea depends on a number of factors, such as spill volume, type of oil spilled, weather conditions, and proximity to environmentally, economically, or socially sensitive areas. Oil spilled at sea threatens marine organisms, whole ecosystems, and economic resources in the immediate vicinity, such as fisheries, aquaculture, recreation, and tourism. Adequate response to any oil spill to minimize damage is therefore of great importance. The common response to an oil spill is to remove all visible oil from the water surface, either mechanically or by using chemicals to disperse the oil into the water column to biodegrade. This is not always the most suitable response to an oil spill, as the chemical application itself may also have adverse effects, or no response may be needed. In this article we discuss advantages and disadvantages of using chemical treatments to reduce the impact of an oil spill in relation to the conditions of the spill. The main characteristics of chemical treatment agents are discussed and presented within the context of a basic decision support scheme. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.
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Effects of Stress Related to the Gulf Oil Spill on Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Osofsky, Joy D; Osofsky, Howard J; Weems, Carl F; Hansel, Tonya C; King, Lucy S
2016-01-01
To examine the interactive effects of stress related to the Gulf oil spill on mental health of children and adolescents on the Gulf Coast who were also affected by previous hurricanes. A prospective design, with n = 1,577 youth (aged 3-18 years), evaluated pre-oil spill and again post-oil spill for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, previous hurricane exposure, and amount of oil spill stress. Stressors related to the spill were common and were associated with PTSD symptoms. Moreover, there was an interactive effect such that those with high preexisting PTSD symptoms, high previous hurricane exposure, and high oil spill stress had the most elevated post-oil spill PTSD symptoms. This study provides initial evidence linking stress related to the Gulf oil spill to youth mental health symptoms. The effects of the oil spill on youth mental health were most evident among those with cumulative risk. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
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Site Selection and Resource Allocation of Oil Spill Emergency Base for Offshore Oil Facilities
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Yunbin; Liu, Jingxian; Wei, Lei; Wu, Weihuang
2018-02-01
Based on the analysis of the historical data about oil spill accidents in the Bohai Sea, this paper discretizes oil spilled source into a limited number of spill points. According to the probability of oil spill risk, the demand for salvage forces at each oil spill point is evaluated. Aiming at the specific location of the rescue base around the Bohai Sea, a cost-benefit analysis is conducted to determine the total cost of disasters for each rescue base. Based on the relationship between the oil spill point and the rescue site, a multi-objective optimization location model for the oil spill rescue base in the Bohai Sea region is established. And the genetic algorithm is used to solve the optimization problem, and determine the emergency rescue base optimization program and emergency resources allocation ratio.
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2014-01-25
Virtual Special Issue Gulf of Mexico Modelling – Lessons from the spill Simulating surface oil transport during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill ...ocean surface materials. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico provided a test case for the Bio-Optical Forecasting (BioCast) system...addition of explicit sources and sinks of surface oil concentrations provides a framework for increasingly complex oil spill modeling efforts that extend
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Oil mixing behavior after an oil spill: identification conflicts of different fingerprints.
He, Shijie; Yu, Hongjun; Luo, Yongming; Wang, Chuanyuan; Li, Xueshuang; Li, Zhongping
2018-04-01
Clearing up whether spilled oil is mixed or not can strengthen the accuracy of oil spill identification. In the present study, the biomarkers in spilled oil samples were detected. The weathering modes of different types of diagnostic ratio and carbon isotope values of individual n-alkanes were also analyzed. The results showed that the diagnostic ratios of steroids, terpenes and aromatics, and weathering characteristics of carbon isotope composition (δ 13 C) of individual n-alkanes supported the idea that Dalian oil spill emerged from a single oil source. Furthermore, commonly used diagnostic ratios of n-alkanes indicated that the Dalian oil spill had undergone the oil mixing process. The different identifying outcomes indicate that some kinds of n-alkane-rich substance (such as oil dispersants) were mixed in the Dalian spilled oil and interfered with the routine diagnosis ratios of n-alkanes.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
VanCleave, Janice
2000-01-01
Presents a science experiment about oil spills and oil pollution for 7th- and 8th-grade science students. This variation on a method used by pollution control experts to clean up oil spills shows students how oil is collected after an oil spill, explaining that with this method, much of the damage from an oil spill can be averted. (SM)
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Garron, J.; Trainor, S.
2017-12-01
Remotely-sensed data collected from satellites, airplanes and unmanned aerial systems can be used in marine oil spills to identify the overall footprint, estimate fate and transport, and to identify resources at risk. Mandates for the use of best available technology exists for addressing marine oil spills under the jurisdiction of the USCG (33 CFR 155.1050), though clear pathways to familiarization of these technologies during a marine oil spill, or more importantly, between marine oil spills, does not. Similarly, remote-sensing scientists continue to experiment with highly tuned oil detection, fate and transport techniques that can benefit decision-making during a marine oil spill response, but the process of translating these prototypical tools to operational information remains undefined, leading most researchers to describe the "potential" of these new tools in an operational setting rather than their actual use, and decision-makers relying on traditional field observational methods. Arctic marine oil spills are no different in their mandates and the remote-sensing research undertaken, but are unique via the dark, cold, remote, infrastructure-free environment in which they can occur. These conditions increase the reliance of decision-makers in an Arctic oil spill on remotely-sensed data and tools for their manipulation. In the absence of another large-scale oil spill in the US, and limited literature on the subject, this study was undertaken to understand how remotely-sensed data and tools are being used in the Incident Command System of a marine oil spill now, with an emphasis on Arctic implementation. Interviews, oil spill scenario/drill observations and marine oil spill after action reports were collected and analyzed to determine the current state of remote-sensing data use for decision-making during a marine oil spill, and to define a set of recommendations for the process of integrating new remote-sensing tools and information in future oil spill responses. Using automated synthetic aperture radar analyses of oil spills in a common operational picture as a scientific case study, this presentation is a demonstration of how landscape-level scientific data can be integrated into Arctic planning and operational decision-making.
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A high-level synthesis of oil spill response equipment and countermeasures.
Ventikos, Nikolaos P; Vergetis, Emmanouil; Psaraftis, Harilaos N; Triantafyllou, George
2004-02-27
This paper presents an operational synthesis of major oil spill response methods (mechanical, chemical, etc.) and the corresponding oil response equipment for sea context (booms, skimmers, etc.). We focus on important features of oil spill response, in order to formulate a decision-based database, capable of supporting the development of a complete oil spill response operation. Moreover, we classify these findings and introduce simple formatting and standards to supply predictive tools for oil spill models. The actual goal of this paper is to come up with a decision-driven process, which can provide for a realistic choice of oil spill response equipment in the design of the primary oil response phase. This is intended to lead to a prompt, logical, and well-prepared oil spill response operation satisfying time and cost criteria and protecting the marine environment.
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Oil, Water, and Wildlife: The Gulf of Mexico Disaster and Related Environmental Issues
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Bickman, John W.
2010-08-04
The BP Macondo oil field spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest oil spill in U.S. history and has the potential to impact sea turtle and marine mammal populations, and others. This presentation will review the genotoxic effects of oil exposure in wildlife and discuss the potential for an oil spill to impact wildlife populations. Whereas some aspects of a spill are predictable, each spill is different because oils are highly variable, as are the environments in which they occur. The presentation will discuss what has been learned from previous spills, including the Exxon Valdez and the sovietmore » oil legacy in Azerbaijan, and the potential dangers of offshore oil development in the Arctic. Related Purdue University research efforts in oil-spill related engineering and science also will be highlighted.« less
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Oil, Water, and Wildlife: The Gulf of Mexico Disaster and Related Environmental Issues
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Bickman, John W.
The BP Macondo oil field spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest oil spill in U.S. history and has the potential to impact sea turtle and marine mammal populations, and others. This presentation will review the genotoxic effects of oil exposure in wildlife and discuss the potential for an oil spill to impact wildlife populations. Whereas some aspects of a spill are predictable, each spill is different because oils are highly variable, as are the environments in which they occur. The presentation will discuss what has been learned from previous spills, including the Exxon Valdez and the sovietmore » oil legacy in Azerbaijan, and the potential dangers of offshore oil development in the Arctic. Related Purdue University research efforts in oil-spill related engineering and science also will be highlighted.« less
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Oil, Water, and Wildlife: The Gulf of Mexico Disaster and Related Environmental Issues
Bickman, John W. [Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
2017-12-09
The BP Macondo oil field spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest oil spill in U.S. history and has the potential to impact sea turtle and marine mammal populations, and others. This presentation will review the genotoxic effects of oil exposure in wildlife and discuss the potential for an oil spill to impact wildlife populations. Whereas some aspects of a spill are predictable, each spill is different because oils are highly variable, as are the environments in which they occur. The presentation will discuss what has been learned from previous spills, including the Exxon Valdez and the soviet oil legacy in Azerbaijan, and the potential dangers of offshore oil development in the Arctic. Related Purdue University research efforts in oil-spill related engineering and science also will be highlighted.
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Oil spill environmental forensics: the Hebei Spirit oil spill case.
Yim, Un Hyuk; Kim, Moonkoo; Ha, Sung Yong; Kim, Sunghwan; Shim, Won Joon
2012-06-19
After the Hebei Spirit oil spill (HSOS) in December 2007, mixtures of three types of Middle East crude oil (total 12,547 kL) were stranded along 375 km of coastline in Western Korea. Emergency responses together with 1.3 million volunteers' activity rapidly removed ca. 20% of spilled oil but the lingering oils have been found along the heavily impacted shorelines for more than 4 years. The HSOS was the worst oil spill case in Republic of Korea, and there were many issues and lessons to be shared. In this study, we summarized some of the oil spill environmental forensic issues that were raised after the HSOS. Rapid screening using on-site measurement, long-term monitoring of multimedia, fingerprinting challenges and evaluation of the extent of the submerged oil were introduced, which supported decision making process of oil spill cleanup, mitigation of debates among stakeholders and provided scientific backgrounds for reasonable compensation.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, Shuzhe; Huang, Liwen
the river of Yangtze River in Chongqing area is continuous curved. Hydrology and channel situation is complex, and the transportation is busy. With the increasing of shipments of hazardous chemicals year by year, oil spill accident risk is rising. So establishment of three-dimensional virtual simulation of oil spill and its application in decision-making has become an urgent task. This paper detailed the process of three-dimensional virtual simulation of oil spill and established a system of three-dimensional virtual Simulation of oil spill of Yangtze River in Chongqing area by establishing an oil spill model of the Chongqing area based on oil particles model, and the system has been used in emergency decision to provide assistance for the oil spill response.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vijaya kumar, L. J.; Kishore, J. K.; Kesava Rao, P.; Annadurai, M.; Dutt, C. B. S.; Hanumantha Rao, K.; Sasamal, S. K.; Arulraj, M.; Prasad, A. V. V.; Kumari, E. V. S. Sita; Satyanarayana, S. N.; Shenoy, H. P.
2014-11-01
Oil spills in the ocean are a serious marine disaster that needs regular monitoring for environmental risk assessment and mitigation. Recent use of Polarimetric SAR imagery in near real time oil spill detection systems is associated with attempts towards automatic and unambiguous oil spill detection based on decomposition methods. Such systems integrate remote sensing technology, geo information, communication system, hardware and software systems to provide key information for analysis and decision making. Geographic information systems (GIS) like BHUVAN can significantly contribute to oil spill management based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. India has long coast line from Gujarat to Bengal and hundreds of ports. The increase in shipping also increases the risk of oil spills in our maritime zone. The availability of RISAT-1 SAR images enhances the scope to monitor oil spills and develop GIS on Bhuvan which can be accessed by all the users, such as ships, coast guard, environmentalists etc., The GIS enables realization of oil spill maps based on integration of the geographical, remote sensing, oil & gas production/infrastructure data and slick signatures detected by SAR. SAR and GIS technologies can significantly improve the realization of oil spill footprint distribution maps. Preliminary assessment shows that the Bhuvan promises to be an ideal solution to understand spatial, temporal occurrence of oil spills in the marine atlas of India. The oil spill maps on Bhuvan based GIS facility will help the ONGC and Coast Guard organization.
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Pollution risk assessment of oil spill accidents in Garorim Bay of Korea.
Lee, Moonjin; Jung, Jung-Yeul
2015-11-15
This study presents a model to assess the oil spill risk in Garorim Bay in Korea, where large-scale oil spill accidents frequently occur. The oil spill risk assessment is carried out by using two factors: 1) The impact probability of the oil spill, and 2) the first impact time of the oil that has been spilt. The risk assessment is conducted for environmentally sensitive areas, such as the coastline and aquaculture farms in the Garorim Bay area. Finally, Garorim Bay is divided into six subareas, and the risks of each subarea are compared with one another to identify the subarea that is most vulnerable to an oil spill accident. These results represent an objective and comprehensive oil spill risk level for a specific region. The prediction of the oil spill spread is based on real-time sea conditions and can be improved by integrating our results, especially when sea conditions are rapidly changing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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How well do we understand oil spill hazard mapping?
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sepp Neves, Antonio Augusto; Pinardi, Nadia
2017-04-01
In simple terms, we could describe the marine oil spill hazard as related to three main factors: the spill event itself, the spill trajectory and the arrival and adsorption of oil to the shore or beaching. Regarding the first factor, spill occurrence rates and magnitude distribution and their respective uncertainties have been estimated mainly relying on maritime casualty reports. Abascal et al. (2010) and Sepp Neves et al. (2015) demonstrated for the Prestige (Spain, 2002) and Jiyeh (Lebanon, 2006) spills that ensemble numerical oil spill simulations can generate reliable estimaes of the most likely oil trajectories and impacted coasts. Although paramount to estimate the spill impacts on coastal resources, the third component of the oil spill hazard (i.e. oil beaching) is still subject of discussion. Analysts have employed different methodologies to estimate the coastal component of the hazard relying, for instance, on the beaching frequency solely, the time which a given coastal segment is subject to oil concentrations above a certain preset threshold, percentages of oil beached compared to the original spilled volume and many others. Obviously, results are not comparable and sometimes not consistent with the present knowledge about the environmental impacts of oil spills. The observed inconsistency in the hazard mapping methodologies suggests that there is still a lack of understanding of the beaching component of the oil spill hazard itself. The careful statistical description of the beaching process could finally set a common ground in oil spill hazard mapping studies as observed for other hazards such as earthquakes and landslides. This paper is the last of a series of efforts to standardize oil spill hazard and risk assessments through an ISO-compliant framework (IT - OSRA, see Sepp Neves et al., (2015)). We performed two large ensemble oil spill experiments addressing uncertainties in the spill characteristics and location, and meteocean conditions for two different areas (Algarve and Uruguay) aiming at quantifying the hazard due to accidental (large volumes and rare events) and operational (frequent and usually involving small volumes) spills associated with the maritime traffic. In total, over 60,000 240h-long simulations were run and the statistical behavior of the beached concentrations found was described. The concentration distributions for both study areas were successfully fit using a Gamma distribution demonstrating the generality of our conclusions. The oil spill hazard and its uncertainties were quantified for accidental and operational events relying on the statistical distribution parameters. Therefore, the hazard estimates were comparable between areas and allowed to identify priority coastal segments for protection and rank sources of hazard.
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The management in response to marine oil spill from ships in China: A systematic review.
Xiong, Shangao; Long, Hualou; Tang, Guoping; Wan, Jun; Li, Hongyuan
2015-07-15
Historical trends about marine ship-source oil spill incidents from 1990 to 2010 in China were analyzed, and it provided an overview of the status quo of China's management in response to marine oil spill from ships. The Chinese government has issued a series of laws on marine environmental protection since 1982, and promulgated many regulations to prevent and tackle ship-source oil spill. At present, the oil spill emergency response system established in China has five levels: the national level, sea level, provincial level, port level, and ship level. China has demonstrated its ability to control and remove small-scale oil spill from ships in port area and near-shore coastal waters, and also paid attention to related research and development projects. Although China has made significant progress in managing shipping oil spill, challenges still exist, including strengthening oil spill emergency cooperation, enhancing China's response capability, and improving relevant research and development projects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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New techniques on oil spill modelling applied in the Eastern Mediterranean sea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zodiatis, George; Kokinou, Eleni; Alves, Tiago; Lardner, Robin
2016-04-01
Small or large oil spills resulting from accidents on oil and gas platforms or due to the maritime traffic comprise a major environmental threat for all marine and coastal systems, and they are responsible for huge economic losses concerning the human infrastructures and the tourism. This work aims at presenting the integration of oil-spill model, bathymetric, meteorological, oceanographic, geomorphological and geological data to assess the impact of oil spills in maritime regions such as bays, as well as in the open sea, carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea within the frame of NEREIDs, MEDESS-4MS and RAOP-Med EU projects. The MEDSLIK oil spill predictions are successfully combined with bathymetric analyses, the shoreline susceptibility and hazard mapping to predict the oil slick trajectories and the extend of the coastal areas affected. Based on MEDSLIK results, oil spill spreading and dispersion scenarios are produced both for non-mitigated and mitigated oil spills. MEDSLIK model considers three response combating methods of floating oil spills: a) mechanical recovery using skimmers or similar mechanisms; b) destruction by fire, c) use of dispersants or other bio-chemical means and deployment of booms. Shoreline susceptibility map can be compiled for the study areas based on the Environmental Susceptibility Index. The ESI classification considers a range of values between 1 and 9, with level 1 (ESI 1) representing areas of low susceptibility, impermeable to oil spilt during accidents, such as linear shorelines with rocky cliffs. In contrast, ESI 9 shores are highly vulnerable, and often coincide with natural reserves and special protected areas. Additionally, hazard maps of the maritime and coastal areas, possibly exposed to the danger on an oil spill, evaluate and categorize the hazard in levels from low to very high. This is important because a) Prior to an oil spill accident, hazard and shoreline susceptibility maps are made available to design preparedness and prevention plans in an effective way, b) After an oil spill accident, oil spill predictions can be combined with hazard maps to provide information on the oil spill dispersion and their impacts. This way, prevention plans can be directly modified at any time after the accident.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yang, J.; Ren, G.; Ma, Y.; Dong, L.; Wan, J.
2018-04-01
The marine oil spill is a sudden event, and the airborne hyperspectral means to detect the oil spill is an important part of the rapid response. Sun glint, the specular reflection of sun light from water surface to sensor, is inevitable due to the limitation of observation geometry, which makes so much bright glint in image that it is difficult to extract oil spill feature information from the remote sensing data. This paper takes AISA+ airborne hyperspectral oil spill image as data source, using multi-scale wavelet transform, enhanced Lee filter, enhanced Frost filter and mean filter method for sea surface glint suppression of images. And then the classical SVM method is used for the oil spill information detection, and oil spill information distribution map obtained by human-computer interactive interpretation is used to verify the accuracy of oil spill detection. The results show that the above methods can effectively suppress the sea surface glints and improve the accuracy of oil spill detection. The enhanced Lee filter method has the highest detection accuracy of 88.28 %, which is 12.2 % higher than that of the original image.
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Oil spills often happen because of accidents, when people make mistakes or equipment breaks down. Other causes include natural disasters or deliberate acts. Oil spills have major environmental and economic effects. Oil ...
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Methods of Oil Detection in Response to the Deepwater ...
Detecting oil in the northern Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill presented unique challenges due to the spatial and temporal extent of the spill and the subsequent dilution of oil in the environment. Over time, physical, chemical, and biological processes altered the composition of the oil, further complicating its detection. Reservoir fluid, containing gas and oil, released from the Macondo well was detected in surface and subsurface environments. Oil monitoring during and after the spill required a variety of technologies, including nimble adaptation of techniques developed for non-oil-related applications. The oil detection technologies employed varied in sensitivity, selectivity, strategy, cost, usability, expertise of user, and reliability. Innovative technologies ranging from remote sensing to laboratory analytical techniques were employed and produced new information relevant to oil spill detection, including the chemical characterization, the dispersion effectiveness, and the detection limits of oil. The challenge remains to transfer these new technologies to oil spill responders so that detection of oil following a spill can be improved. To publish a perspective paper on oil detection technologies during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. This is for a special issue book/journal.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
McFadden, T.; Jenkins, T.; Collins, C.
1977-12-01
A study was initiated in 1975 to evaluate the fate and effects of crude oil spilled on a taiga-covered permafrost site in Alaska. During this second year of the study the logistical portion of the experiments was completed with a spill of hot Prudhoe Bay crude oil in July 1976. This spill was compared with one that took place in February 1976 (reported upon in the first annual progress report). Studies on the differences in the fate of the oil, its effects on the permafrost, and its impact on the biological communities were continued and expanded. Oil moved downslope atmore » a much faster rate during the summer spill than during the winter spill. In the winter the oil cooled and pooled rapidly. The summer spill covered approximately one-third more surface area than did the winter spill in the final configuration, even though the two spills were of almost identical volume. Increases in microbial populations and activities during the months following the spill were evident. Increased counts of bacteria, yeasts, denitrifying bacteria, and petroleum-degrading bacteria following the oil spills were particularly evident. Analysis of the oil's decomposition using gas chromatography techniques indicated that the low molecular weight fractions, methane and ethane, were lost almost immediately after the spill in each case.« less
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2000-04-01
The study gathered (1)data on oil spills of 100 barrels of greater in volume that occurred in the Alaskan or Canadian study areas and which were associated with oil industry, (2)documentation for spills of 500 bbl or greater, (3) data on crude oil pr...
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Studies on marine oil spills and their ecological damage
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mei, Hong; Yin, Yanjie
2009-09-01
The sources of marine oil spills are mainly from accidents of marine oil tankers or freighters, marine oil-drilling platforms, marine oil pipelines, marine oilfields, terrestrial pollution, oil-bearing atmosphere, and offshore oil production equipment. It is concluded upon analysis that there are two main reasons for marine oil spills: (I) The motive for huge economic benefits of oil industry owners and oil shipping agents far surpasses their sense of ecological risks. (II) Marine ecological safety has not become the main concern of national security. Oil spills are disasters because humans spare no efforts to get economic benefits from oil. The present paper draws another conclusion that marine ecological damage caused by oil spills can be roughly divided into two categories: damage to marine resource value (direct value) and damage to marine ecosystem service value (indirect value). Marine oil spills cause damage to marine biological, fishery, seawater, tourism and mineral resources to various extents, which contributes to the lower quality and value of marine resources.
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Kankara, R S; Arockiaraj, S; Prabhu, K
2016-05-15
Integration of oil spill modeling with coastal resource information could be useful for protecting the coastal environment from oil spills. A scenario-based risk assessment and sensitivity indexing were performed for the Chennai coast by integrating a coastal resource information system and an oil spill trajectory model. The fate analysis of spilled oil showed that 55% of oil out of a total volume of 100m(3) remained in the water column, affecting 800m of the shoreline. The seasonal scenarios show major impact during the southwest (SW) and northeast (NE) monsoons and more fatal effects on marine pelagic organisms during SW monsoon. The Oil Spill Risk Assessment Modeler tool was constructed in a geographic information systems (GIS) platform to analyze the risks, sensitivity mapping, and priority indexing of resources that are likely to be affected by oil spills along the Chennai coast. The results of sensitivity mapping and the risk assessment results can help organizations take measures to combat oil spills in a timely manner. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kumar, P.; Katiyar, S.
2016-02-01
This paper is providing the study of geospatial technology to study the oil spill in various regions and develop oil spill risk management system to provide control and surveillance over large areas and provide tactical assistance in emergencies. Oil spill data which is been placed over GIS is interfaced with the relational database already been created for rapid access, retrieval and query, enhances strategic and strategic decision-making, potentially reducing incidence of spills by providing a deterrent factor and reducing the cost by providing rapid recovery solution. Microwave data are used to detect the oil spill in the shallow coastal region of Persian Gulf and spectral signatures are observed. Various observations can be extracted from this study like location of oil spill, quantity of oil spill and its distribution in effected coast or shoreline area. Satellite images with and without sun glint were studied as the spectral signature of oil slicks in the optical sphere of influence depends upon the viewing geometry and the solar angle in addition to the type of oil and its thickness. The oil slick with bright contrast observed by Microwave data showed lower temperature than oil-free areas. The GIS-based system can be used to establish the appropriate response and locate the dense areas in a slick and local surveillance, to permit clean-up vessels to detect the oil to be cleared in rapid circumstances. Oil spill verification has two parts: dark spot detection and feature extraction. The synergistic use of satellite observations and hydrodynamic modeling is recommended for establishing an early warning and decision support system for oil pollution response. Keywords: Oil Spill, Microwave data, GIS
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Hou, Xianlong; Hodges, Ben R; Feng, Dongyu; Liu, Qixiao
2017-03-15
As oil transport increasing in the Texas bays, greater risks of ship collisions will become a challenge, yielding oil spill accidents as a consequence. To minimize the ecological damage and optimize rapid response, emergency managers need to be informed with how fast and where oil will spread as soon as possible after a spill. The state-of-the-art operational oil spill forecast modeling system improves the oil spill response into a new stage. However uncertainty due to predicted data inputs often elicits compromise on the reliability of the forecast result, leading to misdirection in contingency planning. Thus understanding the forecast uncertainty and reliability become significant. In this paper, Monte Carlo simulation is implemented to provide parameters to generate forecast probability maps. The oil spill forecast uncertainty is thus quantified by comparing the forecast probability map and the associated hindcast simulation. A HyosPy-based simple statistic model is developed to assess the reliability of an oil spill forecast in term of belief degree. The technologies developed in this study create a prototype for uncertainty and reliability analysis in numerical oil spill forecast modeling system, providing emergency managers to improve the capability of real time operational oil spill response and impact assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-09-07
..., Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities. Forms: MMS-1016, MMS-1017, MMS-1018, MMS... 1996 (Pub. L. 104-324), provides at section 1016 that oil spill financial responsibility (OSFR) for... President. Section 1016 of OPA supersedes the offshore facility oil spill financial responsibility...
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75 FR 29397 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-05-26
... National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling By the authority vested in... Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (the ``Commission''). Sec. 2. Membership. (a) The... impact of, oil spills associated with offshore drilling, taking into consideration the environmental...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Whitmore, William
2005-01-01
No two oil spills are the same. Logistically, oil spills are a nightmare because they are unanticipated and uncontrolled events. Oil spills present a threat to wildlife and coastal resources, concerning everyone from local residents to state environmental agencies and the federal government. Thousands of people may be involved in a significant…
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In-Situ Burning of Spilled Oil.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Allen, Alan A.
1991-01-01
Reviews in-situ burning with particular emphasis on how it can be applied in water-related oil spill situations. Presents and discusses the use of nomograms and development of techniques cited for safe and effective ignition and controlled burning of spilled oil. Includes representative oil spill scenarios and possible responses. (15 references)…
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-06-06
...-0010; OMB Control Number 1014-0007] Information Collection Activities: Oil-Spill Response Requirements... regulations under Part 254, ``Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located Seaward of the Coast Line... 254, Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located Seaward of the Coast Line. OMB Control...
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Impacts, recovery rates, and treatment options for spilled oil in marshes.
Michel, Jacqueline; Rutherford, Nicolle
2014-05-15
In a review of the literature on impacts of spilled oil on marshes, 32 oil spills and field experiments were identified with sufficient data to generate recovery curves and identify influencing factors controlling the rate of recovery. For many spills, recovery occurred within 1-2 growing seasons, even in the absence of any treatment. Recovery was longest for spills with the following conditions: Cold climate; sheltered settings; thick oil on the marsh surface; light refined products with heavy loading; oils that formed persistent thick residues; and intensive treatment. Recovery was shortest for spills with the following conditions: Warm climate; light to heavy oiling of the vegetation only; medium crude oils; and less-intensive treatment. Recommendations are made for treatment based on the following oiling conditions: Free-floating oil on the water in the marsh; thicker oil (>0.5 cm) on marsh surface; thinner oil (<0.5 cm) on marsh surface; heavy oil loading on vegetation; and light to moderate oil loading on vegetation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Ecological Impacts during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the largest spill and response effort in United States history. Nearly 800 million L of oil was spilled in the Gulf of Mexico, and nearly 7 million L of chemical dispersants were applied in at the ocean surface and subsea1. The DWH spill ...
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An advance forecasting system for ship originated oil spills in the Mediterranean
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zodiatis, G.; Lardner, R.; De Dominicis, M.; Coppini, G.; Pinardi, N.
2012-04-01
One of the permanent risks from an oil spill incident in the Mediterranean is associated with the heavy traffic in maritime transport, as well nowadays with the coastal and offshore installations related to the oil and gas industry. Such dense activity imposes on the coastal countries the need for preparing an operational response to major oil spill incidents. In the recent past, several policies related to oil spill response have been adopted internationally. At the regional level the Barcelona convention, recognizing pollution from oil spills as one of the major threats to the marine environment of the Mediterranean, initiated the preparedness for responding to major oil spill incidents, through various national and sub-regional contingency plans. At the European level the Member States was obliged to implement the EU Directive 2005/35, aimed at identifying the polluter and bringing them to prosecution. The response to an oil spill incident employs various measures and equipment. However, the success of such response depends greatly on the prediction of the movement and weathering of the oil spills. Such predictions may obtained through the operational application of advanced numerical oil spill models integrated with met-ocean forecasting data. A well established operational system for oil spill predictions in the Mediterranean is the MEDSLIK three dimensional model that predicts the transport, diffusion and spreading of oil spill and incorporates the fate processes of evaporation, emulsification, viscosity changes, dispersion into the water column and coastal impact and adhesion. MEDSLIK is integrated with the MyOCEAN regional and several downscaled ocean forecasting systems in the Mediterranean, contributing to the development of the GMES marine services. Moreover, MEDSLIK has been coupled with EMSA-CSN and ESA ASAR imageries, for short forward and backward predictions, to assist the response agencies in the implementation of the EU Directive 2005/35. From 2007 to 2011 more than a thousand possible ship originated oil slicks were detected by ASAR imageries in the Levantine Basin and then used for operational predictions by MEDSLIK. The successful operation of the MEDSLIK oil spill prediction system in the Levantine Basin has initiated efforts to implement a multi model approach to oil spill predictions in the Mediterranean through the realization of the recently approved project known as MedDESS4MS-Mediterranean Decision Support System for Maritime Safety, funded under the MED program. MEDESS4MS project is dedicated to the prevention of maritime risks and strengthening of maritime safety related to oil spill pollution in the Mediterranean. MEDESS4MS will deliver an integrated operational multi model oil spill prediction service in the Mediterranean, connected to existing monitoring platforms (EMSA-CSN, REMPEC, AIS), using the well established oil spill modeling systems, the data from the GMES Marine Core Services and the national ocean forecasting systems.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lu, J.; Yuan, F.; Mikkelsen, J. D.; Ohm, C.; Stange, E.; Holand, M.
2017-08-01
Accidental oil spills can have significant effect on the coastal and marine environment. As the oil extraction and exploration activities increase in the Barents Sea, it is of increasingly importance to investigate the potential oil spill incidents associated with these activities. In this study, the transport and fate of oil after a proposed oil spill incident in Barents Sea was modelled by oil spill contingency and response model OSCAR. The possibility that the spilled oil reach the open sea and the strand area was calculated respectively. The influence area of the incident was calculated by combining the results from 200 simulations. The possibility that the spilled oil reach Alke species, a vulnerable species and on the National Red List of birds in Barents Sea, was analyzed by combining oil spill modelling results and the Alke species distribution data. The results showed that oil is dominated with a probability of 70-100% in the open sea to reach an area in a radius of 20km from the release location after 14 days of release. The probability reduces with the increasing distances from the release location. It is higher possibility that the spilled oil will reach the Alke species in the strand area than in the open sea in the summer. The total influence area of the release is 11 429 km2 for the surface water and 1528 km2 for the coastal area.
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Satellite observations and modeling of oil spill trajectories in the Bohai Sea.
Xu, Qing; Li, Xiaofeng; Wei, Yongliang; Tang, Zeyan; Cheng, Yongcun; Pichel, William G
2013-06-15
On June 4 and 17, 2011, separate oil spill accidents occurred at two oil platforms in the Bohai Sea, China. The oil spills were subsequently observed on different types of satellite images including SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar), Chinese HJ-1-B CCD and NASA MODIS. To illustrate the fate of the oil spills, we performed two numerical simulations to simulate the trajectories of the oil spills with the GNOME (General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment) model. For the first time, we drive the GNOME with currents obtained from an operational ocean model (NCOM, Navy Coastal Ocean Model) and surface winds from operational scatterometer measurements (ASCAT, the Advanced Scatterometer). Both data sets are freely and openly available. The initial oil spill location inputs to the model are based on the detected oil spill locations from the SAR images acquired on June 11 and 14. Three oil slicks are tracked simultaneously and our results show good agreement between model simulations and subsequent satellite observations in the semi-enclosed shallow sea. Moreover, GNOME simulation shows that the number of 'splots', which denotes the extent of spilled oil, is a vital factor for GNOME running stability when the number is less than 500. Therefore, oil spill area information obtained from satellite sensors, especially SAR, is an important factor for setting up the initial model conditions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Risk of large oil spills: a statistical analysis in the aftermath of Deepwater Horizon.
Eckle, Petrissa; Burgherr, Peter; Michaux, Edouard
2012-12-04
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that followed the explosion of the exploration platform Deepwater Horizon on 20 April 2010 was the largest accidental oil spill so far. In this paper we evaluate the risk of such very severe oil spills based on global historical data from our Energy-Related Severe Accident Database (ENSAD) and investigate if an accident of this size could have been "expected". We also compare the risk of oil spills from such accidents in exploration and production to accidental spills from other activities in the oil chain (tanker ship transport, pipelines, storage/refinery) and analyze the two components of risk, frequency and severity (quantity of oil spilled) separately. This detailed analysis reveals the differences in the structure of the risk between different spill sources, differences in trends over time and it allows in particular assessing the risk of very severe events such as the Deepwater Horizon spill. Such top down risk assessment can serve as an important input to decision making by complementing bottom up engineering risk assessment and can be combined with impact assessment in environmental risk analysis.
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Design of a Low-cost Oil Spill Tracking Buoy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhao, Y.; Hu, X.; Yu, F.; Dong, S.; Chen, G.
2017-12-01
As the rapid development of oil exploitation and transportation, oil spill accidents, such as Prestige oil spill, Gulf of Mexico oil spill accident and so on, happened frequently in recent years which would result in long-term damage to the environment and human life. It would be helpful for rescue operation if we can locate the oil slick diffusion area in real time. Equipped with GNSS system, current tracking buoys(CTB), such as Lagrangian drifting buoy, Surface Velocity Program (SVP) drifter, iSLDMB (Iridium self locating datum marker buoy) and Argosphere buoy, have been used as oil tracking buoy in oil slick observation and as validation tools for oil spill simulation. However, surface wind could affect the movement of oil slick, which couldn't be reflected by CTB, thus the oil spill tracking performance is limited. Here, we proposed an novel oil spill tracking buoy (OSTB) which has a low cost of less than $140 and is equipped with Beidou positioning module and sails to track oil slick. Based on hydrodynamic equilibrium model and ocean dynamic analysis, the wind sails and water sails are designed to be adjustable according to different marine conditions to improve tracking efficiency. Quick release device is designed to assure easy deployment from air or ship. Sea experiment was carried out in Jiaozhou Bay, Northern China. OSTB, SVP, iSLDMB, Argosphere buoy and a piece of oil-simulated rubber sheet were deployed at the same time. Meanwhile, oil spill simulation model GNOME (general NOAA operational modeling environment) was configured with the wind and current field, which were collected by an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) mounted with acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) and wind speed and direction sensors. Experimental results show that the OSTB has better relevance with rubber sheet and GNOME simulation results, which validate the oil tracking ability of OSTB. With low cost and easy deployment, OSTB provides an effective way for oil spill numerical modeling validation and quick response to oil spill accidents.
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A GIS planning model for urban oil spill management.
Li, J
2001-01-01
Oil spills in industrialized cities pose a significant threat to their urban water environment. The largest city in Canada, the city of Toronto, has an average 300-500 oil spills per year with an average total volume of about 160,000 L/year. About 45% of the spills was eventually cleaned up. Given the enormous amount of remaining oil entering into the fragile urban ecosystem, it is important to develop an effective pollution prevention and control plan for the city. A Geographic Information System (GIS) planning model has been developed to characterize oil spills and determine preventive and control measures available in the city. A database of oil spill records from 1988 to 1997 was compiled and geo-referenced. Attributes to each record such as spill volume, oil type, location, road type, sector, source, cleanup percentage, and environmental impacts were created. GIS layers of woodlots, wetlands, watercourses, Environmental Sensitive Areas, and Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest were obtained from the local Conservation Authority. By overlaying the spill characteristics with the GIS layers, evaluation of preventive and control solutions close to these environmental features was conducted. It was found that employee training and preventive maintenance should be improved as the principal cause of spills was attributed to human errors and equipment failure. Additionally, the cost of using oil separators at strategic spill locations was found to be $1.4 million. The GIS model provides an efficient planning tool for urban oil spill management. Additionally, the graphical capability of GIS allows users to integrate environmental features and spill characteristics in the management analysis.
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76 FR 37141 - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Notice of Meeting
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-06-24
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Notice... Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee. DATES: July 26, 2011, at 10 a.m. ADDRESSES: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Office, 441 West 5th Avenue, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska. FOR FURTHER...
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75 FR 14622 - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Notice of Meeting
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-03-26
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Notice... Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee. DATES: April 19, 2010, at 10 a.m. ADDRESSES: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Office, 441 West 5th Avenue, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska. FOR FURTHER...
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78 FR 54669 - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-09-05
...] Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior. ACTION... meeting of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee. DATES: October 3, 2013, at 9:30 a.m... INFORMATION: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee was created by Paragraph V.A.4 of the...
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75 FR 37783 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-30
... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore...: This notice announces an open meeting of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill... Horizon explosion, fire and oil spill and develop options to guard against, and mitigate the impact of...
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Trustees | NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration
Archive Home About Us Trustees Trustees Working Together The Oil Pollution Act authorizes certain federal of oil spills and to plan and carry out restoration efforts. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Trustee Council. The Council studied the effects of the oil spill and continues to restore the Gulf of
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Deepwater BP Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Update | NOAA
Publications Press Releases Story Archive Home Deepwater BP Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Update Deepwater BP Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Update share Posted on July 7, 2011 | Assessment and Early Restoration Restoration Area Title: Deepwater BP Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... oil spill response vessel certification. 126.225 Section 126.225 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF... Inspection § 126.225 Alternate tonnage for offshore supply vessels seeking oil spill response vessel... also be certificated as an oil spill response vessel. [76 FR 77131, Dec. 12, 2011] ...
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76 FR 15332 - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Notice of Meeting
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-03-21
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Notice... Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee. DATES: April 13, 2011, at 10 a.m. ADDRESSES: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Office, 441 West 5th Avenue, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska. FOR FURTHER...
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Fraser, Gail S; Racine, Vincent
2016-06-15
Seabirds are vulnerable to oil pollution, particularly in cold-water regions. We investigated the response of small spills (<7.95m(3)) at offshore production platforms in Newfoundland, a region recognized for seabird diversity and abundance. In three environmental assessments for oil production operations Environment Canada requested monitoring and mitigation of small spills potentially impacting seabird populations; suggestions supported by two independent reviews. An industry spill response plan states that operators would collect systematic observations on spills and deploy countermeasures where possible. Operators' spill reports were obtained under an Access to Information request. There were 220 daytime spills with sheens (out of 381 spills; 1997-2010). Of these, six reported time to oil dispersion and eleven the presence or absence of seabirds. Industry self-reporting has not permitted an evaluation of the impact of chronic oil spills on seabirds. We recommend that independent observers be placed on platforms to systematically collect data on spills and seabirds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Autonomous Graphene Vessel for Suctioning and Storing Liquid Body of Spilled Oil.
Kim, Taewoo; Lee, Jeong Seok; Lee, Geonhui; Seo, Dong Kyun; Baek, Youngbin; Yoon, Jeyong; Oh, Seung M; Kang, Tae June; Lee, Hong H; Kim, Yong Hyup
2016-02-29
Despite remarkable strides in science and technology, the strategy for spilled oil collection has remained almost the same since the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. The graphene vessel devised here can bring about an important yet basic change in the strategy for spilled oil collection. When it is placed on the oil-covered seawater, the graphene vessel selectively separates the oil, then collects and stores the collected oil in the vessel all by itself without any external power inputs. Capillarity and gravity work together to fill this proto-type graphene vessel with the spilled oil at a rate that is higher than 20,000 liters per square meter per hour (LMH) with oil purity better than 99.9%, and allow the vessel to withstand a water head of 0.5 m. The vessel also has a superb chemical stability and recyclability. An expanded oil contact area, considerably greater than the thickness of the oil layer, forms at the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foam interface upon contact with the spilled oil. This expanded contact area does not change much even when the oil layer thins out. As a result, the high oil collection rate is maintained throughout the recovery of spilled oil.
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Autonomous Graphene Vessel for Suctioning and Storing Liquid Body of Spilled Oil
Kim, Taewoo; Lee, Jeong Seok; Lee, Geonhui; Seo, Dong Kyun; Baek, Youngbin; Yoon, Jeyong; Oh, Seung M.; Kang, Tae June; Lee, Hong H.; Kim, Yong Hyup
2016-01-01
Despite remarkable strides in science and technology, the strategy for spilled oil collection has remained almost the same since the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. The graphene vessel devised here can bring about an important yet basic change in the strategy for spilled oil collection. When it is placed on the oil-covered seawater, the graphene vessel selectively separates the oil, then collects and stores the collected oil in the vessel all by itself without any external power inputs. Capillarity and gravity work together to fill this proto-type graphene vessel with the spilled oil at a rate that is higher than 20,000 liters per square meter per hour (LMH) with oil purity better than 99.9%, and allow the vessel to withstand a water head of 0.5 m. The vessel also has a superb chemical stability and recyclability. An expanded oil contact area, considerably greater than the thickness of the oil layer, forms at the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foam interface upon contact with the spilled oil. This expanded contact area does not change much even when the oil layer thins out. As a result, the high oil collection rate is maintained throughout the recovery of spilled oil. PMID:26923622
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Al Shami, A; Harik, G; Alameddine, I; Bruschi, D; Garcia, D Astiaso; El-Fadel, M
2017-01-01
Oil pollution in the Mediterranean represents a serious threat to the coastal environment. Quantifying the risks associated with a potential spill is often based on results generated from oil spill models. In this study, MEDSLIK-II, an EU funded and endorsed oil spill model, is used to assess potential oil spill scenarios at four pilot areas located along the northern, eastern, and southern Mediterranean shoreline, providing a wide range of spill conditions and coastal geomorphological characteristics. Oil spill risk assessment at the four pilot areas was quantified as a function of three oil pollution metrics that include the susceptibility of oiling per beach segment, the average volume of oiling expected in the event of beaching, and the average oil beaching time. The results show that while the three pollution metrics tend to agree in their hazard characterization when the shoreline morphology is simple, considerable differences in the quantification of the associated hazard is possible under complex coastal morphologies. These differences proved to greatly alter the evaluation of environmental risks. An integrative hazard index is proposed that encompasses the three simulated pollution metrics. The index promises to shed light on oil spill hazards that can be universally applied across the Mediterranean basin by integrating it with the unified oil spill risk assessment tool developed by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean (REMPEC). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Oil spill detection from TerraSAR-X dual-polarized images using artificial neural network
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, D.; Jung, H.-S.
2017-10-01
Marine pollution from oil spills destroys ecosystems. In order to minimize the damage, it is important to fast cleanup it after predicting how the oil will spread. In order to predict the spread of oil spill, remote sensing technique, especially radar satellite image is widely used. In previous studies, only the back-scattering value is generally used for the detection of oil spill. However, in this study, oil spill was detected by applying ANN (Artificial Neural Network) as input data from the back-scattering value of the radar image as well as the phase information extracted from the dual polarization. In order to maximize the efficiency of oil spill detection using a back-scattering value, the speckle noise acting as an error factor should be removed first. NL-means filter was applied to multi-look image to remove it without smoothing of spatial resolution. In the coherence image, the sea has a high value and the oil spill area has a low value due to the scattering characteristics of the pulse. In order to using the characteristics of radar image, training sample was set up from NL-means filtered images(HH, VV) and coherence image, and ANN was applied to produce probability map of oil spill. In general, the value was 0.4 or less in the case of the sea, and the value was mainly in the range of 0.7 to 0.9 in the oil spill area. Using coherence images generated from different polarizations showed better detection results for relatively thin oil spill areas such as oil slick or oil sheen than using back-scattering information alone. It is expected that if the information about the look-alike of oil spill such as algae, internal wave and rainfall area is provided, the probability map can be produced with higher accuracy.
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Improving oil classification quality from oil spill fingerprint beyond six sigma approach.
Juahir, Hafizan; Ismail, Azimah; Mohamed, Saiful Bahri; Toriman, Mohd Ekhwan; Kassim, Azlina Md; Zain, Sharifuddin Md; Ahmad, Wan Kamaruzaman Wan; Wah, Wong Kok; Zali, Munirah Abdul; Retnam, Ananthy; Taib, Mohd Zaki Mohd; Mokhtar, Mazlin
2017-07-15
This study involves the use of quality engineering in oil spill classification based on oil spill fingerprinting from GC-FID and GC-MS employing the six-sigma approach. The oil spills are recovered from various water areas of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah (East Malaysia). The study approach used six sigma methodologies that effectively serve as the problem solving in oil classification extracted from the complex mixtures of oil spilled dataset. The analysis of six sigma link with the quality engineering improved the organizational performance to achieve its objectivity of the environmental forensics. The study reveals that oil spills are discriminated into four groups' viz. diesel, hydrocarbon fuel oil (HFO), mixture oil lubricant and fuel oil (MOLFO) and waste oil (WO) according to the similarity of the intrinsic chemical properties. Through the validation, it confirmed that four discriminant component, diesel, hydrocarbon fuel oil (HFO), mixture oil lubricant and fuel oil (MOLFO) and waste oil (WO) dominate the oil types with a total variance of 99.51% with ANOVA giving F stat >F critical at 95% confidence level and a Chi Square goodness test of 74.87. Results obtained from this study reveals that by employing six-sigma approach in a data-driven problem such as in the case of oil spill classification, good decision making can be expedited. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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Experimental L-Band Airborne SAR for Oil Spill Response at Sea and in Coastal Waters
Jones, Cathleen E.; Holt, Benjamin
2018-01-01
Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is frequently used during oil spill response efforts to identify oil slick extent, but suffers from the major disadvantages of potential long latency between when a spill occurs and when a satellite can image the site and an inability to continuously track the spill as it develops. We show using data acquired with the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle SAR (UAVSAR) instrument how a low noise, high resolution, L-band SAR could be used for oil spill response, with specific examples of tracking slick extent, position and weathering; determining zones of relatively thicker or more emulsified oil within a slick; and identifying oil slicks in coastal areas where look-alikes such as calm waters or biogenic slicks can confound the identification of mineral oil spills. From these key points, the essential features of an airborne SAR system for operational oil spill response are described, and further research needed to determine SAR’s capabilities and limitations in quantifying slick thickness is discussed. PMID:29470391
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The SPCC rule requires facilities to develop, maintain, and implement an oil spill prevention plan, called an SPCC Plan. These plans help facilities prevent oil spill, as well as control a spill should one occur.
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Weathered Oil and Tar Sampling Data for BP Spill/Deepwater Horizon
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill) began on 20 April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. Following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010.In response to the BP oil spill, EPA sampled air, water, sediment, and waste generated by the cleanup operations.
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75 FR 47584 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-08-06
... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore...: This notice announces an open meeting for the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill... in the Federal Register. The Charter of the Commission can be found at: http://www.OilSpillCommission...
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75 FR 65309 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-10-22
... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore...: This notice announces an open meeting of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill... concerning the root cause of the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion, fire, and oil spill and to develop options...
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75 FR 56526 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-09-16
... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore...: This notice announces an open meeting of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill... in the Federal Register. The Charter of the Commission can be found at: http://www.OilSpillCommission...
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75 FR 60097 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-09-29
... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore...: This notice announces an open meeting of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill... cause of the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion, fire, and oil spill and to develop options to guard against...
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75 FR 69652 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-11-15
... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore...: This notice announces an open meeting of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill... cause of the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion, fire, and oil spill and to develop options to guard against...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill... SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES General § 253.5 What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill Financial Responsibility (OSFR) information...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill... MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES General § 553.5 What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill Financial Responsibility (OSFR) information...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... oil spill response vessel certification. 126.225 Section 126.225 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF... Inspection § 126.225 Alternate tonnage for offshore supply vessels seeking oil spill response vessel... also be certificated as an oil spill response vessel. [82-004 and CGD 86-074, 62 FR 49324, Sept. 19...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill... MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES General § 553.5 What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill Financial Responsibility (OSFR) information...
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30 CFR 553.14 - How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false How do I determine the worst case oil-spill... THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Applicability and Amount of OSFR § 553.14 How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume? (a) To calculate...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... oil spill response vessel certification. 126.225 Section 126.225 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF... Inspection § 126.225 Alternate tonnage for offshore supply vessels seeking oil spill response vessel... also be certificated as an oil spill response vessel. [82-004 and CGD 86-074, 62 FR 49324, Sept. 19...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill... MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES General § 253.5 What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill Financial...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill... MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES General § 553.5 What is the authority for collecting Oil Spill Financial Responsibility (OSFR) information...
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30 CFR 553.14 - How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false How do I determine the worst case oil-spill... THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Applicability and Amount of OSFR § 553.14 How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume? (a) To calculate...
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30 CFR 553.14 - How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false How do I determine the worst case oil-spill... THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Applicability and Amount of OSFR § 553.14 How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume? (a) To calculate...
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Fenner, R. G.; Reid, S. C.; Solie, C. H.
1980-01-01
An evaluation is given of how active and passive microwave sensors can best be used in oil spill detection and assessment. Radar backscatter curves taken over oil spills are presented and their effect on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery are discussed. Plots of microwave radiometric brightness variations over oil spills are presented and discussed. Recommendations as to how to select the best combination of frequency, viewing angle, and sensor type for evaluation of various aspects of oil spills are also discussed.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Johnson, W.R.; Marshall, C.F.; Anderson, C.M.
1994-08-01
The Federal Government has proposed to offer Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands in Cook Inlet for oil and gas leasing. Because oil spills may occur from activities associated with offshore oil production, the Minerals Management Service conducts a formal risk assessment. In evaluating the significance of accidental oil spills, it is important to remember that the occurrence of such spills is fundamentally probabilistic. The effects of oil spills that could occur during oil and gas production must be considered. This report summarizes results of an oil-spill risk analysis conducted for the proposed Cook Inlet OCS Lease Sale 149. The objectivemore » of this analysis was to estimate relative risks associated with oil and gas production for the proposed lease sale. To aid the analysis, conditional risk contour maps of seasonal conditional probabilities of spill contact were generated for each environmental resource or land segment in the study area. This aspect is discussed in this volume of the two volume report.« less
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Ecological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: implications for immunotoxicity
Summary of major Federal and multi-stake holder research efforts in response to the DWH spill, including laboratory oil dispersant testing, estimation of oil release rates and oil fate calculations, subsea monitoring, and post-spill assessments. Impacts from shoreline oiling, wil...
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Oil-spill risk analysis: Outer continental shelf lease sale 144, Beaufort Sea. Final report
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Anderson, C.M.; Johnson, W.R.; Marshall, C.F.
1995-08-01
The Federal Government has proposed to offer Outer Continental Shelf lands in the Beaufort Sea for oil and gas leasing. Because oil spills may occur from activities associated with offshore oil production, the Minerals Management Service conducts a formal risk assessment. In evaluating the significance of accidental oil spills, it is important to remember that the occurrence of such spills is fundamentally probabilistic. This report summarizes results of an oil-spill risk analysis conducted for OCS Lease Sale 144, Beaufort Sea. The objective of this analysis was to estimate relative risks associated with oil and gas production for the proposed leasemore » sale.« less
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Application of solidifiers for oil spill containment: A review.
Motta, Fernanda L; Stoyanov, Stanislav R; Soares, João B P
2018-03-01
The need for new and/or improvement of existing oil spill remediation measures has increased substantially amidst growing public concern with the increased transportation of unconventional crudes, such as diluted bitumen products. Solidifiers may be a very good spill response measure to contain and mitigate the effects of oil discharge incidents, as these interact with the oil to limit hydrocarbon release into air and water, prevent it from adhering onto sediment and debris, and could allow for oil recovery and reuse. Solidifiers change the physical state of the spilled oil from liquid to a coherent mass by chemical interactions between the spilled oil and the solidifier. Currently, the use of solidifiers is limited to small spills near shorelines. To extend their use to large-scale spill containment operations, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of solidifier action and to establish consistent criteria for evaluation of their effectiveness. The research effort to date has been focused mainly on gelators and cross-linking agents, with particularly impressive advancements in the areas of phase-selective polymeric and small-molecule gelators. Substantial research efforts are needed to improve solidifier performance and integrate solidifiers as part of spill response procedures, particularly for acute oil spills involving unconventional petroleum products. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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An oil spill decision matrix in response to surface spills of various bitumen blends.
King, Thomas L; Robinson, Brian; Cui, Fangda; Boufadel, Michel; Lee, Kenneth; Clyburne, Jason A C
2017-07-19
Canada's production, transport, and sale of diluted bitumen (dilbit) products are expected to increase by a million barrels per day over the next decade. The anticipated growth in oil production and transport increases the risk of oil spills in aquatic areas and places greater demands on oil spill capabilities to respond to spills, which have raised stakeholder concerns. Current oil spill models only predict the transport of bitumen blends that are used in contingency plans and oil spill response strategies, rather than changes in the oil's physical properties that are relevant to spill response. We conducted weathering studies of five oil products (two conventional oils and three bitumen blends) in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' flume tank. We also considered two initial oil slick thicknesses, 4.0 mm and 7.0 mm. We found that there is a major difference in the time evolution of oil properties (density and viscosity), raising doubts on weathering models that do not consider the thickness of oil. We also developed empirical expressions for the evolution of the density and viscosity of these oil products. The findings from the 4.0 mm results were incorporated with data from the literature to provide an update on the factors to consider during the decision making for spills of diluted bitumen products. The matrix indicated that most response options, including chemical dispersants, work much more effectively within 48 hours of the initiation of weathering. After this window of opportunity closes, natural attenuation or in situ burning is the only option remaining, but containment of oil is a limiting factor for in situ burning.
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Detection of oil spills using 13.3 GHz radar scatterometer
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Krishen, K.
1972-01-01
The results of an analysis of 13.3-GHz single polarized scatterometer data collected during NASA/MSC Mission 135, flown on March 16, 1970 are reported. Data were gathered over a crude oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico off the Mississippi Delta. With the aid of RC-8 camera photographs, the scattering cross section was correlated with the extent of the oil spill. The scattering cross section at higher incidence angles decreased by 5 db to 10 db in the presence of the oil spill. This was attributed to oil's damping of small gravity and capillary waves. The composite scattering theory and the scatterometer acquired data were used to obtain an expression of radar scattering over ocean surfaces with oil spills. The study demonstrates that the presence and extent of oil spills can be detected using high frequency radar systems.
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Loh, Andrew; Yim, Un Hyuk; Ha, Sung Yong; An, Joon Geon; Kim, Moonkoo
2017-07-01
After the collision of the Singapore-registered oil tanker M/V Wu Yi San into the oil terminal of Yeosu, Korea on January 31, 2014, approximately 900 m 3 of oil and oil mixture were released from the ruptured pipelines. The oil affected more than 10 km of coastline along Gwangyang Bay. Emergency oil spill responses recovered bulk oil at sea and cleaned up the stranded oil on shore. As part of an emergency environmental impact assessment, region-wide monitoring of oil contamination in oyster had been conducted for 2 months. Highly elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected at most of the spill affected sites. Four days after the spill, the levels of PAHs in oysters increased dramatically to 627-81,000 ng/g, the average of which was 20 times higher than those found before the spill (321-4040 ng/g). The level of PAHs in these oysters increased until 10 days after the spill and then decreased. Due to the strong tidal current and easterly winter winds, the eastern part of the Bay-the Namhae region-was heavily contaminated compared with other regions. The accumulation and depuration of spilled oil in oyster corresponded with the duration and intensity of the cleanup activities, which is the first field observation in oil spill cases. Human health risk assessments showed that benzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentrations exceeded levels of concern in the highly contaminated sites, even 60 days after the spill.
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i4OilSpill, an operational marine oil spill forecasting model for Bohai Sea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yu, Fangjie; Yao, Fuxin; Zhao, Yang; Wang, Guansuo; Chen, Ge
2016-10-01
Oil spill models can effectively simulate the trajectories and fate of oil slicks, which is an essential element in contingency planning and effective response strategies prepared for oil spill accidents. However, when applied to offshore areas such as the Bohai Sea, the trajectories and fate of oil slicks would be affected by time-varying factors in a regional scale, which are assumed to be constant in most of the present models. In fact, these factors in offshore regions show much more variation over time than in the deep sea, due to offshore bathymetric and climatic characteristics. In this paper, the challenge of parameterizing these offshore factors is tackled. The remote sensing data of the region are used to analyze the modification of wind-induced drift factors, and a well-suited solution is established in parameter correction mechanism for oil spill models. The novelty of the algorithm is the self-adaptive modification mechanism of the drift factors derived from the remote sensing data for the targeted sea region, in respect to empirical constants in the present models. Considering this situation, a new regional oil spill model (i4OilSpill) for the Bohai Sea is developed, which can simulate oil transformation and fate processes by Eulerian-Lagrangian methodology. The forecasting accuracy of the proposed model is proven by the validation results in the comparison between model simulation and subsequent satellite observations on the Penglai 19-3 oil spill accident. The performance of the model parameter correction mechanism is evaluated by comparing with the real spilled oil position extracted from ASAR images.
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Estimating Potential Effects of Hypothetical Oil Spills on Polar Bears
Amstrup, Steven C.; Durner, George M.; McDonald, T.L.; Johnson, W.R.
2006-01-01
Much is known about the transport and fate of oil spilled into the sea and its toxicity to exposed wildlife. Previously, however, there has been no way to quantify the probability that wildlife dispersed over the seascape would be exposed to spilled oil. Polar bears, the apical predator of the arctic, are widely dispersed near the continental shelves of the Arctic Ocean, an area also undergoing considerable hydrocarbon exploration and development. We used 15,308 satellite locations from 194 radiocollared polar bears to estimate the probability that polar bears could be exposed to hypothetical oil spills. We used a true 2 dimensional Gausian kernel density estimator, to estimate the number of bears likely to occur in each 1.00 km2 cell of a grid superimposed over near shore areas surrounding 2 oil production facilities: the existing Northstar oil production facility, and the proposed offshore site for the Liberty production facility. We estimated the standard errors of bear numbers per cell with bootstrapping. Simulated oil spill footprints for September and October, the times during which we hypothesized effects of an oil-spill would be worst, were estimated using real wind and current data collected between 1980 and 1996. We used ARC/Info software to calculate overlap (numbers of bears oiled) between simulated oil-spill footprints and polar bear grid-cell values. Numbers of bears potentially oiled by a hypothetical 5912 barrel spill (the largest spill thought probable from a pipeline breach) ranged from 0 to 27 polar bears for September open water conditions, and from 0 to 74 polar bears in October mixed ice conditions. Median numbers oiled by the 5912 barrel hypothetical spill from the Liberty simulation in September and October were 1 and 3 bears, equivalent values for the Northstar simulation were 3 and 11 bears. In October, 75% of trajectories from the 5912 barrel simulated spill at Liberty oiled 9 or fewer bears while 75% of the trajectories affected 20 or fewer polar bears when we simulated an October spill at the Northstar site. Northstar Island is nearer the active ice flaw zone than Liberty. Simulations suggested that oil spilled at Northstar would spread more effectively and more consistently into surrounding areas. Also, polar bear densities are consistently higher near Northstar. Oil spills simulated for the Liberty site were more erratic in the areas they covered and the numbers of bears impacted, and numbers of bears hypothetically exposed were usually smaller. Methods described here are broadly applicable to other dispersed marine wildlife. Key words: Arctic, Beaufort Sea, clustering, kernel, management, oil spill, polar bears, population delineation, radiotelemetry, satellite, smoothing, Ursus maritimus
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Institutionalizing Emerging Technology Assessment Process into National Incident Response
2013-10-01
mechanical methods, devices, and products, including oil sensors, booms, skimmers, decontamination , and waste minimization technologies...handling). • Alternative Oil Spill Response Technologies (in situ burning , dispersants, etc.). • Oil Spill Damage Assessment and Restoration. The TETs...deaths of eleven crewmembers and a subsequent uncontrolled oil spill that tested the government’s ability to respond to a spill of this magnitude as
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Mutual Interest: Engaging Vietnam on Oil Spill Prevention and Response
2013-11-01
on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling builds trust and improves their response capability. The Commission concluded that the...Surface recovery skimmers were 26 National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and...Sea. Los Angeles, University of California Press, 1979. National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. Report to
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33 CFR Appendix D to Part 154 - Training Elements for Oil Spill Response Plans
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Training Elements for Oil Spill... Appendix D to Part 154—Training Elements for Oil Spill Response Plans 1. General 1.1The portion of the plan... contracted oil spill removal organizations and the procedures to notify the activate such organizations. 2.2...
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33 CFR Appendix D to Part 154 - Training Elements for Oil Spill Response Plans
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Training Elements for Oil Spill... Appendix D to Part 154—Training Elements for Oil Spill Response Plans 1. General 1.1The portion of the plan... contracted oil spill removal organizations and the procedures to notify the activate such organizations. 2.2...
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30 CFR 254.46 - Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs? 254.46... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Related Requirements for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.46 Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs? (a) You...
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30 CFR 254.46 - Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs? 254.46... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Related Requirements for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.46 Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs? (a) You...
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30 CFR 253.14 - How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false How do I determine the worst case oil-spill... ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Applicability and Amount of OSFR § 253.14 How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume? (a) To...
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30 CFR 254.46 - Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs? 254.46..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE... oil spill occurs? (a) You must immediately notify the National Response Center (1-800-424-8802) if you...
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33 CFR Appendix D to Part 154 - Training Elements for Oil Spill Response Plans
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Training Elements for Oil Spill... Appendix D to Part 154—Training Elements for Oil Spill Response Plans 1. General 1.1The portion of the plan... contracted oil spill removal organizations and the procedures to notify the activate such organizations. 2.2...
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30 CFR 254.46 - Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs? 254.46... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Related Requirements for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.46 Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs? (a) You...
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30 CFR 253.14 - How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How do I determine the worst case oil-spill... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Applicability and Amount of OSFR § 253.14 How do I determine the worst case oil-spill discharge volume? (a) To calculate the amount...
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33 CFR Appendix D to Part 154 - Training Elements for Oil Spill Response Plans
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Training Elements for Oil Spill... Appendix D to Part 154—Training Elements for Oil Spill Response Plans 1. General 1.1The portion of the plan... contracted oil spill removal organizations and the procedures to notify the activate such organizations. 2.2...
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Synergistic use of an oil drift model and remote sensing observations for oil spill monitoring.
De Padova, Diana; Mossa, Michele; Adamo, Maria; De Carolis, Giacomo; Pasquariello, Guido
2017-02-01
In case of oil spills due to disasters, one of the environmental concerns is the oil trajectories and spatial distribution. To meet these new challenges, spill response plans need to be upgraded. An important component of such a plan would be models able to simulate the behaviour of oil in terms of trajectories and spatial distribution, if accidentally released, in deep water. All these models need to be calibrated with independent observations. The aim of the present paper is to demonstrate that significant support to oil slick monitoring can be obtained by the synergistic use of oil drift models and remote sensing observations. Based on transport properties and weathering processes, oil drift models can indeed predict the fate of spilled oil under the action of water current velocity and wind in terms of oil position, concentration and thickness distribution. The oil spill event that occurred on 31 May 2003 in the Baltic Sea offshore the Swedish and Danish coasts is considered a case study with the aim of producing three-dimensional models of sea circulation and oil contaminant transport. The High-Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM) is used for atmospheric forcing. The results of the numerical modelling of current speed and water surface elevation data are validated by measurements carried out in Kalmarsund, Simrishamn and Kungsholmsfort stations over a period of 18 days and 17 h. The oil spill model uses the current field obtained from a circulation model. Near-infrared (NIR) satellite images were compared with numerical simulations. The simulation was able to predict both the oil spill trajectories of the observed slick and thickness distribution. Therefore, this work shows how oil drift modelling and remotely sensed data can provide the right synergy to reproduce the timing and transport of the oil and to get reliable estimates of thicknesses of spilled oil to prepare an emergency plan and to assess the magnitude of risk involved in case of oil spills due to disaster.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Faro, J.B.; Bowyer, R.T.; Testa, J.W.
1994-03-01
River otters (Lutra canadensis) were killed by direct effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, but the magnitude of that loss is unknown due to lack of pre-spill data. A time lag in spill effects is reflected by the reduction in species richness and diversity in the summer diets of otters in oiled areas between 1989 and 1990. Otters from oiled areas had higher haptoglobin levels in both 1990 and 1991. Male otters captured in oiled areas in 1990 had significantly lower body mass than otters from nonoiled areas. Otters from oiled areas had home ranges that were twice asmore » large as those from a non-spill area. Differences in rates of fecal deposition between oiled and nonoiled latrine sites in 1989 suggest otters used heavily oiled areas less often. Otters avoided shorelines with shallow slopes on the oiled area, whereas they strongly preferred these slopes on nonoiled sites, suggesting that otters lost habitat as a result of the spill.« less
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Marine oil spill risk mapping for accidental pollution and its application in a coastal city.
Lan, Dongdong; Liang, Bin; Bao, Chenguang; Ma, Minghui; Xu, Yan; Yu, Chunyan
2015-07-15
Accidental marine oil spill pollution can result in severe environmental, ecological, economic and other consequences. This paper discussed the model of Marine Oil Spill Risk Mapping (MOSRM), which was constructed as follows: (1) proposing a marine oil spill risk system based on the typical marine oil spill pollution accidents and prevailing risk theories; (2) identifying suitable indexes that are supported by quantitative sub-indexes; (3) constructing the risk measuring models according to the actual interactions between the factors in the risk system; and (4) assessing marine oil spill risk on coastal city scale with GIS to map the overall risk. The case study of accidental marine oil spill pollution in the coastal area of Dalian, China was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model. The coastal areas of Dalian were divided into three zones with risk degrees of high, medium, and low. And detailed countermeasures were proposed for specific risk zones. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Marine Environmental Emergencies in the North Pacific Ocean: Lessons Learned from Recent Oil Spills.
Yim, Un Hyuk; Short, Jeffrey
2017-07-01
Increasing marine vessel traffic, and oil and gas exploration and development throughout the North Pacific basin brings increasing risks of oil spills. Recognizing the serious challenges presented to response authorities, this Special Issue was organized by the North Pacific Marine Science Organization to provide an introduction to the current state of scientific understanding regarding the environmental effects of oil spills. Because interactions of spilled oils with biota and their habitats are complex, the most serious environmental damages from these spills are not necessarily those of greatest immediate concern by the public. Our overarching goal for this Special Issue is to provide an efficient introduction to the most important ways that oil spills can harm biota, habitats, and ecosystems through invited, targeted mini-reviews augmented by original research articles. We provide a brief background on the challenges posed by large oil spills to response authorities, summarize findings from the articles published in this Special Issue, and highlight some key research needs.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Oakley, K.L.; Kuletz, K.J.
1994-01-01
Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska, we studied pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba) breeding just 30 km from the grounding site. The post-spill population was 43% less than the pre-spill population, but we could not attribute the entire decline to the spill because a decline in the PWS guillemot population may have predated the spill. However, relative declines in the population were greater along oiled shorelines, suggesting that the spill was responsible for some of the decline. The most likely explanation for the few effects observed is that oil was present on the surfacemore » waters of the study area for a relatively short period before the guillemots returned to begin their annual reproductive activities.« less
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Oil Biodegradation and Bioremediation: A Tale of the Two Worst Spills in U.S. History
2011-01-01
The devastating environmental impacts of the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 and its media notoriety made it a frequent comparison to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the popular press in 2010, even though the nature of the two spills and the environments impacted were vastly different. Fortunately, unlike higher organisms that are adversely impacted by oil spills, microorganisms are able to consume petroleum hydrocarbons. These oil degrading indigenous microorganisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both the Exxon Valdez and BP Deepwater Horizon oil spills. PMID:21699212
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Oil biodegradation and bioremediation: a tale of the two worst spills in U.S. history.
Atlas, Ronald M; Hazen, Terry C
2011-08-15
The devastating environmental impacts of the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 and its media notoriety made it a frequent comparison to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the popular press in 2010, even though the nature of the two spills and the environments impacted were vastly different. Fortunately, unlike higher organisms that are adversely impacted by oil spills, microorganisms are able to consume petroleum hydrocarbons. These oil degrading indigenous microorganisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both the Exxon Valdez and BP Deepwater Horizon oil spills.
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Methods of Oil Detection in Response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Detecting oil in the northern Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill presented unique challenges due to the spatial and temporal extent of the spill and the subsequent dilution of oil in the environment. Over time, physical, chemical, and biological processes a...
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Advancing Partnerships Towards an Integrated Approach to Oil Spill Response
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Green, D. S.; Stough, T.; Gallegos, S. C.; Leifer, I.; Murray, J. J.; Streett, D.
2015-12-01
Oil spills can cause enormous ecological and economic devastation, necessitating application of the best science and technology available, and remote sensing is playing a growing critical role in the detection and monitoring of oil spills, as well as facilitating validation of remote sensing oil spill products. The FOSTERRS (Federal Oil Science Team for Emergency Response Remote Sensing) interagency working group seeks to ensure that during an oil spill, remote sensing assets (satellite/aircraft/instruments) and analysis techniques are quickly, effectively, appropriately, and seamlessly available to oil spills responders. Yet significant challenges remain for addressing oils spanning a vast range of chemical properties that may be spilled from the Tropics to the Arctic, with algorithms and scientific understanding needing advances to keep up with technology. Thus, FOSTERRS promotes enabling scientific discovery to ensure robust utilization of available technology as well as identifying technologies moving up the TRL (Technology Readiness Level). A recent FOSTERRS facilitated support activity involved deployment of the AVIRIS NG (Airborne Visual Infrared Imaging Spectrometer- Next Generation) during the Santa Barbara Oil Spill to validate the potential of airborne hyperspectral imaging to real-time map beach tar coverage including surface validation data. Many developing airborne technologies have potential to transition to space-based platforms providing global readiness.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Howard, Jane O.
1989-01-01
Some of the background factors and deleterious effects of oil spills are discussed. A classroom activity which demonstrates an oil spill, how the oil affects feathers, and one clean-up method is presented. A list of recent oil spills and three additional resources are included. (CW)
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At the request of the US EPA Oil Program Center, ERD is developing an oil spill model that focuses on fate and transport of oil components under various response scenarios. This model includes various simulation options, including the use of chemical dispersing agents on oil sli...
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Virtual Issue #1: Oil Spill Research in the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
The Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology has been a venue for publishing oil spill research for over forty years. Rehwoldt et al. (1974) published the first oil spill focused paper in the Bulletin, reporting on the aquatic toxicity of two spill mitigating agents...
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Detection of oil spills using a 13.3-GHz radar scatterometer.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Krishen, K.
1973-01-01
This paper describes the results of an analysis of 13.3-GHz single-polarized scatterometer data collected during NASA/MSC mission 135, flown on March 16, 1970. Data were gathered over a crude oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico (test site 128) off the Mississippi delta. With the aid of RC-8 camera photographs the scattering cross section was correlated with the extent of the oil spill. The scattering cross section at higher incidence angles (25 to 50 deg) decreased by 5-10 db in the presence of the oil spill. This was attributed to the damping by oil of small gravity and capillary waves. The composite scattering theory and the scatterometer-acquired data were used to obtain an expression of radar scattering over ocean surfaces with oil spills. The study demonstrates that the presence and extent of oil spills can be detected with high-frequency radar systems.
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Oil Spill! Student Guide and Teacher Guide. OEAGLS Investigation 17.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fortner, Rosanne W.; Ihle, Stephanie
Presented in this unit are three activities concerning the causes and effects of oil spills and methods used to clean up these spills in the oceans and Great Lakes. Students construct and interpret a graph showing oil pollution sources. The students create and try to clean up a small-scale oil spill in a pan, and they compare the water quality of…
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative B Appendix B to Subpart B of Part 68 Shipping COAST GUARD...: EXCEPTIONS TO COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard Oath for...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative B Appendix B to Subpart B of Part 68 Shipping COAST GUARD...: EXCEPTIONS TO COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard Oath for...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative B Appendix B to Subpart B of Part 68 Shipping COAST GUARD...: EXCEPTIONS TO COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard Oath for...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative B Appendix B to Subpart B of Part 68 Shipping COAST GUARD...: EXCEPTIONS TO COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard Oath for...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative B Appendix B to Subpart B of Part 68 Shipping COAST GUARD...: EXCEPTIONS TO COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B...-Profit Oil Spill Response Cooperative Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard Oath for...
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30 CFR 254.46 - Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs? 254.46... Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.46 Whom do I notify if an oil spill occurs? (a) You must immediately notify the National Response Center (1-800-424-8802) if you observe: (1) An oil spill from your...
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Air Monitoring Data for BP Spill/Deepwater Horizon
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill) began on 20 April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. Following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010.In response to the BP oil spill, EPA sampled air, water, sediment, and waste generated by the cleanup operations.
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Water Sampling Data for BP Spill/Deepwater Horizon
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill) began on 20 April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. Following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010.In response to the BP oil spill, EPA sampled air, water, sediment, and waste generated by the cleanup operations.
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Waste Sampling Data for BP Spill/Deepwater Horizon
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill) began on 20 April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. Following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010.In response to the BP oil spill, EPA sampled air, water, sediment, and waste generated by the cleanup operations.
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Surface Water Sampling Data for BP Spill/Deepwater Horizon
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill) began on 20 April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. Following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010.In response to the BP oil spill, EPA sampled air, water, sediment, and waste generated by the cleanup operations.
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Air Sampling Data for BP Spill/Deepwater Horizon
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill) began on 20 April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. Following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010.In response to the BP oil spill, EPA sampled air, water, sediment, and waste generated by the cleanup operations.
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Sediment Sampling Data for BP Spill/Deepwater Horizon
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill) began on 20 April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. Following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010.In response to the BP oil spill, EPA sampled air, water, sediment, and waste generated by the cleanup operations.
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AEROBIC BIODEGRADABILITY AND TOXICITY OF NON-PETROLEUM OILS.
Vegetable oil spills are a widely known phenomenon, but are the least understood. These spills can be as devastating to the environment as petroleum oil spills. Previous laboratory research results have indicated that as vegetable oils degrade aerobically, the aqueous solutions b...
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Sarbatly, Rosalam; Krishnaiah, Duduku; Kamin, Zykamilia
2016-05-15
The growths of oil and gas exploration and production activities have increased environmental problems, such as oil spillage and the resulting pollution. The study of the methods for cleaning up oil spills is a critical issue to protect the environment. Various techniques are available to contain oil spills, but they are typically time consuming, energy inefficient and create secondary pollution. The use of a sorbent, such as a nanofibre sorbent, is a technique for controlling oil spills because of its good physical and oil sorption properties. This review discusses about the application of nanofibre sorbent for oil removal from water and its current developments. With their unique physical and mechanical properties coupled with their very high surface area and small pore sizes, nanofibre sorbents are alternative materials for cleaning up oil spills. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Assessing pollution-related effects of oil spills from ships in the Chinese Bohai Sea.
Liu, Xin; Guo, Mingxian; Wang, Yebao; Yu, Xiang; Guo, Jie; Tang, Cheng; Hu, Xiaoke; Wang, Chuanyuan; Li, Baoquan
2016-09-15
An analysis of the effects of potential oil spills will provide data in support of decisions related to improving the response to oil spills and its emergency management. We selected the Chinese Bohai Sea, especially the Bohai Strait, as our investigation region to provide an assessment of the effects of pollution from ship-related oil spills on adjacent coastal zones. Ship-related accidents are one of the major factors causing potential oil spills in this area. A three dimensional oil transport and transformation model was developed using the Estuary, Coastal, and Ocean Model. This proposed model was run 90 times and each run lasted for 15days to simulate the spread and weathering processes of oil for each of four potential spill sites, which represented potential sites of ship collisions along heavy traffic lanes in the Bohai Sea. Ten neighboring coastal areas were also considered as target zones that potentially could receive pollutants once oil spilled in the study areas. The statistical simulations showed that spills in winter were much worse than those in summer; they resulted in very negative effects on several specific target zones coded Z7, Z8, Z9, and Z10 in this paper. In addition, sites S3 (near the Penglai city) and S4 (near the Yantai city) were the two most at-risk sites with a significantly high probability of pollution if spills occurred nearby during winter. The results thus provided practical guidelines for local oil spill prevention, as well as an emergency preparedness and response program. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Esler, Daniel N.; Bowman, Timothy D.; Trust, Kimberly A.; Ballachey, Brenda E.; Dean, Thomas A.; Jewett, Stephen C.; O'Clair, Charles E.; Holland-Bartels, Leslie E.
2002-01-01
Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, we studied the status of recovery of harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) populations during 1995-1998. We evaluated potential constraints to full recovery, including (1) exposure to residual oil, (2) food limitation, and (3) intrinsic demographic limitations on population growth rates. In this paper, we synthesize the findings from our work and incorporate information from other harlequin duck research and monitoring programs to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the response of this species to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. We conclude that harlequin duck populations had not fully recovered by 1998. Furthermore, adverse effects continued as many as 9 years after the oil spill, in contrast to the conventional paradigm that oil spill effects on bird populations are short-lived. These conclusions are based on the findings that (1) elevated cytochrome P450 induction on oiled areas indicated continued exposure to oil in 1998, (2) adult female winter survival was lower on oiled than unoiled areas during 1995-1998, (3) fall population surveys by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game indicated numerical declines in oiled areas during 1995-1997, and (4) densities on oiled areas in 1996 and 1997 were lower than expected using models that accounted for effects of habitat attributes. Based on hypothesized links between oil contamination and demography, we suggest that harlequin duck population recovery was constrained primarily by continued oil exposure. Full population recovery also will be delayed by the time necessary for intrinsic population growth to allow return to pre-spill numbers following cessation of residual oil spill effects. Although not all wildlife species were affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and some others may have recovered quickly from any effects, harlequin duck life history characteristics and benthic, nearshore feeding habits make them susceptible to both initial and long-term oil spill effects.
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An application of a vulnerability index to oil spill modeling in the Gulf of Mexico
LaBelle, R.P.; Rainey, Gail; Lanfear, K.J.
1982-01-01
An analysis was made of the relative impact to the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico from proposed Federal Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing activity. An oil spill trajectory model was coupled with a land segment vulnerability characterization to predict the risks to the shoreline. Such a technique allows spatial and temporal variability in oil spill sensitivity to be represented and combined with the likelihood of oil spill contact to specific coastal segments in the study area. Predicted relative impact was greatest along the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Useful information is provided for environmental impact analysis, as well as oil spill response planning.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Alves, Tiago M.; Kokinou, Eleni; Zodiatis, George; Radhakrishnan, Hari; Panagiotakis, Costas; Lardner, Robin
2016-11-01
We present new mathematical and geological models to assist civil protection authorities in the mitigation of potential oil spill accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Oil spill simulations for 19 existing offshore wells were carried out based on novel and high resolution bathymetric, meteorological, oceanographic, and geomorphological data. The simulations show a trend for east and northeast movement of oil spills into the Levantine Basin, affecting the coastal areas of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Oil slicks will reach the coast in 1 to 20 days, driven by the action of the winds, currents and waves. By applying a qualitative analysis, seabed morphology is for the first time related to the direction of the oil slick expansion, as it is able to alter the movement of sea currents. Specifically, the direction of the major axis of the oil spills, in most of the cases examined, is oriented according to the prevailing azimuth of bathymetric features. This work suggests that oil spills in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea should be mitigated in the very few hours after their onset, and before wind and currents disperse them. We explain that protocols should be prioritized between neighboring countries to mitigate any oil spills.
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Ecological impacts of the deepwater horizon oil spill: implications for immunotoxicity.
Barron, Mace G
2012-01-01
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in U.S. history, with nearly 800 million liters of crude oil spilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep-ocean communities and over 1,600 kilometers of shoreline. Multiple species of pelagic, tidal, and estuarine organisms; sea turtles; marine mammals; and birds were affected, and over 20 million hectares of the Gulf of Mexico were closed to fishing. Several large-scale field efforts were performed, including assessments of shoreline and wildlife oiling and of coastal waters and sediments. The assessment of injuries, damages, and restoration options for the DWH spill is ongoing. Although petroleum and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon component of oils are known to affect the immune systems of aquatic organisms and wildlife, immunotoxicity is not typically assessed during oil spills and has not been a focus of the DHW assessment. The effects of oil spill contaminants on immune responses are variable and often exposure dependent, but immunotoxic effects seem likely from the DHW spill based on the reported effects of a variety of oils on both aquatic and wildlife species.
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Alves, Tiago M; Kokinou, Eleni; Zodiatis, George; Radhakrishnan, Hari; Panagiotakis, Costas; Lardner, Robin
2016-11-10
We present new mathematical and geological models to assist civil protection authorities in the mitigation of potential oil spill accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Oil spill simulations for 19 existing offshore wells were carried out based on novel and high resolution bathymetric, meteorological, oceanographic, and geomorphological data. The simulations show a trend for east and northeast movement of oil spills into the Levantine Basin, affecting the coastal areas of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Oil slicks will reach the coast in 1 to 20 days, driven by the action of the winds, currents and waves. By applying a qualitative analysis, seabed morphology is for the first time related to the direction of the oil slick expansion, as it is able to alter the movement of sea currents. Specifically, the direction of the major axis of the oil spills, in most of the cases examined, is oriented according to the prevailing azimuth of bathymetric features. This work suggests that oil spills in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea should be mitigated in the very few hours after their onset, and before wind and currents disperse them. We explain that protocols should be prioritized between neighboring countries to mitigate any oil spills.
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Laser-based sensors for oil spill remote sensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Brown, Carl E.; Fingas, Mervin F.; Mullin, Joseph V.
1997-07-01
Remote sensing is becoming an increasingly important tool for the effective direction of oil spill countermeasures. Cleanup personnel have recognized that remote sensing can increase spill cleanup efficiency. It has long been recognized that there is no one sensor which is capable of detecting oil and related petroleum products in all environments and spill scenarios. There are sensors which possess a wide field-of- view and can therefore be used to map the overall extent of the spill. These sensors, however lack the capability to positively identify oil and related products, especially along complicated beach and shoreline environments where several substrates are present. The laser-based sensors under development by the Emergencies Science Division of Environment Canada are designed to fill specific roles in oil spill response. The scanning laser environmental airborne fluorosensor (SLEAF) is being developed to detect and map oil and related petroleum products in complex marine and shoreline environments where other non-specific sensors experience difficulty. The role of the SLEAF would be to confirm or reject suspected oil contamination sites that have been targeted by the non-specific sensors. This confirmation will release response crews from the time-consuming task of physically inspecting each site, and direct crews to sites that require remediation. The laser ultrasonic remote sensing of oil thickness (LURSOT) sensor will provide an absolute measurement of oil thickness from an airborne platform. There are presently no sensors available, either airborne or in the laboratory which can provide an absolute measurement of oil thickness. This information is necessary for the effective direction of spill countermeasures such as dispersant application and in-situ burning. This paper describes the development of laser-based airborne oil spill remote sensing instrumentation at Environment Canada and identifies the anticipated benefits of the use of this technology to the oil spill response community.
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30 CFR 553.41 - What terms must I include in my OSFR evidence?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Requirements for Submitting OSFR... an incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or substantial threat of the discharge of oil) that occurred... (ii) The incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or a substantial threat of the discharge of oil) leading...
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30 CFR 553.41 - What terms must I include in my OSFR evidence?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Requirements for Submitting OSFR... an incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or substantial threat of the discharge of oil) that occurred... (ii) The incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or a substantial threat of the discharge of oil) leading...
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30 CFR 553.41 - What terms must I include in my OSFR evidence?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Requirements for Submitting OSFR... an incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or substantial threat of the discharge of oil) that occurred... (ii) The incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or a substantial threat of the discharge of oil) leading...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ogungbuyi, M. G.; Eckardt, F. D.; Martinez, P.
2016-12-01
Nigeria, the largest producer of crude oil in Africa occupies sixth position in the world. Despite such huge oil revenue potentials, its pipeline network system is consistently susceptible to leaks causing oil spills. We investigate ground based spill events which are caused by operational error, equipment failure and most importantly by deliberate attacks along the major pipeline transport system. Sometimes, these spills are accompanied with fire explosion caused by accidental discharge, natural or illegal refineries in the creeds, etc. MODIS satellites fires data corresponding to the times and spill events (i.e. ground based data) of the Area of Interest (AOI) show significant correlation. The open source Quantum Geographical Information System (QGIS) was used to validate the dataset and the spatiotemporal analyses of the oil spill fires were expressed. We demonstrate that through QGIS and Google Earth (using the time sliders), we can identify and monitor oil spills when they are attended with fire events along the pipeline transport system accordingly. This is shown through the spatiotemporal images of the fires. Evidence of such fire cases resulting from bunt vegetation as different from industrial and domestic fire is also presented. Detecting oil spill fires in the study location may not require an enormous terabyte of image processing: we can however rely on a near-real-time (NRT) MODIS data that is readily available twice daily to detect oil spill fire as early warning signal for those hotspots areas where cases of oil seepage is significant in Nigeria.
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Ecological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH) was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in United States history, with nearly 800 million liters of crude oil spilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep ocean communities and over 1...
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Tracking buoys research for oil spilling with the wireless charging equipment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cui, Di; Zhao, Ping
2018-03-01
This paper describes thewirelesscharging equipment for achieving oil spill tracking buoys detection in satellite images acquired after tanker accidents or ship oil spill accidents. This information could allow the evolution of residues dumped at sea to be tracked. The validity of this process is demonstrated using several experiment acquired over several regions (Dalian and Tianjin coasts in China), in which a tanker accident has occurred and as a consequence oil spillage has taken place. Thus, this purpose of paper is developed for the active surveillance and rapid response to marine oil spills tracking buoys with wirelesscharging equipmentis important and essential to environment protection. It may appears of leak places for the Wire Charging Equipment for marine oil spills tracking buoys monitoring needs, and achieved instant alarm technology and equipment, guarantees leak occurred timely obtained alarm information. In order toproviding oil spill accidents emergency quickly reaction time and prepared. The maximum degree reduce oil leak and accidents caused influences are ensured.
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New problems and opportunities of oil spill monitoring systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Barenboim, G. M.; Borisov, V. M.; Golosov, V. N.; Saveca, A. Yu.
2015-04-01
Emergency oil and oil products spills represent a great danger to the environment, including ecosystems, and to the population. New problems of such dangerous spills and methods of early detection are discussed in this paper. It is proposed to conduct assessment of biological hazards of such spills on the basis of data on the distribution of individual oil hydrocarbons within the column of the water body and computer predictions of their toxicity. Oil radioactivity, which is associated with uranium and thorium, is seen as the important aspect of the oil spill danger, especially in watercourses. The need for an automated monitoring system for the early detection of oil spills in water bodies is analysed. The proposed system consists of three subsystems. The first remote sensing subsystem is based on powerful fluorescent lidars; experimental results on lidar registration of oil pollution of water are reported. The second subsystem uses a network of automatic monitoring stations with contact detectors. The third subsystem is the combined sensor system based on remote and contact technologies.
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Wilkinson, Jeremy; Beegle-Krause, C J; Evers, Karl-Ulrich; Hughes, Nick; Lewis, Alun; Reed, Mark; Wadhams, Peter
2017-12-01
Renewed political and commercial interest in the resources of the Arctic, the reduction in the extent and thickness of sea ice, and the recent failings that led to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, have prompted industry and its regulatory agencies, governments, local communities and NGOs to look at all aspects of Arctic oil spill countermeasures with fresh eyes. This paper provides an overview of present oil spill response capabilities and technologies for ice-covered waters, as well as under potential future conditions driven by a changing climate. Though not an exhaustive review, we provide the key research results for oil spill response from knowledge accumulated over many decades, including significant review papers that have been prepared as well as results from recent laboratory tests, field programmes and modelling work. The three main areas covered by the review are as follows: oil weathering and modelling; oil detection and monitoring; and oil spill response techniques.
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Gallego, Alejandro; O'Hara Murray, Rory; Berx, Barbara; Turrell, William R; Beegle-Krause, C J; Inall, Mark; Sherwin, Toby; Siddorn, John; Wakelin, Sarah; Vlasenko, Vasyl; Hole, Lars R; Dagestad, Knut Frode; Rees, John; Short, Lucy; Rønningen, Petter; Main, Charlotte E; Legrand, Sebastien; Gutierrez, Tony; Witte, Ursula; Mulanaphy, Nicole
2018-02-01
As oil reserves in established basins become depleted, exploration and production moves towards relatively unexploited areas, such as deep waters off the continental shelf. The Faroe-Shetland Channel (FSC, NE Atlantic) and adjacent areas have been subject to increased focus by the oil industry. In addition to extreme depths, metocean conditions in this region characterise an environment with high waves and strong winds, strong currents, complex circulation patterns, sharp density gradients, and large small- and mesoscale variability. These conditions pose operational challenges to oil spill response and question the suitability of current oil spill modelling frameworks (oil spill models and their forcing data) to adequately simulate the behaviour of a potential oil spill in the area. This article reviews the state of knowledge relevant to deepwater oil spill modelling for the FSC area and identifies knowledge gaps and research priorities. Our analysis should be relevant to other areas of complex oceanography. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wirtz, Kai W.; Liu, Xin
2006-12-01
Major accidental oil spills still affect sensitive marine areas and shorelines around the world, constituting a challenge for operational as well as strategic contingency management. As a rationale basis for addressing both issues we here propose a Decision Support System (DSS) consisting of a combination of modelling and evaluation methods which in particular assesses various impacts on habitats and local economies. By integrating the state-of-the-art oil spill contingency simulation system OSCAR with wind and current forecasts, environmental GIS data and multi-criteria analysis techniques, the DSS is able to rank different response actions to a chemical or oil spill. In this study, the usefulness of the approach is tested by hindcasting the Prestige accident off the coast of Spain in 2002. In particular, the short- to mid-term economic and ecological consequences of different mitigation measures are estimated. We identified clearly one worst option matching the actual decision taken by the responsible parties and one or two almost equally well performing routes. Two procedures of including uncertainty at various stages of the DSS are tested. The first method averages ensembles of outcomes between each modelling/evaluation stage, while the second one preserves the entire degree of freedom till the final ranking procedure. Results in the Prestige case turned out to be rather insensitive against both ways to account for uncertainties. The robustness as well as clarity of the DSS has the potential to enhance the efficiency of decision making even in politically sensitive situations. Limitations as well as ongoing improvements of the system are highlighted, in particular emphasizing linkages to environmental economics.
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Svejkovsky, Jan; Hess, Mark; Muskat, Judd; Nedwed, Tim J; McCall, Jenifer; Garcia, Oscar
2016-09-15
Knowledge of the spatial distribution of oil thickness patterns within an on-water spill is of obvious importance for immediate spill response activities as well as for subsequent evaluation of the spill impacts. For long-lasting continuous spills like the 2010 3-month Deepwater Horizon (DWH) event in the Gulf of Mexico, it is also important to identify changes in the dominant oil features through time. This study utilized very high resolution (≤5m) aerial and satellite imagery acquired during the DWH spill to evaluate the shape, size and thickness of surface oil features that dominated the DWH slick. Results indicate that outside of the immediate spill source region, oil distributions did not encompass a broad, varied range of thicknesses. Instead, the oil separated into four primary, distinct characterizations: 1) invisible surface films detectable only with Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging because of the decreased surface backscatter, 2) thicker sheen & rainbow areas (<0.005mm), 3) large regional areas of relatively thin, "metallic appearance" films (0.005-0.08mm), and 4) strands of thick, emulsified oil (>1mm) that were consistently hundreds of meters long but most commonly only 10-50m wide. Where present within the slick footprint, each of the three distinct visible oil thickness classes maintained its shape characteristics both spatially (at different distances from the source and in different portions of the slick), and temporally (from mid-May through July 2010). The region over the source site tended to contain a more continuous range of oil thicknesses, however, our results indicate that the continuous injection of subsurface dispersants starting in late May significantly altered (lowered) that range. In addition to characterizing the oil thickness distribution patterns through the timeline of one of the world's largest oil spills, this paper also details the extension of using high resolution aerial imagery to calibrate medium resolution satellite data sources such as USA's Thematic Mapper (30m) to provide larger-scale spatial views of major spills, and discusses implications for utilizing such data for oil spill characterizations and spill response. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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A Sugar-Based Gelator for Marine Oil-Spill Recovery.
Vibhute, Amol M; Muvvala, Venkatanarayana; Sureshan, Kana M
2016-06-27
Marine oil spills constitute an environmental disaster with severe adverse effects on the economy and ecosystem. Phase-selective organogelators (PSOGs), molecules that can congeal oil selectively from oil-water mixtures, have been proposed to be useful for oil-spill recovery. However, a major drawback lies in the mode of application of the PSOG to an oil spill spread over a large area. The proposed method of using carrier solvents is impractical for various reasons. Direct application of the PSOG as a solid, although it would be ideal, is unknown, presumably owing to poor dispersion of the solid through the oil. We have designed five cheap and easy-to-make glucose-derived PSOGs that disperse in the oil phase uniformly when applied as a fine powder. These gelators were shown to selectively congeal many oils, including crude oil, from oil-water mixtures to form stable gels, which is an essential property for efficient oil-spill recovery. We have demonstrated that these PSOGs can be applied aerially as a solid powder onto a mixture of crude oil and sea water and the congealed oil can then be scooped out. Our innovative mode of application and low cost of the PSOG offers a practical solution to oil-spill recovery. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
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Esler, Daniel N.; Bowman, Timothy D.; Trust, Kimberly A.; Ballachey, Brenda E.; Dean, Thomas A.; Jewett, Stephen C.; O'Clair, Charles E.
2002-01-01
Following the 1989 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, we studied the status of recovery of harlequin duck Histrionicus histrionicus populations during 1995 to 1998. We evaluated potential constraints on full recovery, including (1) exposure to residual oil; (2) food limitation; and (3) intrinsic demographic limitations on population growth rates. In this paper, we synthesize the findings from our work and incorporate information from other harlequin duck research and monitoring programs to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the response of this species to the 'Exxon Valdez' spill. We conclude that harlequin duck populations had not fully recovered by 1998. Furthermore, adverse effects continued as many as 9 yr after the oil spill, in contrast to the conventional paradigm that oil spill effects on bird populations are short-lived. These conclusions are based on the findings that (1) elevated cytochrome P450 (CYP1A) induction on oiled areas indicated continued exposure to oil in 1998; (2) adult female winter survival was lower on oiled than unoiled areas during 1995 to 1998; (3) fall population surveys by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game indicated numerical declines in oiled areas during 1995 to 1997; and (4) densities on oiled areas in 1996 and 1997 were lower than expected using models that accounted for effects of habitat attributes. Based on hypothesized links between oil contamination and demography, we suggest that harlequin duck population recovery was constrained primarily by continued oil exposure. Full population recovery will also be delayed by the time necessary for intrinsic population growth to allow return to pre-spill numbers following cessation of residual oil spill effects. Although not all wildlife species were affected by the 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill, and some others may have recovered quickly from any effects, harlequin duck life history characteristics and benthic, nearshore feeding habits make them susceptible to both initial and long-term oil spill effects.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Klosiewski, S.P.; Laing, K.K.
We estimated the summer and winter abundance of marine birds in Prince William Sound, Alaska, following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, examined changes in population size between pre-spill and post-spill surveys, and compared pre- to post-oil spill population trends in the oiled zone of the Sound relative to trends in the unoiled zone. Ninety-nine species of birds were observed on surveys. Estimated populations of 15 to 32 species/species groups demonstrated declines over the 17-19 year period between pre- and post-spill surveys. However, because of the long time period between surveys, we could not directly associate overall population declines withmore » the oil spill.« less
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2012-01-01
numerical oil spill model validation showing the need for improvedmodel param- eterizations of basic oil spill processes (Cheng et al., 2010). 3.1.2...2004). Modelling the bidirectional reflectance distribution function ( BRDF ) of seawater polluted by an oil film. Optics Express, 12, 1671–1676. Pilon...display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 2012 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2012 to 00-00-2012 4. TITLE AND
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Press Releases | NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration
- Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trustees Extend Gulf Restoration Comment Period to Feb. 19 June 06/05/2014 - Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trustees Invite Public Comment on $627 Million in Proposed Early Restoration Keynote Address on NOAA Science and the Gulf Oil Spill September 9/29/2010 - Resource Restoration Planning
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30 CFR 254.5 - General response plan requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE General § 254.5 General response plan requirements. (a) The response plan must provide for response to an oil spill from... spill and remove any spills of oil. (d) In addition to the requirements listed in this part, you must...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-03-15
... Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill; Correction AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic... Horizon Oil Spill. There is a date change for the meeting in Washington, DC. DATES: The public scoping....us . To be added to the Oil Spill PEIS mailing list, please visit: http://www.gulfspillrestoration...
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30 CFR 254.54 - Spill prevention for facilities located in State waters seaward of the coast line.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities... Regional Supervisor a description of the steps you are taking to prevent spills of oil or mitigate a...
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30 CFR 254.5 - General response plan requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE General § 254.5 General response plan requirements. (a) The response plan must provide for response to an oil spill from... spill and remove any spills of oil. (d) In addition to the requirements listed in this part, you must...
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30 CFR 254.5 - General response plan requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE General § 254.5 General response plan requirements. (a) The response plan must provide for response to an oil spill from... spill and remove any spills of oil. (d) In addition to the requirements listed in this part, you must...
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Planning for the Human Dimensions of Oil Spills and Spill Response
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Webler, Thomas; Lord, Fabienne
2010-04-01
Oil spill contingency planners need an improved approach to understanding and planning for the human dimensions of oil spills. Drawing on existing literature in social impact assessment, natural hazards, human ecology, adaptive management, global change and sustainability, we develop an integrative approach to understanding and portraying the human dimensions impacts of stressors associated with oil spill events. Our approach is based on three fundamental conclusions that are drawn from this literature review. First, it is productive to acknowledge that, while stressors can produce human impacts directly, they mainly affect intermediary processes and changes to these processes produce human impacts. Second, causal chain modeling taken from hazard management literature provides a means to document how oil spill stressors change processes and produce human impacts. Third, concepts from the global change literature on vulnerability enrich causal models in ways that make more obvious how management interventions lessen hazards and mitigate associated harm. Using examples from recent spill events, we illustrate how these conclusions can be used to diagrammatically portray the human dimensions of oil spills.
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill... COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B, App. A Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 68—Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill Response...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill... COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B, App. A Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 68—Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill Response...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill... COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B, App. A Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 68—Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill Response...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill... COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B, App. A Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 68—Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill Response...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill... COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup Pt. 68, Subpt. B, App. A Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 68—Oath for Qualification of a Not-For-Profit Oil Spill Response...
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The threats from oil spills: now, then, and in the future.
Jernelöv, Arne
2010-01-01
The ongoing oil spill from the blown-out well by the name of Macondo, drilled by the ill-fated rig Deepwater Horizon, has many features in common with another blowout in the Mexican Gulf that happened three decades ago. Then the oil gushed out from the Ixtoc I well drilled by the Sedco 135-F semi-submersible rig. In the years between these catastrophes, the source and nature of oil spills have undergone large changes. Huge spills from tankers that ran aground or collided used to be what caught the headlines and caused large ecological damage. The number and size of such accidental spills have decreased significantly. Instead, spills from ageing, ill-maintained or sabotaged pipelines have increased, and places like Arctic Russia, the Niger Delta, and the northwestern Amazon have become sites of reoccurring oil pollution. As for blowouts, there is no clear trend with regard to the number of incidences or amounts of spilled oil, but deepwater blowouts are much harder to cap and thus tend to go on longer and result in the release of larger quantities of oil. Also, oil exploration and extraction is moving into ever-deeper water and into stormier and icier seas, increasing potential risks. The risk for reoccurring spills like the two huge Mexican Gulf ones is eminent and must be reduced.
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Fingerprint and weathering characteristics of stranded oils after the Hebei Spirit oil spill.
Yim, Un Hyuk; Ha, Sung Yong; An, Joon Geon; Won, Jong Ho; Han, Gi Myung; Hong, Sang Hee; Kim, Moonkoo; Jung, Jee-Hyun; Shim, Won Joon
2011-12-15
After the Hebei Spirit oil spill in December 2007, mixtures of three types of Middle East crude oil were stranded along 375 km of coastline in Western Korea. Stranded oils were monitored for their identity and weathering status in 19 stations in three provinces. The results obtained using a weathering model indicated that evaporation would be a dominant weathering process immediately after the spill and the sequential changes of chemical composition in the field verified this prediction positively. In the early stages of weathering, the half-life of spilled oil was calculated to be 2.6 months. Tiered fingerprinting approaches identified background contamination and confirmed the identity of the stranded oils with the spill source. Double ratios using alkylated phenanthrenes and dibenzothiophenes in samples after the spill clearly reveal the impact of weathering on oil. However, to derive defensible fingerprinting for source identification and allocation, recalcitrant biomarkers are extremely useful. Weathering status of the stranded oils was evaluated using composition profiles of saturated hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and various weathering indices. Most samples collected 8 months after the spill were categorized in either the advanced or extreme weathering states. Gradual increase in toxic components in the residual oil through weathering emphasizes the need for adaptive ecotoxicological approaches. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Lee, Li-Hua; Lin, Hsing-Juh
2013-08-15
This study determined effects of an oil spill on subtropical benthic community production and respiration by monitoring CO2 fluxes in benthic chambers on intertidal sandflats during emersion before and after an accidental spill. The oil spill decreased sediment chlorophyll a concentrations, altered benthic macrofaunal community, and affected ecological functioning by suppressing or even stopping microalgal production, increasing bacterial respiration, and causing a shift from an autotrophic system to a heterotrophic system. Effects of the oil spill on the macrofauna were more severe than on benthic microalgae, and affected sedentary infauna more than motile epifauna. Despite the oil spill's impact on the benthic community and carbon metabolism, the affected area appeared to return to normal in about 23 days. Our results suggest that the prompt response of benthic metabolism to exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons can serve as a useful indicator of the impact of an oil spill. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Murphy, David; Gemmell, Brad; Vaccari, Liana; Li, Cheng; Bacosa, Hernando; Evans, Meredith; Gemmell, Colbi; Harvey, Tracy; Jalali, Maryam; Niepa, Tagbo H R
2016-12-15
In order to characterize the state of oil spill research and describe how the field has changed since its inception in the 1960s and since the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010, we examined approximately 10% of oil spill literature (1255 of over 11,000 publications) published from 1968 to 2015. We find that, despite its episodic nature, oil spill research is a rapidly expanding field with a growth rate faster than that of science as a whole. There is a massive post-Deepwater Horizon shift of research attention to the Gulf of Mexico, from 2% of studies in 2004-2008 to 61% in 2014-2015, thus ranking Deepwater Horizon as the most studied oil spill. There is, however, a longstanding gap in research in that only 1% of studies deal with the effects of oil spills on human health. These results provide a better understanding of the current trends and gaps within the field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Sepp Neves, Antonio Augusto; Pinardi, Nadia; Martins, Flavio; Janeiro, Joao; Samaras, Achilleas; Zodiatis, George; De Dominicis, Michela
2015-08-15
Oil spills are a transnational problem, and establishing a common standard methodology for Oil Spill Risk Assessments (OSRAs) is thus paramount in order to protect marine environments and coastal communities. In this study we firstly identified the strengths and weaknesses of the OSRAs carried out in various parts of the globe. We then searched for a generic and recognized standard, i.e. ISO 31000, in order to design a method to perform OSRAs in a scientific and standard way. The new framework was tested for the Lebanon oil spill that occurred in 2006 employing ensemble oil spill modeling to quantify the risks and uncertainties due to unknown spill characteristics. The application of the framework generated valuable visual instruments for the transparent communication of the risks, replacing the use of risk tolerance levels, and thus highlighting the priority areas to protect in case of an oil spill. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1982-11-01
The use of chemicals for oil spill dispersal, while not presently widespread in the U.S., would have implications for the U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Environmental Protection program. This report explores the logistics of oil disperant application by t...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Broström, G.; Carrasco, A.; Hole, L. R.; Dick, S.; Janssen, F.; Mattsson, J.; Berger, S.
2011-11-01
Oil spill modeling is considered to be an important part of a decision support system (DeSS) for oil spill combatment and is useful for remedial action in case of accidents, as well as for designing the environmental monitoring system that is frequently set up after major accidents. Many accidents take place in coastal areas, implying that low resolution basin scale ocean models are of limited use for predicting the trajectories of an oil spill. In this study, we target the oil spill in connection with the "Full City" accident on the Norwegian south coast and compare operational simulations from three different oil spill models for the area. The result of the analysis is that all models do a satisfactory job. The "standard" operational model for the area is shown to have severe flaws, but by applying ocean forcing data of higher resolution (1.5 km resolution), the model system shows results that compare well with observations. The study also shows that an ensemble of results from the three different models is useful when predicting/analyzing oil spill in coastal areas.
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Wei, Lai; Hu, Zhuowei; Dong, Lin; Zhao, Wenji
2015-02-15
Oil spills are one of the major sources of marine pollution; it is important to conduct comprehensive assessment of losses that occur as a result of these events. Traditional methods are required to assess the three parts of losses including cleanup, socioeconomic losses, and environmental costs. It is relatively slow because assessment is complex and time consuming. A relatively quick method was developed to improve the efficiency of assessment, and then applied to the Penglai 19-3 accident. This paper uses an SAR image to calculate the oil spill area through Neural Network Classification, and uses historical oil-spill data to build the relationship between loss and other factors including sea-surface wind speed, and distance to the coast. A multiple regression equation was used to assess oil spill damage as a function of the independent variables. Results of this study can be used for regulating and quickly dealing with oil spill assessment. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
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Valdor, Paloma F; Gómez, Aina G; Velarde, Víctor; Puente, Araceli
2016-04-01
Oil spills are one of the most widespread problems in port areas (loading/unloading of bulk liquid, fuel supply). Specific environmental risk analysis procedures for diffuse oil sources that are based on the evolution of oil in the marine environment are needed. Diffuse sources such as oil spills usually present a lack of information, which makes the use of numerical models an arduous and occasionally impossible task. For that reason, a tool that can assess the risk of oil spills in near-shore areas by using Geographical Information System (GIS) is presented. The SPILL Tool provides immediate results by automating the process without miscalculation errors. The tool was developed using the Python and ArcGIS scripting library to build a non-ambiguous geoprocessing workflow. The SPILL Tool was implemented for oil facilities at Tarragona Harbor (NE Spain) and validated showing a satisfactory correspondence (around 0.60 RSR error index) with the results obtained using a 2D calibrated oil transport numerical model. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Zhou, Peiyu; Chen, Changshu; Ye, Jianjun; Shen, Wenjie; Xiong, Xiaofei; Hu, Ping; Fang, Hongda; Huang, Chuguang; Sun, Yongge
2015-04-15
Oil fingerprints have been a powerful tool widely used for determining the source of spilled oil. In most cases, this tool works well. However, it is usually difficult to identify the source if the oil spill accident occurs during offshore petroleum exploration due to the highly similar physiochemical characteristics of suspected oils from the same drilling platform. In this report, a case study from the waters of the South China Sea is presented, and multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) is introduced to demonstrate how oil fingerprints can be combined with mathematical methods to identify the source of spilled oil from highly similar suspected sources. The results suggest that the MDS calculation based on oil fingerprints and subsequently integrated with specific biomarkers in spilled oils is the most effective method with a great potential for determining the source in terms of highly similar suspected oils. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Ha, Min-Jae
2018-01-01
This study presents a regional oil spill risk assessment and capacities for marine oil spill response in Korea. The risk assessment of oil spill is carried out using both causal factors and environmental/economic factors. The weight of each parameter is calculated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Final regional risk degrees of oil spill are estimated by combining the degree and weight of each existing parameter. From these estimated risk levels, oil recovery capacities were determined with reference to the recovery target of 7500kl specified in existing standards. The estimates were deemed feasible, and provided a more balanced distribution of resources than existing capacities set according to current standards. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Automatic Mexico Gulf Oil Spill Detection from Radarsat-2 SAR Satellite Data Using Genetic Algorithm
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marghany, Maged
2016-10-01
In this work, a genetic algorithm is exploited for automatic detection of oil spills of small and large size. The route is achieved using arrays of RADARSAT-2 SAR ScanSAR Narrow single beam data obtained in the Gulf of Mexico. The study shows that genetic algorithm has automatically segmented the dark spot patches related to small and large oil spill pixels. This conclusion is confirmed by the receiveroperating characteristic (ROC) curve and ground data which have been documented. The ROC curve indicates that the existence of oil slick footprints can be identified with the area under the curve between the ROC curve and the no-discrimination line of 90%, which is greater than that of other surrounding environmental features. The small oil spill sizes represented 30% of the discriminated oil spill pixels in ROC curve. In conclusion, the genetic algorithm can be used as a tool for the automatic detection of oil spills of either small or large size and the ScanSAR Narrow single beam mode serves as an excellent sensor for oil spill patterns detection and surveying in the Gulf of Mexico.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Johnson, W.R.; Marshall, C.F.; Anderson, C.M.
1994-08-01
This report summarizes results of an oil-spill risk analysis (OSRA) conducted for the proposed lower Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Sale 149. The objective of this analysis was to estimate relative oil-spill risks associated with oil and gas production from the leasing alternatives proposed for the lease sale. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) will consider the analysis in the environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared for the lease sale. The analysis for proposed OCS Lease Sale 149 was conducted in three parts corresponding to different aspects of the overall problem. The first part dealt with the probability of oil-spillmore » occurrence. The second dealt with trajectories of oil spills from potential spill sites to various environmental resources or land segments. The third part combined the results of the first two parts to give estimates of the overall oil-spill risk if there is oil production as a result of the lease sale. To aid the analysis, conditional risk contour maps of seasonal conditional probabilities of spill contact were generated for each environmental resource or land segment in the study area (see vol. 2).« less
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Nance, Earthea; King, Denae; Wright, Beverly; Bullard, Robert D
2016-02-01
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is considered one of the largest marine oil spills in the history of the United States. Air emissions associated with the oil spill caused concern among residents of Southeast Louisiana. The purpose of this study was to assess ambient concentrations of benzene (n=3,887) and fine particulate matter (n=102,682) during the oil spill and to evaluate potential exposure disparities in the region. Benzene and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in the targeted parishes were generally higher following the oil spill, as expected. Benzene concentrations reached 2 to 19 times higher than background, and daily exceedances of PM2.5 were 10 to 45 times higher than background. Both benzene and PM2.5 concentrations were considered high enough to exceed public health criteria, with measurable exposure disparities in the coastal areas closer to the spill and clean-up activities. These findings raise questions about public disclosure of environmental health risks associated with the oil spill. The findings also provide a science-based rationale for establishing health-based action levels in future disasters. Benzene and particulate matter monitoring during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill revealed that ambient air quality was a likely threat to public health and that residents in coastal Louisiana experienced significantly greater exposures than urban residents. Threshold air pollution levels established for the oil spill apparently were not used as a basis for informing the public about these potential health impacts. Also, despite carrying out the most comprehensive air monitoring ever conducted in the region, none of the agencies involved provided integrated analysis of the data or conclusive statements about public health risk. Better information about real-time risk is needed in future environmental disasters.
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Ecological Impacts During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in U.S. history, with nearly 800 million liters of crude oil spilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep-ocean communities and over 1,600 kilo...
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physicist invents new way to clean up oil spills Fermilab physicist Arden Warner revolutionizes oil spill cleanup with magnetizable-oil invention. Photo: Hanae Armitage Four years ago, Fermilab accelerator physicist Arden Warner watched national news of the BP oil spill and found himself frustrated with the
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Impact of oil spill from ship on air quality around coastal regions of Korea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shon, Zang-Ho; Song, Sang-Keun
2010-05-01
Regional air quality around coastal regions, where regular maritime traffic emissions from cargo, other commercial, fishing and military vessels are significantly active, can be affected by their direct emission of primary air pollutants (NOx, SO2, particulate matter (PM), etc.). For instance, harbor traffic exerted an important impact on NO2, SO2, O3, and PM levels. In addition, regional air quality around coastal regions is also affected by oil spill caused by ship accident in the coast. On 7 Dec., 2007, a barge carrying a crane hit the oil tanker MT Hebei Sprit off the west coast of the Republic of Korea, Yellow Sea (approximately 10 km off the coast), at 0700 local time, causing the spill of total estimated 12,547 tons of Iranian heavy (IH) and Kuwait Export (KE) crude oils. Since then, oil began coming on shore late in the night on 7 Dec. More than 150 km of coastline had been identified as being impacted by 17 Dec. Much of the affected area is part of the Taean-gun National Park and the nearest coastal city to spilled area is Taean. On 8 Dec., the flow of oil from the tanker was stopped when the holes were patched. The accident is the worst oil spill in Korea and the spill area is about one-third of the size of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The short- and long-term effects of oil spill on marine environment have been numerously studied, not on atmospheric environment. In this study, the air quality impact near spilled area by the evaporation of hydrocarbons from the oil spill is studied in detail. The evaporation rates of the volatile fractions of the crude oils released by oil spill were estimated based on their mole fractions of crude oils and mass transfer coefficients. Based on a molecular diffusion process, the flux of spilled oil component (Fivap, mol m-2 s-1) can be expressed as follows: Fivap = Kivap(Civap - C∞vap) (1) where Civap is concentration (mol m-3) of a component i of crude oil vapor in the air at the oil-air interface; C∞vap is the concentration of an oil component i in air at infinite altitude which can be assumed to be zero; and Kivap is a mass transfer coefficient (m s-1). The mass transfer coefficient was parameterized with wind speed, environmental temperature, and oil type. These emission data were then used in the 3-D chemical transport model. During the model period, the mean VOC emission rates were estimated to be ranged from 3.4-10.8 mol s-1 (medians of 0.04-3.3 mol s-1). Photochemical production of secondary pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter (PM) during the spill event, which were influenced by primary oil spill from the ship, will be calculated. For the case/sensitivity study, the photochemical production of ozone and PM during the season of summer will be predicted assuming the same magnitude of oil spill. In order to identify the chemical production mechanism of secondary pollutant such as ozone, process analysis will be used. A complete discussion of the importance of the results will be begun once we have completed model simulation and analysis. Further results may be obtained if the model simulation is finished before the conference.
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Optimizing oil spill cleanup efforts: A tactical approach and evaluation framework.
Grubesic, Tony H; Wei, Ran; Nelson, Jake
2017-12-15
Although anthropogenic oil spills vary in size, duration and severity, their broad impacts on complex social, economic and ecological systems can be significant. Questions pertaining to the operational challenges associated with the tactical allocation of human resources, cleanup equipment and supplies to areas impacted by a large spill are particularly salient when developing mitigation strategies for extreme oiling events. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the application of advanced oil spill modeling techniques in combination with a developed mathematical model to spatially optimize the allocation of response crews and equipment for cleaning up an offshore oil spill. The results suggest that the detailed simulations and optimization model are a good first step in allowing both communities and emergency responders to proactively plan for extreme oiling events and develop response strategies that minimize the impacts of spills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Planning | NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration
restoration in the Gulf. Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we've worked hard to develop both broad includes an assessment of the injury to natural resources caused by the oil spill and the types of billion with BP. Early Restoration In 2011, one year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, BP agreed to
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30 CFR 254.54 - Spill prevention for facilities located in State waters seaward of the coast line.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located in State Waters... of the steps you are taking to prevent spills of oil or mitigate a substantial threat of such a...
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30 CFR 254.54 - Spill prevention for facilities located in State waters seaward of the coast line.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located in State Waters Seaward... of the steps you are taking to prevent spills of oil or mitigate a substantial threat of such a...
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30 CFR 254.54 - Spill prevention for facilities located in State waters seaward of the coast line.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located in State Waters... of the steps you are taking to prevent spills of oil or mitigate a substantial threat of such a...
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30 CFR 254.54 - Spill prevention for facilities located in State waters seaward of the coast line.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located in State Waters... of the steps you are taking to prevent spills of oil or mitigate a substantial threat of such a...
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Practical aspects of chemometrics for oil spill fingerprinting.
Christensen, Jan H; Tomasi, Giorgio
2007-10-26
Tiered approaches for oil spill fingerprinting have evolved rapidly since the 1990s. Chemometrics provides a large number of tools for pattern recognition, calibration and classification that can increase the speed and the objectivity of the analysis and allow for more extensive use of the available data in this field. However, although the chemometric literature is extensive, it does not focus on practical issues that are relevant to oil spill fingerprinting. The aim of this review is to provide a framework for the use of chemometric approaches in tiered oil spill fingerprinting and to provide clear-cut practical details and experiences that can be used by the forensic chemist. The framework is based on methods for initial screening, which include classification of samples into oil type, detection of non matches and of weathering state, and detailed oil spill fingerprinting, in which a more rigorous matching of an oil spill sample to suspected source oils is obtained. This review is intended as a tutorial, and is based on two examples of initial screening using respectively gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and fluorescence spectroscopy; and two of detailed oil spill fingerprinting where gas chromatography-mass spectrometry data are analyzed according to two approaches: The first relying on sections of processed chromatograms and the second on diagnostic ratios.
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Alves, Tiago M.; Kokinou, Eleni; Zodiatis, George; Radhakrishnan, Hari; Panagiotakis, Costas; Lardner, Robin
2016-01-01
We present new mathematical and geological models to assist civil protection authorities in the mitigation of potential oil spill accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Oil spill simulations for 19 existing offshore wells were carried out based on novel and high resolution bathymetric, meteorological, oceanographic, and geomorphological data. The simulations show a trend for east and northeast movement of oil spills into the Levantine Basin, affecting the coastal areas of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Oil slicks will reach the coast in 1 to 20 days, driven by the action of the winds, currents and waves. By applying a qualitative analysis, seabed morphology is for the first time related to the direction of the oil slick expansion, as it is able to alter the movement of sea currents. Specifically, the direction of the major axis of the oil spills, in most of the cases examined, is oriented according to the prevailing azimuth of bathymetric features. This work suggests that oil spills in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea should be mitigated in the very few hours after their onset, and before wind and currents disperse them. We explain that protocols should be prioritized between neighboring countries to mitigate any oil spills. PMID:27830742
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Conmy, Robyn N; Coble, Paula G; Farr, James; Wood, A Michelle; Lee, Kenneth; Pegau, W Scott; Walsh, Ian D; Koch, Corey R; Abercrombie, Mary I; Miles, M Scott; Lewis, Marlon R; Ryan, Scott A; Robinson, Brian J; King, Thomas L; Kelble, Christopher R; Lacoste, Jordanna
2014-01-01
In situ fluorometers were deployed during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Gulf of Mexico oil spill to track the subsea oil plume. Uncertainties regarding instrument specifications and capabilities necessitated performance testing of sensors exposed to simulated, dispersed oil plumes. Dynamic ranges of the Chelsea Technologies Group AQUAtracka, Turner Designs Cyclops, Satlantic SUNA and WET Labs, Inc. ECO, exposed to fresh and artificially weathered crude oil, were determined. Sensors were standardized against known oil volumes and total petroleum hydrocarbons and benzene-toluene-ethylbenzene-xylene measurements-both collected during spills, providing oil estimates during wave tank dilution experiments. All sensors estimated oil concentrations down to 300 ppb oil, refuting previous reports. Sensor performance results assist interpretation of DWH oil spill data and formulating future protocols.
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The Primi Project: August-September 2009 Validation Cruise On Oil Spill Detection And Fate
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Santoleri, R.; Bignami, F.; Bohm, E.; Nichio, F.; De Dominicis, M.; Ruggieri, G.; Marulllo, S.; Trivero, P.; Zambianchi, E.; Archetti, R.; Adamo, M.; Biamino, W.; Borasi, M.; Buongiorno Nardelli, B.; Cavagnero, M.; Colao, F.; Colella, S.; Coppini, G.; Debettio, V.; De Carolis, G.; Forneris, V.; Griffa, A.; Iacono, R.; Lombardi, E.; Manzella, G.; Mercantini, A.; Napolitano, E.; Pinardi, N.; Pandiscia, G.; Pisano, A.; Rupolo, V.; Reseghetti, F.; Sabia, L.; Sorgente, R.; Sprovieri, M.; Terranova, G.; Trani, M.; Volpe, G.
2010-04-01
In the framework of the ASI PRIMI Project, CNR- ISAC, in collaboration with the PRIMI partners, organized a validation cruise for the PRIMI oil spill monitoring and forecasting system on board the CNR R/V Urania. The cruise (Aug. 6 - Sept. 7 2009) took place in the Sicily Strait, an area affected by large oil tanker traffic. The cruise plan was organized in order to have the ship within the selected SAR image frames at acquisition time so that the ship could move toward the oil slick and verify it via visual and instrumental inspection. During the cruise, several oil spills, presumably being the result of illegal tank washing, were detected by the PRIMI system and were verified in situ. Preliminary results indicate that SAR and optical satellites are able to detect heavy and thin film oil spills, the maturity of oil spill forecasting models and that further work combining satellite, model and in situ data is necessary to assess the spill severity from the signature in satellite imagery.
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Wang, Yongzhen; Wang, Youshan; Yan, Xingru; Wu, Songquan; Shao, Lu; Liu, Yuyan; Guo, Zhanhu
2016-06-01
Due to tremendous resource wastes and great harm to ecological environment caused by the accidental oil spills, an alkyl bicarbamate supramolecular oil gelator was synthesized and applied to selectively gelate oils from oil/water mixtures. Interestingly, the oil gelator could be self-assembled in a series of organic solvents, i.e., edible oils and fuel oils to form 3D networks and then turned into thermally reversible organogels, allowing easy separation and removal of oil spills from oil/water mixtures. The possible self-assembly mode for the formation of organogels was proposed. What's more, the optimal conditions for using the oil gelator to recover oils were experimentally determined. Inspiringly, taking gasoline as the co-congealed solvent, a complete gelation of oil phase was achieved within 15 min with high oil removal rate and oil retention rate after convenient salvage and cleanup of oil gels from oil/water mixtures. The oil gelator had some advantages in solidifying oil spills on water surface, exhibiting fast oil gelation, convenient and thorough oil removal and easy recovery. This work illustrates the significant role of oil gelators in the potential cleanup of spilled oils for water purification. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Specific sensors for special roles in oil spill remote sensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Brown, Carl E.; Fingas, Mervin F.
1997-01-01
Remote sensing is becoming an increasingly important tool for the effective direction of oil spill countermeasures. Cleanup personnel have recognized that remote sensing can increase spill cleanup efficiency. The general public expects that the government and/or the spiller know the location and the extent of the contamination. The Emergencies Science Division (ESD) of Environment Canada, is responsible for remote sensing during oil spill emergencies along Canada's three coastlines, extensive inland waterways, as well as over the entire land mass. In addition to providing operational remote sensing, ESD conducts research into the development of airborne oil spill remote sensors, including the Scanning Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (SLEAF) and the Laser Ultrasonic Remote SEnsing of Oil Thickness (LURSOT) sensor. It has long been recognized that there is not one sensor or 'magic bullet' which is capable of detecting oil and related petroleum products in all environments and spill scenarios. There are sensors which possess a wide filed-of-view and can therefore be used to map the overall extent of the spill. These sensors, however lack the specificity required to positively identify oil and related products. This is even more of a problem along complicated beach and shoreline environments where several substrates are present. The specific laser- based sensors under development by Environment Canada are designed to respond to special roles in oil spill response. In particular, the SLEAF is being developed to unambiguously detect and map oil and related petroleum products in complicated marine and shoreline environments where other non-specific sensors experience difficulty. The role of the SLEAF would be to confirm or reject suspected oil contamination sites that have been targeted by the non- specific sensors. This confirmation will release response crews from the time consuming task of physically inspecting each site, and direct crews to sites that require remediation. The LURSOT sensor will provide an absolute measurement of oil thickness form an airborne platform. There are presently no sensors available, either airborne or in the laboratory which can provide an absolute measurement of oil thickness. This information is necessary for the effective direction of spill countermeasures such as dispersant application and in-situ burning. This paper will describe the development of laser-based airborne oil spill remote sensing instrumentation at Environment Canada and identify the anticipated benefits of the use of this technology to the oil spill response community.
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Approaches to sheltered-water oil spills
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Jacobs, M.A.; Waldron, D.M.
Technology has produced more effective and efficient oil removal equipment for on-water cleanup in the past five years. Much of the innovation has been to increase recovery capacity to meet the planning volumes required to government regulations. However, more than 95 percent of the spills are relatively small. Large equipment, often requiring large platforms, is not very useful and is difficult/expensive to operate on small spills. In addition, damage from spills results when oil impacts shorelines. The emphasis on spill response should address the ability of the equipment to remove oil in a nearshore environment. Clean Seas has been attemptingmore » to address this need since the Avila Pipeline spill in 1992, in which a 180 barrel spill resulted in about $18 million damage/cleanup cost.« less
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Modelling oil plumes from subsurface spills.
Lardner, Robin; Zodiatis, George
2017-11-15
An oil plume model to simulate the behavior of oil from spills located at any given depth below the sea surface is presented, following major modifications to a plume model developed earlier by Malačič (2001) and drawing on ideas in a paper by Yapa and Zheng (1997). The paper presents improvements in those models and numerical testing of the various parameters in the plume model. The plume model described in this paper is one of the numerous modules of the well-established MEDSLIK oil spill model. The deep blowout scenario of the MEDEXPOL 2013 oil spill modelling exercise, organized by REMPEC, has been applied using the improved oil plume module of the MEDSLIK model and inter-comparison with results having the oil spill source at the sea surface are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Proceedings of the Workshop on Government Oil Spill Modeling
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bishop, J. M. (Compiler)
1980-01-01
Oil spill model users and modelers were brought together for the purpose of fostering joint communication and increasing understanding of mutual problems. The workshop concentrated on defining user needs, presentations on ongoing modeling programs, and discussions of supporting research for these modeling efforts. Specific user recommendations include the development of an oil spill model user library which identifies and describes available models. The development of models for the long-term fate and effect of spilled oil was examined.
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The effects of spilled oil on coastal ecosystems: Lessons from the Exxon Valdez spill: Chapter 11
Bodkin, James L.; Esler, Daniel N.; Rice, Stanley D.; Matkin, Craig O.; Ballachey, Brenda E.; Maslo, Brooke; Lockwood, Julie L.
2014-01-01
Oil spilled from ships or other sources into the marine environment often occurs in close proximity to coastlines, and oil frequently accumulates in coastal habitats. As a consequence, a rich, albeit occasionally controversial, body of literature describes a broad range of effects of spilled oil across several habitats, communities, and species in coastal environments. This statement is not to imply that spilled oil has less of an effect in pelagic marine ecosystems, but rather that marine spills occurring offshore may be less likely to be detected, and associated effects are more difficult to monitor, evaluate, and quantify (Peterson et al., 2012). As a result, we have a much greater awareness of coastal pollution, which speaks to our need to improve our capacities in understanding the ecology of the open oceans. Conservation of coastal ecosystems and assessment of risks associated with oil spills can be facilitated through a better understanding of processes leading to direct and indirect responses of species and systems to oil exposure.It is also important to recognize that oil spilled from ships represents only ~9% of the nearly 700 000 barrels of petroleum that enter waters of North America annually from anthropogenic sources (NRC, 2003). The immediate effects of large spills can be defined as acute, due to the obvious and dramatic effects that are observed. In contrast, the remaining 625 000 barrels that are released each year can be thought of as chronic non-point pollution, resulting from oil entering the coastal ocean as runoff in a more consistent but much less conspicuous rate. In this chapter, we primarily address the effects of large oil spills that occur near coastlines and consider their potential for both acute and chronic effects on coastal communities. As described below, in some instances, the effects from chronic exposure may meet or exceed the more evident acute effects from large spills. Consequently, although quantifying chronic effects from low exposure rates can be challenging and time-consuming, the results of such efforts provide insights into the understudied effects of chronic non-point oil pollution.
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75 FR 9426 - Delaware River and Bay Oil Spill Advisory Committee; Meeting
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-03-02
... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [Docket No. USCG-2008-0333] Delaware River and Bay Oil... Delaware River and Bay Oil Spill Advisory Committee (DRBOSAC) will meet in Philadelphia, PA to discuss various issues to improve oil spill prevention and response strategies for the Delaware River and Bay...
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30 CFR 253.61 - When is a guarantor subject to direct action for claims?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Claims for Oil-Spill Removal...) If you participate in an insurance guaranty for a COF incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or substantial threat of the discharge of oil) that is subject to claims under this part, then your maximum...
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Serra-Sogas, Norma; O'Hara, Patrick D; Canessa, Rosaline; Keller, Peter; Pelot, Ronald
2008-05-01
This paper examines the use of exploratory spatial analysis for identifying hotspots of shipping-based oil pollution in the Pacific Region of Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone. It makes use of data collected from fiscal years 1997/1998 to 2005/2006 by the National Aerial Surveillance Program, the primary tool for monitoring and enforcing the provisions imposed by MARPOL 73/78. First, we present oil spill data as points in a "dot map" relative to coastlines, harbors and the aerial surveillance distribution. Then, we explore the intensity of oil spill events using the Quadrat Count method, and the Kernel Density Estimation methods with both fixed and adaptive bandwidths. We found that oil spill hotspots where more clearly defined using Kernel Density Estimation with an adaptive bandwidth, probably because of the "clustered" distribution of oil spill occurrences. Finally, we discuss the importance of standardizing oil spill data by controlling for surveillance effort to provide a better understanding of the distribution of illegal oil spills, and how these results can ultimately benefit a monitoring program.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tufte, Lars; Trieschmann, Olaf; Carreau, Philippe; Hunsaenger, Thomas; Clayton, Peter J. S.; Barjenbruch, Ulrich
2004-02-01
The detection of accidentally or illegal marine oil discharges in the German territorial waters of the North Sea and Baltic Sea is of great importance for combating of oil spills and protection of the marine ecosystem. Therefore the German Federal Ministry of Transport set up an airborne surveillance system consisting of two Dornier DO 228-212 aircrafts equipped with a Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR), a IR/UV sensor, a Microwave Radiometer (MWR) for quantification and a Laser-Flurosensor (LFS) for classification purposes of the oil spills. The flight parameters and the remote sensing data are stored in a database during the flight. A Pollution Observation Log is completed by the operator consisting of information about the detected oil spill (e.g. position, length, width) and several other information about the flight (e.g. name of navigator, name of observer). The objective was to develop an oil spill information system which integrates the described data, metadata and includes visualization and spatial analysis capabilities. The metadata are essential for further statistical analysis in spatial and temporal domains of oil spill occurrences and of the surveillance itself. It should facilitate the communication and distribution of metadata between the administrative bodies and partners of the German oil spill surveillance system. A connection between a GIS and the database allows to use the powerful visualization and spatial analysis functionality of the GIS in conjunction with the oil spill database.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Czerniak, Charlene M.; And Others
1996-01-01
Presents activities in which elementary and middle school students work together to gain environmental awareness about oil spills. Involves students experiencing a simulated oil spill and attempting to clean it up. Discusses the use of children's literature after the activity in evaluation of the activity. (JRH)
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pisano, A.; De Dominicis, M.; Biamino, W.; Bignami, F.; Gherardi, S.; Colao, F.; Coppini, G.; Marullo, S.; Sprovieri, M.; Trivero, P.; Zambianchi, E.; Santoleri, R.
2016-11-01
A research cruise was organized on board the Italian National Research Council (CNR) R/V Urania to test the oil spill monitoring system developed during the PRogetto pilota Inquinamento Marino da Idrocarburi project (PRIMI, pilot project for marine oil pollution). For the first time, this system integrated in a modular way satellite oil spill detection (Observation Module) and oil spill displacement forecasting (Forecast Module) after detection. The Observation Module was based on both Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) and optical satellite detection, namely SAR and Optical Modules, while the Forecast Module on Lagrangian numerical circulation models. The cruise (Aug. 6-Sep. 7, 2009) took place in the Mediterranean Sea, around Sicily, an area affected by heavy oil tanker traffic with frequent occurrence of oil spills resulting from illegal tank washing. The cruise plan was organized in order to have the ship within the SAR image frames selected for the cruise, at acquisition time. In this way, the ship could rapidly reach oil slicks detected in the images by the SAR Module, and/or eventually by the Optical Module, in order to carry out visual and instrumental inspection of the slicks. During the cruise, several oil spills were detected by the two Observation Modules and verified in situ, with the essential aid of the Forecasting Module which provided the slick position by the time the ship reached the area after the alert given by the SAR and/or optical imagery. Results confirm the good capability of oil spill SAR detection and indicate that also optical sensors are able to detect oil spills, ranging from thin films to slicks containing heavily polluted water. Also, results confirm the useful potential of oil spill forecasting models, but, on the other hand, that further work combining satellite, model and in situ data is necessary to refine the PRIMI system.
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Pipeline oil fire detection with MODIS active fire products
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ogungbuyi, M. G.; Martinez, P.; Eckardt, F. D.
2017-12-01
We investigate 85 129 MODIS satellite active fire events from 2007 to 2015 in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. The region is the oil base for Nigerian economy and the hub of oil exploration where oil facilities (i.e. flowlines, flow stations, trunklines, oil wells and oil fields) are domiciled, and from where crude oil and refined products are transported to different Nigerian locations through a network of pipeline systems. Pipeline and other oil facilities are consistently susceptible to oil leaks due to operational or maintenance error, and by acts of deliberate sabotage of the pipeline equipment which often result in explosions and fire outbreaks. We used ground oil spill reports obtained from the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) database (see www.oilspillmonitor.ng) to validate MODIS satellite data. NOSDRA database shows an estimate of 10 000 spill events from 2007 - 2015. The spill events were filtered to include largest spills by volume and events occurring only in the Niger Delta (i.e. 386 spills). By projecting both MODIS fire and spill as `input vector' layers with `Points' geometry, and the Nigerian pipeline networks as `from vector' layers with `LineString' geometry in a geographical information system, we extracted the nearest MODIS events (i.e. 2192) closed to the pipelines by 1000m distance in spatial vector analysis. The extraction process that defined the nearest distance to the pipelines is based on the global practices of the Right of Way (ROW) in pipeline management that earmarked 30m strip of land to the pipeline. The KML files of the extracted fires in a Google map validated their source origin to be from oil facilities. Land cover mapping confirmed fire anomalies. The aim of the study is to propose a near-real-time monitoring of spill events along pipeline routes using 250 m spatial resolution of MODIS active fire detection sensor when such spills are accompanied by fire events in the study location.
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Chemical dispersants are used in oil spill response operations to enhance the dispersion of oil slicks at sea as small oil droplets in the water column. To assess the impacts of dispersant usage on oil spills, US EPA is developing a simulation model called the EPA Research Object...
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Revised oil-spill risk analysis: Beaufort Sea outer continental shelf lease sale 170. Final report
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Anderson, C.; Johnson, W.; Marshall, C.
1997-11-01
The Federal Government has proposed to offer Outer Continental Shelf lands in the Beaufort Sea for oil and gas leasing. Because oil spills may occur from activities associated with offshore oil production, the Minerals Management Service conducts a formal risk assessment. This report summarizes results of oil-spill risk analysis conducted for the proposed Beaufort Sea lease sale.
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Perez, Cristina R; Moye, John K; Cacela, Dave; Dean, Karen M; Pritsos, Chris A
2017-12-01
In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released 134 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico making it the largest oil spill in US history. The three month oil spill left tens of thousands of birds dead; however, the fate of tens of thousands of other migratory birds that were affected but did not immediately die is unknown. We used the homing pigeon as a surrogate species for migratory birds to investigate the effects of a single external oiling event on the flight performance of birds. Data from GPS data loggers revealed that lightly oiled pigeons took significantly longer to return home and spent more time stopped en route than unoiled birds. This suggests that migratory birds affected by the oil spill could have experienced long term flight impairment and delayed arrival to breeding, wintering, or crucial stopover sites and subsequently suffered reductions in survival and reproductive success. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Almeda, Rodrigo; Cosgrove, Sarah; Buskey, Edward J
2018-05-15
After oil spills and dispersant applications the formation of red tides or harmful algal blooms (HABs) has been observed, which can cause additional negative impacts in areas affected by oil spills. However, the link between oil spills and HABs is still unknown. Here, we present experimental evidence that demonstrates a connection between oil spills and HABs. We determined the effects of oil, dispersant-treated oil, and dispersant alone on the structure of natural plankton assemblages in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. In coastal waters, large tintinnids and oligotrich ciliates, major grazers of phytoplankton, were negatively affected by the exposure to oil and dispersant, whereas bloom-forming dinoflagellates ( Prorocentrum texanum, P. triestinum, and Scrippsiella trochoidea) notably increased their concentration. The removal of key grazers due to oil and dispersant disrupts the predator-prey controls ("top-down controls") that normally function in plankton food webs. This disruption of grazing pressure opens a "loophole" that allows certain dinoflagellates with higher tolerance to oil and dispersants than their grazers to grow and form blooms when there are no growth limiting factors (e.g., nutrients). Therefore, oil spills and dispersants can act as disrupters of predator-prey controls in plankton food webs and as indirect inducers of potentially harmful dinoflagellate blooms.
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Oiled seabird rescue at the J.V. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, San Mateo County, California, 1968-1995
Carter, H.R.
1997-01-01
Records of oiled and injured seabirds at the J.V. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, San Mateo County, California, were collated from the daily log at the Reserve for the period 1968-1995. These records serve to demonstrate that oil spills and chronic oiling have occurred frequently in this area, just south of San Francisco. Common Murres (Uria aalge) were the most frequently-oiled species rescued at the Reserve. Greater efforts should be made by wildlife rehabilitators to collate large volumes of past data (prior to the early 1990s) on oiled and injured seabirds for similar documentation of large or moderate oil spills (including undocumented or poorly-known spills), chronic oiling from small spills, and injuries from other sources.
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Decision support system for emergency management of oil spill accidents in the Mediterranean Sea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liubartseva, Svitlana; Coppini, Giovanni; Pinardi, Nadia; De Dominicis, Michela; Lecci, Rita; Turrisi, Giuseppe; Cretì, Sergio; Martinelli, Sara; Agostini, Paola; Marra, Palmalisa; Palermo, Francesco
2016-08-01
This paper presents an innovative web-based decision support system to facilitate emergency management in the case of oil spill accidents, called WITOIL (Where Is The Oil). The system can be applied to create a forecast of oil spill events, evaluate uncertainty of the predictions, and calculate hazards based on historical meteo-oceanographic datasets. To compute the oil transport and transformation, WITOIL uses the MEDSLIK-II oil spill model forced by operational meteo-oceanographic services. Results of the modeling are visualized through Google Maps. A special application for Android is designed to provide mobile access for competent authorities, technical and scientific institutions, and citizens.
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Investigating Montara platform oil spill accident by implementing RST-OIL approach.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Satriano, Valeria; Ciancia, Emanuele; Coviello, Irina; Di Polito, Carmine; Lacava, Teodosio; Pergola, Nicola; Tramutoli, Valerio
2016-04-01
Oil Spills represent one of the most harmful events to marine ecosystems and their timely detection is crucial for their mitigation and management. The potential of satellite data for their detection and monitoring has been largely investigated. Traditional satellite techniques usually identify oil spill presence applying a fixed threshold scheme only after the occurrence of an event, which make them not well suited for their prompt identification. The Robust Satellite Technique (RST) approach, in its oil spill detection version (RST-OIL), being based on the comparison of the latest satellite acquisition with its historical value, previously identified, allows the automatic and near real-time detection of events. Such a technique has been already successfully applied on data from different sources (AVHRR-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and MODIS-Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) showing excellent performance in detecting oil spills both during day- and night-time conditions, with an high level of sensitivity (detection also of low intensity events) and reliability (no false alarm on scene). In this paper, RST-OIL has been implemented on MODIS thermal infrared data for the analysis of the Montara Platform (Timor Sea - Australia) oil spill disaster occurred in August 2009. Preliminary achievements are presented and discussed in this paper.
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The Other Major 2010 Oil Spill: Oil weathering after the Kalamazoo River Dilbit Spill
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Swarthout, B.; Reddy, C. M.; Nelson, R. K.; Hamilton, S. K.; Aeppli, C.; Valentine, D. L.; Fundaun, S. E.; Oliveira, A. H.
2016-02-01
Diluted bitumen (dilbit) from the oil sands (tar sands) of western Canada is increasingly being transported to US markets. North America's largest inland oil spill and the first major oil sands spill in a freshwater environment occurred in 2010, when at least 843,000 gallons leaked from a pipeline into the Kalamazoo River of southwest Michigan. Cleanup of this oil was unusually difficult and protracted, lasting through 2014 and costing over a billion dollars, largely because a substantial fraction of the oil became submersed and deposited in slack water areas over 60 km of river channel, reservoirs, and floodplain backwaters. To investigate the fate of the spilled dilbit from the 2010 Kalamazoo River release, black rings, presumably oil residues, on the bark of dead trees were collected in 2015. These residues were deposited on the trees during high flood levels that have not been observed since the spill and represent an opportunity to constrain weathering processes excluding dissolution. This material contained a major non-GC amenable fraction of 90-95%, presumably oxygenated hydrocarbons. The GC amenable portion was consistent with laboratory weathered dilbit. We used a variety of analytical tools to characterize the dilbit residues, as well as to identify dilbit weathering processes that occurred since the spill.
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McCay, Deborah French
2003-01-01
Natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) models for oil spills have been under development since 1984. Generally applicable (simplified) versions with built-in data sets are included in US government regulations for NRDAs in US waters. The most recent version of these models is SIMAP (Spill Impact Model Application Package), which contains oil fates and effects models that may be applied to any spill event and location in marine or freshwater environments. It is often not cost-effective or even possible to quantify spill impacts using field data collections. Modeling allows quantification of spill impacts using as much site-specific data as available, either as input or as validation of model results. SIMAP was used for the North Cape oil spill in Rhode Island (USA) in January 1996, for injury quantification in the first and largest NRDA case to be performed under the 1996 Oil Pollution Act NRDA regulations. The case was successfully settled in 1999. This paper, which contains a description of the model and application to the North Cape spill, delineates and demonstrates the approach.
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Oil spill cleanup method and apparatus
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Mayes, F.M.
1980-06-24
A method for removing oil from the surface of water where an oil spill has occurred, particularly in obstructed or shallow areas, which comprises partially surrounding a hovercraft with a floating oil-collecting barrier, there being no barrier at the front of the hovercraft, moving the oil-barrier-surrounded-hovercraft into oil contaminated water, and collecting oil gathered within the barrier behind the hovercraft through a suction line which carries the oil to a storage tank aboard the hovercraft. The invention also embodies the hovercraft adapted to effect an oil spill cleanup.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ustin, S.; Khanna, S.; Shapiro, K.; Santos, M. J.
2015-12-01
April 20, 2010 marked the start of the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the largest oil spill in US history, which contaminated the coastal wetland ecosystems along the northern Gulf of Mexico. We used NASA airborne AVIRIS imagery and field surveys to determine the impact and recovery of three ecologically and hydrologically diverse ecosystems after the oil spill using data acquired in 2010, 2011 and 2012. This was the largest campaign attempted at that time, collecting 456 AVIRIS flightlines between 6 May and 4 Oct., 2010, many covering the coastal region impacted by the oil spill. We investigated Barataria Bay (an intertidal saltmarsh ecosystem, predominantly a Spartina-Juncus meadow), East Bird's Foot (the most botanically diverse wetland, is an intermediate/freshwater marsh, fed by the Mississippi River), and Chandeleur Islands (barrier islands surrounded by tidal mangrove shrublands). A comparison of the three sites showed variable impacts from the oil and differential ecosystem recoveries. Mangroves around the Chanderleur Islands were the most adversely affected by the oil spill and showed the least recovery after a year, based on spectral changes characteristic of stressed vegetation. East Bird's Foot freshwater marshes were minimally affected by the spill and it is likely that the Mississippi outflow resulted in little crude oil reaching these shorelines. A zonal analysis of Barataria Bay revealed that oil primarily impacted the intertidal zone along shorelines that faced the Gulf, with little impact of the oil after an average distance of 20m inland, approximately the height of the highest high tides. Although recovery of the saltgrass meadow was robust during the first year after the spill, it was also variable, with the 5m zone immediately inland from the shoreline showing the least recovery. Hurricane Isaac in 2012, although a mild category 1 hurricane, adversely impacted the saltgrass meadows along the shorelines that were recovering from the oil spill, which after the hurricane showed reduced growth compared to shorelines that were not damaged by the 2010 oil spill.
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Estimation of potential impacts and natural resource damages of oil.
McCay, Deborah French; Rowe, Jill Jennings; Whittier, Nicole; Sankaranarayanan, Sankar; Etkin, Dagmar Schmidt
2004-02-27
Methods were developed to estimate the potential impacts and natural resource damages resulting from oil spills using probabilistic modeling techniques. The oil fates model uses wind data, current data, and transport and weathering algorithms to calculate mass balance of fuel components in various environmental compartments (water surface, shoreline, water column, atmosphere, sediments, etc.), oil pathway over time (trajectory), surface distribution, shoreline oiling, and concentrations of the fuel components in water and sediments. Exposure of aquatic habitats and organisms to whole oil and toxic components is estimated in the biological model, followed by estimation of resulting acute mortality and ecological losses. Natural resource damages are based on estimated costs to restore equivalent resources and/or ecological services, using Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA) and Resource Equivalency Analysis (REA) methods. Oil spill modeling was performed for two spill sites in central San Francisco Bay, three spill sizes (20th, 50th, and 95th percentile volumes from tankers and larger freight vessels, based on an analysis of likely spill volumes given a spill has occurred) and four oil types (gasoline, diesel, heavy fuel oil, and crude oil). The scenarios were run in stochastic mode to determine the frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation of fates, impacts, and damages. This work is significant as it demonstrates a statistically quantifiable method for estimating potential impacts and financial consequences that may be used in ecological risk assessment and cost-benefit analyses. The statistically-defined spill volumes and consequences provide an objective measure of the magnitude, range and variability of impacts to wildlife, aquatic organisms and shorelines for potential spills of four oil/fuel types, each having distinct environmental fates and effects.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-28
.... PHMSA-2010-0175] Pipeline Safety: Updating Facility Response Plans in Light of the Deepwater Horizon Oil... 194. In light of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which has resulted in the... Systems. Subject: Updating Facility Response Plans in Light of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Advisory...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kauble, Christena Ann
2011-01-01
Several classroom activities using a model of a seashore and an oil spill demonstrate the basic properties of oil spills in oceans. Students brainstorm about how to best clean up the mess. They work in teams, and after agreeing on how they will proceed, their method is tested by measuring the amount of oil removed and by rating the cleanliness of…
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30 CFR 553.61 - When is a guarantor subject to direct action for claims?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Claims for Oil-Spill... 7 or 11. (b) If you participate in an insurance guaranty for a COF incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or substantial threat of the discharge of oil) that is subject to claims under this part, then...
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30 CFR 553.61 - When is a guarantor subject to direct action for claims?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Claims for Oil-Spill... 7 or 11. (b) If you participate in an insurance guaranty for a COF incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or substantial threat of the discharge of oil) that is subject to claims under this part, then...
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30 CFR 253.61 - When is a guarantor subject to direct action for claims?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Claims for Oil-Spill Removal Costs and Damages § 253.61 When is a guarantor subject to direct action for...., oil-spill discharge or substantial threat of the discharge of oil) that is subject to claims under...
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30 CFR 553.61 - When is a guarantor subject to direct action for claims?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Claims for Oil-Spill... 7 or 11. (b) If you participate in an insurance guaranty for a COF incident (i.e., oil-spill discharge or substantial threat of the discharge of oil) that is subject to claims under this part, then...
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Yang, Yin; Han, Da-xiong; Wang, Hai-yan
2011-08-01
Habitat equivalency analysis (HEA) is one of the methods commonly used by U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in natural resources damage assessment, but rarely applied in China. Based on the theory of HEA and the assessment practices of domestic oil spill incidents, a modification on the HEA was made in this paper, and applied to calculate the habitat value in oil spill incidents. According to the data collected from an oil spill incident in China, the modified HEA was applied in a case study to scale the compensatory-restoration. By introducing the ecological service equivalent factor to transfer various habitats, it was achieved to value of the injured habitats in ecological damage assessment of oil spill incident.
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Holographic interferometry of oil films and droplets in water with a single-beam mirror-type scheme.
Kukhtarev, Nickolai; Kukhtareva, Tatiana; Gallegos, Sonia C
2011-03-01
Application of single-beam reflective laser optical interferometry for oil films and droplets in water detection and characterization is discussed. Oil films can be detected by the appearance of characteristic interference patterns. Analytical expressions describing intensity distribution in these interference patterns allow determination of oil film thickness, size of oil droplets, and distance to the oil film from the observation plane. Results from these analyses indicate that oil spill aging and breakup can be monitored in real time by analyzing time-dependent holographic fringe patterns. Interferometric methods of oil spill detection and characterization can be automated using digital holography with three-dimensional reconstruction of the time-changing oil spill topography. In this effort, the interferometric methods were applied to samples from Chevron oil and British Petroleum MC252 oil obtained during the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. © 2011 Optical Society of America
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RESIDUAL MUTAGENICITY OF THE ALASKAN OIL SPILL ORGANICS
RESIDUAL MUTAGENICITY OF THE ALASKAN OIL SPILL ORGANICS. L.D.
The Exxon Valdez, on March 24, 1989, spilled approximately eleven million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound. Approximately 300 miles of
contaminated beach are potential... -
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Khanna, S.; Haverkamp, P. J.; Santos, M. J.; Shapiro, K.; Lay, M.; Koltunov, A.; Ustin, S.
2013-12-01
Saltmarshes of the Gulf of Mexico have a long history of being impacted by oil spills. The Deep Water Horizon BP Oil spill was the biggest spill in US history. Its effects are still noticeable on these coastal wetlands. While it is expected that over time these ecosystems will recover from oil spill impacts, disturbances can alter the pathway to recovery. In August 2012, hurricane Isaac traced the same path as the 2010 oil spill. We questioned whether the hurricane had a detrimental effect on the recovery of wetland communities previously affected by the oil spill. We analyzed AVIRIS hyperspectral imagery acquired over Bay Jimmy in Barataria Bay in September of 2010, in August of 2011, and after hurricane Isaac in October of 2012. We estimated oil and hurricane impact extent, and effects on plant stress based on change detection and trajectories of narrow band vegetation indexes. In September 2010, the oil impact extended 14m inland from the shore. Four plant stress indexes (NDVI, mNDVI, ANIR, ARed) and three water content indexes (NDII, WA980, WA1240) consistently showed that plant stress was significantly negatively correlated with distance from the shore. A year after the oil spill, in August 2011, we found that the vegetation was regenerating rapidly in more than 80% of the affected area. However, after hurricane Isaac, in October 2012, 24% of the 14-m green vegetation belt next to the shore disappeared under water in regions previously impacted by oil and 21% of the oil-free shoreline also lost its land to water. In the first 7 m adjacent to the shore, 38.5% of the land disappeared in oil-impacted zones and 32% in the oil-free zones. These results suggest that post-oil disturbance events can delay vegetation recovery in an already fragile wetland community.
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Parsons, M L; Morrison, W; Rabalais, N N; Turner, R E; Tyre, K N
2015-12-01
The Macondo oil spill was likely the largest oil spill to ever occur in United States territorial waters. We report herein our findings comparing the available baseline phytoplankton data from coastal waters west of the Mississippi River, and samples collected monthly from the same sampling stations, during and after the oil spill (May-October, 2010). Our results indicate that overall, the phytoplankton abundance was 85% lower in 2010 versus the baseline, and that the species composition of the phytoplankton community moved towards diatoms and cyanobacteria and away from ciliates and phytoflagellates. The results of this study reaffirm the view that phytoplankton responses will vary by the seasonal timing of the oil spill and the specific composition of the spilled oil. The trophic impacts of the purported lower abundance of phytoplankton in 2010 coupled with the observed assemblage shift remain unknown. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Adaptive Enhancement of X-Band Marine Radar Imagery to Detect Oil Spill Segments
Liu, Peng; Li, Ying; Xu, Jin; Zhu, Xueyuan
2017-01-01
Oil spills generate a large cost in environmental and economic terms. Their identification plays an important role in oil-spill response. We propose an oil spill detection method with improved adaptive enhancement on X-band marine radar systems. The radar images used in this paper were acquired on 21 July 2010, from the teaching-training ship “YUKUN” of the Dalian Maritime University. According to the shape characteristic of co-channel interference, two convolutional filters are used to detect the location of the interference, followed by a mean filter to erase the interference. Small objects, such as bright speckles, are taken as a mask in the radar image and improved by the Fields-of-Experts model. The region marked by strong reflected signals from the sea’s surface is selected to identify oil spills. The selected region is subject to improved adaptive enhancement designed based on features of radar images. With the proposed adaptive enhancement technique, calculated oil spill detection is comparable to visual interpretation in accuracy. PMID:29036892
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Seo, Jin-Young; Kim, Moonkoo; Lim, Hyun-Sig; Choi, Jin-Woo
2014-05-15
In order to detect the early impact of the Hebei Spirit oil spill on the shallow subtidal macrozoobenthic communities, macrobenthic fauna were collected seasonally for 3 years. The alkylated PAHs concentrations within sediments near Mallipo beach remained as high as 129 ng g(-)(1) DW one month after the oil spill, but the concentration decreased below the background level thereafter. The number of species and density decreased in 4 months compared to those before the oil spill. An opportunistic polychaete, Prionospio paradisea, occurred as a dominant species at subtidal area near Mallipo beach in 10 months after the oil spill. Any mass mortality of amphipods and any clear dominance of opportunistic species were not detected except for the stations near Mallipo and Hagampo beaches. The macrobenthic communities at the shallow subtidal stations seemed to have a relatively stable faunal composition, even not fully recovered, in 3 years after the Hebei Spirit oil spill. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Walker, Ann Hayward; Scholz, Debra; McPeek, Melinda; French-McCay, Deborah; Rowe, Jill; Bock, Michael; Robinson, Hilary; Wenning, Richard
2018-05-25
This paper describes oil spill stakeholder engagement in a recent comparative risk assessment (CRA) project that examined the tradeoffs associated with a hypothetical offshore well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, with a specific focus on subsea dispersant injection (SSDI) at the wellhead. SSDI is a new technology deployed during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill response. Oil spill stakeholders include decision makers, who will consider whether to integrate SSDI into future tradeoff decisions. This CRA considered the tradeoffs associated with three sets of response strategies: (1) no intervention; (2) mechanical recovery, in-situ burning, and surface dispersants; and, (3) SSDI in addition to responses in (2). For context, the paper begins with a historical review of U.S. policy and engagement with oil spill stakeholders regarding dispersants. Stakeholder activities throughout the project involved decision-maker representatives and their advisors to inform the approach and consider CRA utility in future oil spill preparedness. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Singha, Suman; Vespe, Michele; Trieschmann, Olaf
2013-08-15
Today the health of ocean is in danger as it was never before mainly due to man-made pollutions. Operational activities show regular occurrence of accidental and deliberate oil spill in European waters. Since the areas covered by oil spills are usually large, satellite remote sensing particularly Synthetic Aperture Radar represents an effective option for operational oil spill detection. This paper describes the development of a fully automated approach for oil spill detection from SAR. Total of 41 feature parameters extracted from each segmented dark spot for oil spill and 'look-alike' classification and ranked according to their importance. The classification algorithm is based on a two-stage processing that combines classification tree analysis and fuzzy logic. An initial evaluation of this methodology on a large dataset has been carried out and degree of agreement between results from proposed algorithm and human analyst was estimated between 85% and 93% respectively for ENVISAT and RADARSAT. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ajadi, O. A.; Meyer, F. J.; Tello, M.
2015-12-01
This research presents a promising new method for the detection and tracking of oil spills from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. The method presented here combines a number of advanced image processing techniques in order to overcome some common performance limitations of SAR-based oil spill detection. Principal among these limitations are: (1) the radar cross section of the ocean surface strongly depends on wind and wave activities and is therefore highly variable; (2) the radar cross section of oil covered waters is often indistinguishable from other dark ocean features such as low wind areas or oil lookalikes, leading to ambiguities in oil spill detection. In this paper, we introduce two novel image analysis techniques to largely mitigate the aforementioned performance limitations, namely Lipschitz regularity (LR) and Wavelet transforms. We used LR, an image texture parameter akin to the slope of the local power spectrum, in our approach to mitigate these limitations. We show that the LR parameter is much less sensitive to variations of wind and waves than the original image amplitude, lending itself well for normalizing image content. Beyond its benefit for image normalization, we also show that the LR transform enhances the contrast between oil-covered and oil-free ocean surfaces and therefore improves overall spill detection performance. To calculate LR, the SAR images are decomposed using two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform (2D-CWT), which are furthermore transformed into Holder space to measure LR. Finally, we demonstrate that the implementation of wavelet transforms provide additional benefits related to the adaptive reduction of speckle noise. We show how LR and CWT are integrated into our image analysis workflow for application to oil spill detection. To describe the performance of this approach under controlled conditions, we applied our method to simulated SAR data of wind driven oceans containing oil spills of various properties. We also show applications to several real life oil spill scenarios using a series of L-band ALOS PALSAR images and X-band TerraSAR-X images acquired during the Deep Water Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. From our analysis, we concluded that the LR and CWT have distinct advantages in oil spill detection and lead to high performance spill mapping results.
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Impact of climate change and seasonal trends on the fate of Arctic oil spills.
Nordam, Tor; Dunnebier, Dorien A E; Beegle-Krause, C J; Reed, Mark; Slagstad, Dag
2017-12-01
We investigated the effects of a warmer climate, and seasonal trends, on the fate of oil spilled in the Arctic. Three well blowout scenarios, two shipping accidents and a pipeline rupture were considered. We used ensembles of numerical simulations, using the OSCAR oil spill model, with environmental data for the periods 2009-2012 and 2050-2053 (representing a warmer future) as inputs to the model. Future atmospheric forcing was based on the IPCC's A1B scenario, with the ocean data generated by the hydrodynamic model SINMOD. We found differences in "typical" outcome of a spill in a warmer future compared to the present, mainly due to a longer season of open water. We have demonstrated that ice cover is extremely important for predicting the fate of an Arctic oil spill, and find that oil spills in a warming climate will in some cases result in greater areal coverage and shoreline exposure.
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Computer simulation of the probability that endangered whales will interact with oil spills
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Reed, M.; Jayko, K.; Bowles, A.
1987-03-01
A numerical model system was developed to assess quantitatively the probability that endangered bowhead and gray whales will encounter spilled oil in Alaskan waters. Bowhead and gray whale migration and diving-surfacing models, and an oil-spill trajectory model comprise the system. The migration models were developed from conceptual considerations, then calibrated with and tested against observations. The movement of a whale point is governed by a random walk algorithm which stochastically follows a migratory pathway. The oil-spill model, developed under a series of other contracts, accounts for transport and spreading behavior in open water and in the presence of sea ice.more » Historical wind records and heavy, normal, or light ice cover data sets are selected at random to provide stochastic oil-spill scenarios for whale-oil interaction simulations.« less
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Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) for Agriculture
A key element of the SPCC rule requires farms and other facilities to develop, maintain and implement an oil spill prevention plan, called an SPCC Plan. These plans help farms prevent oil spill, as well as control a spill should one occur.
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Assimilation of Real-Time Satellite And Human Sensor Networks for Modeling Natural Disasters
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aulov, O.; Halem, M.; Lary, D. J.
2011-12-01
We describe the development of underlying technologies needed to address the merging of a web of real time satellite sensor Web (SSW) and Human Sensor Web (HSW) needed to augment the US response to extreme events. As an initial prototyping step and use case scenario, we consider the development of two major system tools that can be transitioned from research to the responding operational agency for mitigating coastal oil spills. These tools consist of the capture of Situation Aware (SA) Social Media (SM) Data, and assimilation of the processed information into forecasting models to provide incident decision managers with interactive virtual spatial temporal animations superimposed with probabilistic data estimates. The system methodologies are equally applicable to the wider class of extreme events such as plume dispersions from volcanoes or massive fires, major floods, hurricane impacts, radioactive isotope dispersions from nuclear accidents, etc. A successful feasibility demonstration of this technology has been shown in the case of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill where Human Sensor Networks have been combined with a geophysical model to perform parameter assessments. Flickr images of beached oil were mined from the spill area, geolocated and timestamped and converted into geophysical data. This data was incorporated into General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME), a Lagrangian forecast model that uses near real-time surface winds, ocean currents, and satellite shape profiles of oil to generate a forecast of plume movement. As a result, improved estimates of diffusive coefficients and rates of oil spill were determined. Current approaches for providing satellite derived oil distributions are collected from a satellite sensor web of operational and research sensors from many countries, and a manual analysis is performed by NESDIS. A real time SA HSW processing system based on geolocated SM data from sources such as Twitter, Flickr, YouTube etc., greatly supplements the current operational practice of sending out teams of humans to gather samples of tarballs reaching coastal locations. We show that ensemble Kalman filter assimilation of the combination of SM data with model forecast background data fields can minimize the false positive cases of satellite observations alone. Our future framework consists of two parts, a real time SA HSW processing system and an on-demand SSW processing system. HSW processing system uses a geolocated SM data to provide observations of coastal oil contact. SSW system is composed of selected instruments from NASA EOS, NPP and available Decadal Survey mission satellites along with other in situ data to form a real time regional oil spill observing system. We will automate the NESDIS manual process of providing oil spill maps by using Self Organizing Feature Map (SOFM) algorithm. We use the LETKF scheme for assimilating the satellite sensor web and HSW observations into the GNOME model to reduce the uncertainty of the observations. We intend to infuse these developments in an SOA implementation for execution of event driven model forecast assimilation cycles in a dedicated HPC cloud.
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MICROBIAL POPULATION CHANGES DURING BIOREMEDIATION OF AN EXPERIMENTAL OIL SPILL
Three crude oil bioremediation techniques were applied in a randomized block field experiment simulating a coastal oil-spill. Four treatments (no oil control, oil alone, oil + nutrients, and oil + nutrients + an indigenous inoculum) were applied. In-situ microbial community str...
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Ecological Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (Bogota, Columbia)
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH) was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in US History, with nearly 800 million liters spilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep ocean communities, protected species, over 1600 km o...
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Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Projects Project Types Hotlist Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Restoration Emergency Response Newsroom What's Records Request Calendar What's New Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Modification May 21, 2018 CPRA May Board Meeting in Review May 18, 2018 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Louisiana
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-28
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Notice... Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee. DATES: July 22, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. ADDRESSES: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Office, 441 West 5th Avenue, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska. FOR FURTHER...
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Gong, Yanyan; Zhao, Xiao; Cai, Zhengqing; O'Reilly, S E; Hao, Xiaodi; Zhao, Dongye
2014-02-15
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill has spurred significant amounts of researches on fate, transport, and environmental impacts of oil and oil dispersants. This review critically summarizes what is understood to date about the interactions between oil, oil dispersants and sediments, their roles in developing oil spill countermeasures, and how these interactions may change in deepwater environments. Effects of controlling parameters, such as sediment particle size and concentration, organic matter content, oil properties, and salinity on oil-sediment interactions are described in detail. Special attention is placed to the application and effects of oil dispersants on the rate and extent of the interactions between oil and sediment or suspended particulate materials. Various analytical methods are discussed for characterization of oil-sediment interactions. Current knowledge gaps are identified and further research needs are proposed to facilitate sounder assessment of fate and impacts of oil spills in the marine environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Geohistorical records indicate no impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on oyster body size
Durham, Stephen R.
2016-01-01
Documentation of the near- and long-term effects of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, one of the largest environmental disasters in US history, is still ongoing. We used a novel before-after-control-impact analysis to test the hypothesis that average body size of intertidal populations of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) inhabiting impacted areas in Louisiana decreased due to increased stress/mortality related to the oil spill. Time-averaged death assemblages of oysters were used to establish a pre-spill baseline of body-size structure for four impacted and four control locations along a 350 km stretch of Louisiana's coastline. Post-spill body sizes were then measured from live oysters at each site in order to evaluate the differences in body size between oiled (i.e. impact) and unoiled (i.e. control) locations before and after the spill. Our results indicate that average body size of oysters remained relatively unchanged after the oil spill. There were also no temporal patterns in temperature, salinity or disease prevalence that could have explained our results. Together, these findings suggest that oysters either recovered rapidly following the immediate impact of the DWH oil spill, or that its impact was not severe enough to influence short-term population dynamics of the oyster beds. PMID:28018663
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Utilizing Google Earth to Teach Students about Global Oil Spill Disasters
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Guertin, Laura; Neville, Sara
2011-01-01
The United States is currently experiencing its worst man-made environmental disaster, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil leak. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is severe in its impact, but it is only one of several global oil spill disasters in history. Students can utilize the technology of Google Earth to explore the spatial and temporal distribution of…
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[Detection of oil spills on water by differential polarization FTIR spectrometry].
Yuan, Yue-ming; Xiong, Wei; Fang, Yong-hua; Lan, Tian-ge; Li, Da-cheng
2010-08-01
Detection of oil spills on water, by traditional thermal remote sensing, is based on the radiance contrast between the large area of clean water and the polluted area of water. And the categories of oil spills can not be identified by analysing the thermal infrared image. In order to find out the extent of pollution and identify the oil contaminants, an approach to the passive detection of oil spills on water by differential polarization FTIR spectrometry is proposed. This approach can detect the contaminants by obtaining and analysing the subtracted spectrum of horizontal and vertical polarization intensity spectrum. In the present article, the radiance model of differential polarization FTIR spectrometry is analysed, and an experiment about detection of No. O diesel and SF96 film on water by this method is presented. The results of this experiment indicate that this method can detect the oil contaminants on water without radiance contrast with clean water, and it also can identify oil spills by analysing the spectral characteristic of differential polarization FTIR spectrum. So it well makes up for the shortage of traditional thermal remote sensing on detecting oil spills on water.
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30 CFR 254.41 - Training your response personnel.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Related... procedures; (3) Oil-spill trajectory analysis and predicting spill movement; and (4) Any other... ensure that the members of your spill-response operating team who are responsible for operating response...
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30 CFR 254.41 - Training your response personnel.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Related... procedures; (3) Oil-spill trajectory analysis and predicting spill movement; and (4) Any other... ensure that the members of your spill-response operating team who are responsible for operating response...
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Overview of studies to determine injury caused by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill to marine mammals
Loughlin, Thomas R.; Ballachey, Brenda E.; Wright, B.A.; Rice, S.D.; Spies, R.B.; Wolfe, D.A.; Wright, B.A.
1996-01-01
Marine mammal damage assessment studies after the Exxon Valdez oil spill concentrated on sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, killer whales, and humpback whales. Sea otter and harbor seals were the most affected marine mammal; it was estimated that several thousand otters and several hundred harbor seals died within months of the spill. Steller sea lion, harbor seal, and sea otter numbers were monitored using aerial surveys. Studies of humpback whales and killer whales used photoidentification techniques to determine changes in abundance, distribution, mortality, and natality. Tissues from animals found dead in spill and control areas were analyzed for hydrocarbon levels. Sea otters, sea lions and harbor seals had elevated hydrocarbon levels, but only sea otters and harbor seals showed population declines associated with the spill. Humpback whales were not severely affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Killer whale numbers in the resident AB pod declined after the spill. Coincidental evidence supports the oil spill as the causative agent.
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Morales-Caselles, Carmen; Yunker, Mark B; Ross, Peter S
2017-07-01
On the morning of April 9, 2015, citizens in Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) awoke to the sight and smell of oil on the shores of popular downtown beaches. Because the oil also had spread over the shallow seawater intakes for the Vancouver Aquarium, a preliminary screening of samples was performed as a prompt, first response to assess the risks to the Aquarium collection and guide the emergency operational response. A subsequent, more detailed examination for the presence of spilled oil in sediment, biota and water samples from the Vancouver Harbour region was then conducted based on the analysis of a large suite of alkanes, petroleum biomarkers, parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkyl PAH isomers. Most of the commonly applied biomarker ratios exhibit similar values for the spilled oil, Alberta oil (the main petroleum source for British Columbia), and pre-spill and un-oiled sediment samples. In contrast, alkyl PAH isomer ratios showed a clear distinction between the spilled oil and pre-spill samples, with the largest differences shown by isomers of the methyl fluoranthene/pyrene alkyl PAH series. This novel use of alkyl PAH isomers for fingerprinting petroleum helped to confirm the grain carrier MV Marathassa as the source of the oil that affected beach and mussel samples to document definitively the spread of the oil and to establish which samples contained a mix of the oil and hydrocarbons linked to historical activities. Finally, an initial evaluation of the biological risks of the MV Marathassa oil spill in Vancouver Harbour showed that oiled beach sediments had priority parent PAH concentrations that are likely to harm marine life.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Khanna, S.; Ustin, S.; Hestir, E. L.
2011-12-01
Coastal wetlands and aquatic environments are highly productive ecosystems that are rich in biodiversity. They also provide critically important habitat for both aquatic and terrestrial organisms, many of which have significant economic and recreational importance. The United States Gulf of Mexico coastline is riddled with oil wells (~50,000 wells of which ~30,000 are decommissioned or abandoned), that are subject to frequent oil spills. Oil spills have both short-term and long-term detrimental effects on the coastal environment. Brackish and salt marshes are among the most vulnerable of coastal ecosystems to oil spill impacts because oil tends to have a much longer residence time in marches compared to other environments. Remote sensing has been used extensively to directly map the oil and indirectly to detect wetland plant stress in oil spill impact zones. Using AVIRIS hyperspectral data flown over the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill in July and September of 2010, we tested if oil had any impact on the health of the wetland plant community. Two difference indices, NDVI and NDI, two angle indices, ANIR and ARed, and two continuum removals over water absorption bands, all showed that oiled shoreline index values were significantly lower than that from unoiled shoreline in September. The impact was significant at least 10-12m inland from the shoreline. In the July dataset, the effect of oil stress was not as pronounced. A comparison of the green vegetation fraction between July and September showed no significant difference indicating that there was no significant loss of wetland area between July and September. This study illustrates the use of hyperspectral remote sensing in detecting ecosystem stress and monitoring recovery after a catastrophic event such as an oil spill.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-08-06
...; MMAA104000] Information Collection: Forms for Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities...) concerns the forms used for paperwork requirements under 30 CFR 553, Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for... send your comments on this ICR to the BOEM Information Collection Clearance Officer, Arlene Bajusz...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-11-06
...] Information Collection: Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities; Submitted for OMB Review... information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements for 30 CFR 553, Oil Spill Financial... 6, 2013 ADDRESSES: Submit comments on this ICR to the Desk Officer for the Department of the...
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75 FR 12561 - Delaware River and Bay Oil Spill Advisory Committee; Meeting Cancelled
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-03-16
... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [Docket No. USCG-2008-0333] Delaware River and Bay Oil Spill Advisory Committee; Meeting Cancelled AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Notice of cancellation of meeting. SUMMARY: The Delaware River and Bay Oil Spill Advisory Committee (DRBOSAC) meeting scheduled for...
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Publications | NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration
Emergency Restoration of Seagrass Impacts from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Emergency Restoration of Seagrass Impacts From the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response April 2011 PEIS Public Scoping Document March 2011 Diagram - Assessing the Impacts of Oil: First
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ASTER Views the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill in Infrared May 7
2010-05-07
NASA Terra spacecraft captured this image of the growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on May 7, 2010. The thickest parts of the oil spill appear as dark grey, filamentous masses in the southern part of the image, extending off of the bottom.
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46 CFR 68.37 - Cessation of qualifications.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS: EXCEPTIONS TO COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.37 Cessation of qualifications. (a) If the vessel is owned by a not-for-profit oil spill... change. The not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative shall report the change in writing to the...
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46 CFR 68.27 - Definitions for purposes of this subpart.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.27 Definitions for purposes of this subpart. Certificate of... Socialist Republics on the Maritime Boundary, signed June 1, 1990. Not-for-profit oil spill response... purposes of training for, carrying out, and supporting oil spill cleanup operations or related research...
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46 CFR 68.37 - Cessation of qualifications.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS: EXCEPTIONS TO COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.37 Cessation of qualifications. (a) If the vessel is owned by a not-for-profit oil spill... change. The not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative shall report the change in writing to the...
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30 CFR 254.5 - General response plan requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Section 254.5 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL... plan requirements. (a) The response plan must provide for response to an oil spill from the facility... remove any spills of oil. (d) In addition to the requirements listed in this part, you must provide any...
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46 CFR 68.37 - Cessation of qualifications.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS: EXCEPTIONS TO COASTWISE QUALIFICATION Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.37 Cessation of qualifications. (a) If the vessel is owned by a not-for-profit oil spill... change. The not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative shall report the change in writing to the...
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46 CFR 68.27 - Definitions for purposes of this subpart.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.27 Definitions for purposes of this subpart. Certificate of... Socialist Republics on the Maritime Boundary, signed June 1, 1990. Not-for-profit oil spill response... purposes of training for, carrying out, and supporting oil spill cleanup operations or related research...
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30 CFR 254.9 - Authority for information collection.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Section 254.9 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL... this information collection is “30 CFR part 254, Oil Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located... offshore facility is prepared to respond to an oil spill. MMS uses the information to verify compliance...
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46 CFR 68.27 - Definitions for purposes of this subpart.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.27 Definitions for purposes of this subpart. Certificate of... Socialist Republics on the Maritime Boundary, signed June 1, 1990. Not-for-profit oil spill response... purposes of training for, carrying out, and supporting oil spill cleanup operations or related research...
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Lewan, M.D.; Warden, A.; Dias, R.F.; Lowry, Z.K.; Hannah, T.L.; Lillis, P.G.; Kokaly, R.F.; Hoefen, T.M.; Swayze, G.A.; Mills, C.T.; Harris, S.H.; Plumlee, G.S.
2014-01-01
The composition and content of asphaltenes in spilled and original wellhead oils from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) incident provide information on the amount of original oil lost and the processes most responsible for the losses within the first 80 days of the active spill. Spilled oils were collected from open waters, coastal waters and coastal sediments during the incident. Asphaltenes are the most refractory component of crude oils but their alteration in the spilled oils during weathering prevents them from being used directly as a conservative component to calculate original oil losses. The alteration is reflected by their increase in oxygen content and depletion in 12C. Reconnaissance experiments involving evaporation, photo-oxidation, microbial degradation, dissolution, dispersion and burning indicate that the combined effects of photo-oxidation and evaporation are responsible for these compositional changes. Based on measured losses and altered asphaltenes from these experiments, a mean of 61 ± 3 vol% of the original oil was lost from the surface spilled oils during the incident. This mean percentage of original oil loss is considerably larger than previous estimates of evaporative losses based on only gas chromatography (GC) amenable hydrocarbons (32–50 vol%), and highlights the importance of using asphaltenes, as well as GC amenable parameters in evaluating original oil losses and the processes responsible for the losses.
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D'Andrea, Mark A; Reddy, G Kesava
2018-01-01
The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term adverse health effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill exposure in workers who participated in its cleanup work. Medical charts of both the oil spill exposed and unexposed subjects were reviewed. The changes in the white blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT) levels, as well as their pulmonary and cardiac functions were evaluated. Medical records from 88 subjects (oil spill cleanup workers, n = 44 and unexposed, n = 44) were reviewed during initial and 7 years follow up visits after the disaster occurred. Compared with the unexposed subjects, oil spill exposed subjects had significantly reduced platelet counts (×10 3 /µL) at their initial (254.1 ± 46.7 versus 289.7 ± 63.7, P = 0.000) and follow-up (242.9 ± 55.6 versus 278.4 ± 67.6, P = 0.000) visits compared with the unexposed subjects (254.6 ± 51.9 versus 289.7 ± 63.7, P = 0.008). The hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were increased significantly both at their initial and follow-up visits in the oil spill exposed subjects compared to the unexposed subjects. Similarly, the oil spill exposed subjects had significantly increased ALP, AST, and ALT levels at their initial and follow-up visits compared with those of the unexposed subjects. Illness symptoms that were reported during their initial visit still persisted at their 7-year follow-up visit. Notably, at their 7-year follow-up visit, most of the oil spill exposed subjects had also developed chronic rhinosinusitis and reactive airway dysfunction syndrome as new symptoms that were not reported during their initial visit. Additionally, more abnormalities in pulmonary and cardiac functions were also seen in the oil spill exposed subjects. This long-term follow-up study demonstrates that those people involved in the oil spill cleanup operations experiences persistent alterations or worsening of their hematological, hepatic, pulmonary, and cardiac functions. In addition, these subjects experienced prolonged or worsening illness symptoms even 7 years after their exposure to the oil spill.
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Kwok, Richard K; Engel, Lawrence S; Miller, Aubrey K; Blair, Aaron; Curry, Matthew D; Jackson, W Braxton; Stewart, Patricia A; Stenzel, Mark R; Birnbaum, Linda S; Sandler, Dale P
2017-04-01
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster led to the largest ever marine oil spill. Individuals who worked on the spill were exposed to toxicants and stressors that could lead to adverse effects. The GuLF STUDY was designed to investigate relationships between oil spill exposures and multiple potential physical and mental health effects. Participants were recruited by telephone from lists of individuals who worked on the oil spill response and clean-up or received safety training. Enrollment interviews between 2011 and 2013 collected information about spill-related activities, demographics, lifestyle, and health. Exposure measurements taken during the oil spill were used with questionnaire responses to characterize oil exposures of participants. Participants from Gulf states completed a home visit in which biological and environmental samples, anthropometric and clinical measurements, and additional health and lifestyle information were collected. Participants are being followed for changes in health status. Thirty-two thousand six hundred eight individuals enrolled in the cohort, and 11,193 completed a home visit. Most were young (56.2% ≤ 45 years of age), male (80.8%), lived in a Gulf state (82.3%), and worked at least 1 day on the oil spill (76.5%). Workers were involved in response (18.0%), support operations (17.5%), clean-up on water (17.4%) or land (14.6%), decontamination (14.3%), and administrative support (18.3%). Using an ordinal job exposure matrix, 45% had maximum daily total hydrocarbon exposure levels ≥ 1.0 ppm. The GuLF STUDY provides a unique opportunity to study potential adverse health effects from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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Han, Yuling; Clement, T Prabhakar
2018-01-01
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) accident, one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history, contaminated several beaches located along the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) shoreline. The residues from the spill still continue to be deposited on some of these beaches. Methods to track and monitor the fate of these residues require approaches that can differentiate the DWH residues from other types of petroleum residues. This is because, historically, the crude oil released from sources such as natural seeps and anthropogenic discharges have also deposited other types of petroleum residues on GOM beaches. Therefore, identifying the origin of these residues is critical for developing effective management strategies for monitoring the long-term environmental impacts of the DWH oil spill. Advanced fingerprinting methods that are currently used for identifying the source of oil spill residues require detailed laboratory studies, which can be cost-prohibitive. Also, most agencies typically use untrained workers or volunteers to conduct shoreline monitoring surveys and these worker will not have access to advanced laboratory facilities. Furthermore, it is impractical to routinely fingerprint large volumes of samples that are collected after a major oil spill event, such as the DWH spill. In this study, we propose a simple field testing protocol that can identify DWH oil spill residues based on their unique physical characteristics. The robustness of the method is demonstrated by testing a variety of oil spill samples, and the results are verified by characterizing the samples using advanced chemical fingerprinting methods. The verification data show that the method yields results that are consistent with the results derived from advanced fingerprinting methods. The proposed protocol is a reliable, cost-effective, practical field approach for differentiating DWH residues from other types of petroleum residues.
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A review of seafood safety after the deepwater horizon blowout.
Gohlke, Julia M; Doke, Dzigbodi; Tipre, Meghan; Leader, Mark; Fitzgerald, Timothy
2011-08-01
The Deepwater Horizon (DH) blowout resulted in fisheries closings across the Gulf of Mexico. Federal agencies, in collaboration with impacted Gulf states, developed a protocol to determine when it is safe to reopen fisheries based on sensory and chemical analyses of seafood. All federal waters have been reopened, yet concerns have been raised regarding the robustness of the protocol to identify all potential harmful exposures and protect the most sensitive populations. We aimed to assess this protocol based on comparisons with previous oil spills, published testing results, and current knowledge regarding chemicals released during the DH oil spill. We performed a comprehensive review of relevant scientific journal articles and government documents concerning seafood contamination and oil spills and consulted with academic and government experts. Protocols to evaluate seafood safety before reopening fisheries have relied on risk assessment of health impacts from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposures, but metal contamination may also be a concern. Assumptions used to determine levels of concern (LOCs) after oil spills have not been consistent across risk assessments performed after oil spills. Chemical testing results after the DH oil spill suggest PAH levels are at or below levels reported after previous oil spills, and well below LOCs, even when more conservative parameters are used to estimate risk. We recommend use of a range of plausible risk parameters to set bounds around LOCs, comparisons of post-spill measurements with baseline levels, and the development and implementation of long-term monitoring strategies for metals as well as PAHs and dispersant components. In addition, the methods, results, and uncertainties associated with estimating seafood safety after oil spills should be communicated in a transparent and timely manner, and stakeholders should be actively involved in developing a long-term monitoring strategy.
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Han, Yuling
2018-01-01
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) accident, one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history, contaminated several beaches located along the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) shoreline. The residues from the spill still continue to be deposited on some of these beaches. Methods to track and monitor the fate of these residues require approaches that can differentiate the DWH residues from other types of petroleum residues. This is because, historically, the crude oil released from sources such as natural seeps and anthropogenic discharges have also deposited other types of petroleum residues on GOM beaches. Therefore, identifying the origin of these residues is critical for developing effective management strategies for monitoring the long-term environmental impacts of the DWH oil spill. Advanced fingerprinting methods that are currently used for identifying the source of oil spill residues require detailed laboratory studies, which can be cost-prohibitive. Also, most agencies typically use untrained workers or volunteers to conduct shoreline monitoring surveys and these worker will not have access to advanced laboratory facilities. Furthermore, it is impractical to routinely fingerprint large volumes of samples that are collected after a major oil spill event, such as the DWH spill. In this study, we propose a simple field testing protocol that can identify DWH oil spill residues based on their unique physical characteristics. The robustness of the method is demonstrated by testing a variety of oil spill samples, and the results are verified by characterizing the samples using advanced chemical fingerprinting methods. The verification data show that the method yields results that are consistent with the results derived from advanced fingerprinting methods. The proposed protocol is a reliable, cost-effective, practical field approach for differentiating DWH residues from other types of petroleum residues. PMID:29329313
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Potential impacts of offshore oil spills on polar bears in the Chukchi Sea.
Wilson, Ryan R; Perham, Craig; French-McCay, Deborah P; Balouskus, Richard
2018-04-01
Sea ice decline is anticipated to increase human access to the Arctic Ocean allowing for offshore oil and gas development in once inaccessible areas. Given the potential negative consequences of an oil spill on marine wildlife populations in the Arctic, it is important to understand the magnitude of impact a large spill could have on wildlife to inform response planning efforts. In this study we simulated oil spills that released 25,000 barrels of oil for 30 days in autumn originating from two sites in the Chukchi Sea (one in Russia and one in the U.S.) and tracked the distribution of oil for 76 days. We then determined the potential impact such a spill might have on polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and their habitat by overlapping spills with maps of polar bear habitat and movement trajectories. Only a small proportion (1-10%) of high-value polar bear sea ice habitat was directly affected by oil sufficient to impact bears. However, 27-38% of polar bears in the region were potentially exposed to oil. Oil consistently had the highest probability of reaching Wrangel and Herald islands, important areas of denning and summer terrestrial habitat. Oil did not reach polar bears until approximately 3 weeks after the spills. Our study found the potential for significant impacts to polar bears under a worst case discharge scenario, but suggests that there is a window of time where effective containment efforts could minimize exposure to bears. Our study provides a framework for wildlife managers and planners to assess the level of response that would be required to treat exposed wildlife and where spill response equipment might be best stationed. While the size of spill we simulated has a low probability of occurring, it provides an upper limit for planners to consider when crafting response plans. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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Oil spill problems and sustainable response strategies through new technologies.
Ivshina, Irena B; Kuyukina, Maria S; Krivoruchko, Anastasiya V; Elkin, Andrey A; Makarov, Sergey O; Cunningham, Colin J; Peshkur, Tatyana A; Atlas, Ronald M; Philp, James C
2015-07-01
Crude oil and petroleum products are widespread water and soil pollutants resulting from marine and terrestrial spillages. International statistics of oil spill sizes for all incidents indicate that the majority of oil spills are small (less than 7 tonnes). The major accidents that happen in the oil industry contribute only a small fraction of the total oil which enters the environment. However, the nature of accidental releases is that they highly pollute small areas and have the potential to devastate the biota locally. There are several routes by which oil can get back to humans from accidental spills, e.g. through accumulation in fish and shellfish, through consumption of contaminated groundwater. Although advances have been made in the prevention of accidents, this does not apply in all countries, and by the random nature of oil spill events, total prevention is not feasible. Therefore, considerable world-wide effort has gone into strategies for minimising accidental spills and the design of new remedial technologies. This paper summarizes new knowledge as well as research and technology gaps essential for developing appropriate decision-making tools in actual spill scenarios. Since oil exploration is being driven into deeper waters and more remote, fragile environments, the risk of future accidents becomes much higher. The innovative safety and accident prevention approaches summarized in this paper are currently important for a range of stakeholders, including the oil industry, the scientific community and the public. Ultimately an integrated approach to prevention and remediation that accelerates an early warning protocol in the event of a spill would get the most appropriate technology selected and implemented as early as possible - the first few hours after a spill are crucial to the outcome of the remedial effort. A particular focus is made on bioremediation as environmentally harmless, cost-effective and relatively inexpensive technology. Greater penetration into the remedial technologies market depends on the harmonization of environment legislation and the application of modern laboratory techniques, e.g. ecogenomics, to improve the predictability of bioremediation.
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The Mediterranean Decision Support System for Marine Safety dedicated to oil slicks predictions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zodiatis, G.; De Dominicis, M.; Perivoliotis, L.; Radhakrishnan, H.; Georgoudis, E.; Sotillo, M.; Lardner, R. W.; Krokos, G.; Bruciaferri, D.; Clementi, E.; Guarnieri, A.; Ribotti, A.; Drago, A.; Bourma, E.; Padorno, E.; Daniel, P.; Gonzalez, G.; Chazot, C.; Gouriou, V.; Kremer, X.; Sofianos, S.; Tintore, J.; Garreau, P.; Pinardi, N.; Coppini, G.; Lecci, R.; Pisano, A.; Sorgente, R.; Fazioli, L.; Soloviev, D.; Stylianou, S.; Nikolaidis, A.; Panayidou, X.; Karaolia, A.; Gauci, A.; Marcati, A.; Caiazzo, L.; Mancini, M.
2016-11-01
In the Mediterranean sea the risk from oil spill pollution is high due to the heavy traffic of merchant vessels for transporting oil and gas, especially after the recent enlargement of the Suez canal and to the increasing coastal and offshore installations related to the oil industry in general. The basic response to major oil spills includes different measures and equipment. However, in order to strengthen the maritime safety related to oil spill pollution in the Mediterranean and to assist the response agencies, a multi-model oil spill prediction service has been set up, known as MEDESS-4MS (Mediterranean Decision Support System for Marine Safety). The concept behind the MEDESS-4MS service is the integration of the existing national ocean forecasting systems in the region with the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (CMEMS) and their interconnection, through a dedicated network data repository, facilitating access to all these data and to the data from the oil spill monitoring platforms, including the satellite data ones, with the well established oil spill models in the region. The MEDESS-4MS offer a range of service scenarios, multi-model data access and interactive capabilities to suite the needs of REMPEC (Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea) and EMSA-CSN (European Maritime Safety Agency-CleanseaNet).
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Comparative toxicity of oil, dispersant, and oil plus dispersant to several marine species.
Fuller, Chris; Bonner, James; Page, Cheryl; Ernest, Andrew; McDonald, Thomas; McDonald, Susanne
2004-12-01
Dispersants are a preapproved chemical response agent for oil spills off portions of the U.S. coastline, including the Texas-Louisiana coast. However, questions persist regarding potential environmental risks of dispersant applications in nearshore regions (within three nautical miles of the shoreline) that support dense populations of marine organisms and are prone to spills resulting from human activities. To address these questions, a study was conducted to evaluate the relative toxicity of test media prepared with dispersant, weathered crude oil, and weathered crude oil plus dispersant. Two fish species, Cyprinodon variegatus and Menidia beryllina, and one shrimp species, Americamysis bahia (formerly Mysidopsis bahia), were used to evaluate the relative toxicity of the different media under declining and continuous exposure regimes. Microbial toxicity was evaluated using the luminescent bacteria Vibrio fisheri. The data suggested that oil media prepared with a chemical dispersant was equal to or less toxic than the oil-only test medium. Data also indicated that continuous exposures to the test media were generally more toxic than declining exposures. The toxicity of unweathered crude oil with and without dispersant was also evaluated using Menidia beryllina under declining exposure conditions. Unweathered oil-only media were dominated by soluble hydrocarbon fractions and found to be more toxic than weathered oil-only media in which colloidal oil fractions dominated. Total concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in oil-plus-dispersant media prepared with weathered and unweathered crude oil were both dominated by colloidal oil and showed no significant difference in toxicity. Analysis of the toxicity data suggests that the observed toxicity was a function of the soluble crude oil components and not the colloidal oil.
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Technical product bulletin: this miscellaneous oil spill control agent is a solidifier used in cleanups. It absorbs and solidifies hydrocarbon spills on freshwater and saltwater or land applications. Ring spill with booms or pillows before treatment.
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Hostettler, F.D.; Wang, Y.; Huang, Y.; Cao, W.; Bekins, B.A.; Rostad, C.E.; Kulpa, C.F.; Laursen, Andrew E.
2007-01-01
In recent decades forensic fingerprinting of oil-spill hydrocarbons has emerged as an important tool for correlating oils and for evaluating their source and character. Two long-term hydrocarbon spills, an off-road diesel spill (Mandan, ND) and a crude oil spill (Bemidji, MN) experiencing methanogenic biodegradation were previously shown to be undergoing an unexpected progression of homologous n-alkane and n-alkylated cyclohexane loss. Both exhibited degradative losses proceeding from the high-molecular-weight end of the distributions, along with transitory concentration increases of lower-molecular-weight homologs. Particularly in the case of the diesel fuel spill, these methanogenic degradative patterns can result in series distributions that mimic lower cut refinery fuels or admixture with lower cut fuels. Forensic fingerprinting in this long-term spill must therefore rely on more recalcitrant series, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon or drimane sesquiterpane profiles, to prove if the spilled oil is single-sourced or whether there is verifiable admixture with other extraneous refinery fuels. Degradation processes impacting n-alkanes and n-alkylated ring compounds, which make these compounds unsuitable for fingerprinting, nevertheless are of interest in understanding methanogenic biodegradation. Copyright ?? Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
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Environmental impacts of the Chennai oil spill accident - A case study.
Han, Yuling; Nambi, Indumathi M; Prabhakar Clement, T
2018-06-01
Chennai, a coastal city in India with a population of over 7 million people, was impacted by a major oil spill on January 28th 2017. The spill occurred when two cargo ships collided about two miles away from the Chennai shoreline. The accident released about 75 metric tons of heavy fuel oil into the Bay of Bengal. This case study provides field observations and laboratory characterization data for this oil spill accident. Our field observations show that the seawalls and groins, which were installed along the Chennai shoreline to manage coastal erosion problems, played a significant role in controlling the oil deposition patterns. A large amount of oil was trapped within the relatively stagnant zone near the seawall-groin intersection region. The initial cleanup efforts used manual methods to skim the trapped oil and these efforts indeed helped recover large amount of oil. Our laboratory data show that the Chennai oil spill residues have unique fingerprints of hopanes and steranes which can be used to track the spill. Our weathering experiments show that volatilization processes should have played a significant role in degrading the oil during initial hours. The characterization data show that the source oil contained about 503,000 mg/kg of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and 17,586 mg/kg of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The field samples collected 6 and 62 days after the spill contained about 71,000 and 28,000 mg/kg of TPH and 4854 and 4016 mg/kg of total PAHs, respectively. The field samples had a relatively large percentage of heavy PAHs, and most of these PAHs are highly toxic compounds that are difficult to weather and their long-term effects on coastal ecosystems are largely unknown. Therefore, more detailed studies are needed to monitor and track the long term environmental impacts of the Chennai oil spill residues on the Bay of Bengal coastal ecosystem. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Fish Gill Inspired Crossflow for Efficient and Continuous Collection of Spilled Oil.
Dou, Yuhai; Tian, Dongliang; Sun, Ziqi; Liu, Qiannan; Zhang, Na; Kim, Jung Ho; Jiang, Lei; Dou, Shi Xue
2017-03-28
Developing an effective system to clean up large-scale oil spills is of great significance due to their contribution to severe environmental pollution and destruction. Superwetting membranes have been widely studied for oil/water separation. The separation, however, adopts a gravity-driven approach that is inefficient and discontinuous due to quick fouling of the membrane by oil. Herein, inspired by the crossflow filtration behavior in fish gills, we propose a crossflow approach via a hydrophilic, tilted gradient membrane for spilled oil collection. In crossflow collection, as the oil/water flows parallel to the hydrophilic membrane surface, water is gradually filtered through the pores, while oil is repelled, transported, and finally collected for storage. Owing to the selective gating behavior of the water-sealed gradient membrane, the large pores at the bottom with high water flux favor fast water filtration, while the small pores at the top with strong oil repellency allow easy oil transportation. In addition, the gradient membrane exhibits excellent antifouling properties due to the protection of the water layer. Therefore, this bioinspired crossflow approach enables highly efficient and continuous spilled oil collection, which is very promising for the cleanup of large-scale oil spills.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-05-12
... the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The initial closure was applicable May 2, 2010 through 12:01 a.m... Horizon oil spill. The initial closed area was applicable from May 2, 2010 through 12:01 a.m., local time... area, due to the evolving nature of the oil spill. The oil that is continuing to leak from the...
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Taylor, Helen A; Rasheed, Michael A
2011-01-01
We used an established seagrass monitoring programme to examine the short and longer-term impacts of an oil spill event on intertidal seagrass meadows. Results for potentially impacted seagrass areas were compared with existing monitoring data and with control seagrass meadows located outside of the oil spill area. Seagrass meadows were not significantly affected by the oil spill. Declines in seagrass biomass and area 1month post-spill were consistent between control and impact meadows. Eight months post-spill, seagrass density and area increased to be within historical ranges. The declines in seagrass meadows were likely attributable to natural seasonal variation and a combination of climatic and anthropogenic impacts. The lack of impact from the oil spill was due to several mitigating factors rather than a lack of toxic effects to seagrasses. The study demonstrates the value of long-term monitoring of critical habitats in high risk areas to effectively assess impacts. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Duke, Norman C
2016-08-30
Mangrove tidal wetland habitats are recognised as highly vulnerable to large and chronic oil spills. This review of current literature and public databases covers the last 6 decades, summarising global data on oil spill incidents affecting, or likely to have affected, mangrove habitat. Over this period, there have been at least 238 notable oil spills along mangrove shorelines worldwide. In total, at least 5.5milliontonnes of oil has been released into mangrove-lined, coastal waters, oiling possibly up to around 1.94millionha of mangrove habitat, and killing at least 126,000ha of mangrove vegetation since 1958. However, there were assessment limitations with incomplete and unavailable data, as well as unequal coverage across world regions. To redress the gaps described here in reporting on oil spill impacts on mangroves and their recovery worldwide, a number of recommendations and suggestions are made for refreshing and updating standard operational procedures for responders, managers and researchers alike. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Modelling the long-term evolution of worst-case Arctic oil spills.
Blanken, Hauke; Tremblay, Louis Bruno; Gaskin, Susan; Slavin, Alexander
2017-03-15
We present worst-case assessments of contamination in sea ice and surface waters resulting from hypothetical well blowout oil spills at ten sites in the Arctic Ocean basin. Spill extents are estimated by considering Eulerian passive tracers in the surface ocean of the MITgcm (a hydrostatic, coupled ice-ocean model). Oil in sea ice, and contamination resulting from melting of oiled ice, is tracked using an offline Lagrangian scheme. Spills are initialized on November 1st 1980-2010 and tracked for one year. An average spill was transported 1100km and potentially affected 1.1 million km 2 . The direction and magnitude of simulated oil trajectories are consistent with known large-scale current and sea ice circulation patterns, and trajectories frequently cross international boundaries. The simulated trajectories of oil in sea ice match observed ice drift trajectories well. During the winter oil transport by drifting sea ice is more significant than transport with surface currents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Alves, Tiago M; Kokinou, Eleni; Zodiatis, George; Lardner, Robin; Panagiotakis, Costas; Radhakrishnan, Hari
2015-11-01
Oil spill models are combined with bathymetric, meteorological, oceanographic, and geomorphological data to model a series of oil spill accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. A total of 104 oil spill simulations, computed for 11 different locations in the Levantine Basin, show that oil slicks will reach the coast of Cyprus in four (4) to seven (7) days in summer conditions. Oil slick trajectories are controlled by prevailing winds and current eddies. Based on these results, we support the use of chemical dispersants in the very few hours after large accidental oil spills. As a corollary, we show shoreline susceptibility to vary depending on: a) differences in coastline morphology and exposure to wave action, b) the existence of uplifted wave-cut platforms, coastal lagoons and pools, and c) the presence of tourist and protected environmental areas. Mitigation work should take into account the relatively high susceptibility of parts of the Eastern Mediterranean. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Guillen, George; Rainey, Gail; Morin, Michelle
2004-04-01
Currently, the Minerals Management Service uses the Oil Spill Risk Analysis model (OSRAM) to predict the movement of potential oil spills greater than 1000 bbl originating from offshore oil and gas facilities. OSRAM generates oil spill trajectories using meteorological and hydrological data input from either actual physical measurements or estimates generated from other hydrological models. OSRAM and many other models produce output matrices of average, maximum and minimum contact probabilities to specific landfall or target segments (columns) from oil spills at specific points (rows). Analysts and managers are often interested in identifying geographic areas or groups of facilities that pose similar risks to specific targets or groups of targets if a spill occurred. Unfortunately, due to the potentially large matrix generated by many spill models, this question is difficult to answer without the use of data reduction and visualization methods. In our study we utilized a multivariate statistical method called cluster analysis to group areas of similar risk based on potential distribution of landfall target trajectory probabilities. We also utilized ArcView™ GIS to display spill launch point groupings. The combination of GIS and multivariate statistical techniques in the post-processing of trajectory model output is a powerful tool for identifying and delineating areas of similar risk from multiple spill sources. We strongly encourage modelers, statistical and GIS software programmers to closely collaborate to produce a more seamless integration of these technologies and approaches to analyzing data. They are complimentary methods that strengthen the overall assessment of spill risks.
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BP fusion model for the detection of oil spills on the sea by remote sensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, Weiwei; An, Jubai; Zhang, Hande; Lin, Bin
2003-06-01
Oil spills are very serious marine pollution in many countries. In order to detect and identify the oil-spilled on the sea by remote sensor, scientists have to conduct a research work on the remote sensing image. As to the detection of oil spills on the sea, edge detection is an important technology in image processing. There are many algorithms of edge detection developed for image processing. These edge detection algorithms always have their own advantages and disadvantages in the image processing. Based on the primary requirements of edge detection of the oil spills" image on the sea, computation time and detection accuracy, we developed a fusion model. The model employed a BP neural net to fuse the detection results of simple operators. The reason we selected BP neural net as the fusion technology is that the relation between simple operators" result of edge gray level and the image"s true edge gray level is nonlinear, while BP neural net is good at solving the nonlinear identification problem. Therefore in this paper we trained a BP neural net by some oil spill images, then applied the BP fusion model on the edge detection of other oil spill images and obtained a good result. In this paper the detection result of some gradient operators and Laplacian operator are also compared with the result of BP fusion model to analysis the fusion effect. At last the paper pointed out that the fusion model has higher accuracy and higher speed in the processing oil spill image"s edge detection.
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30 CFR 254.42 - Exercises for your response personnel and equipment.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE... facility or at a corporate location designated in the plan. Records showing that OSRO's and oil spill...) An annual spill management team tabletop exercise. The exercise must test the spill management team's...
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30 CFR 254.42 - Exercises for your response personnel and equipment.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE... facility or at a corporate location designated in the plan. Records showing that OSRO's and oil spill...) An annual spill management team tabletop exercise. The exercise must test the spill management team's...
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Uncertainty in predictions of oil spill trajectories in a coastal zone
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sebastião, P.; Guedes Soares, C.
2006-12-01
A method is introduced to determine the uncertainties in the predictions of oil spill trajectories using a classic oil spill model. The method considers the output of the oil spill model as a function of random variables, which are the input parameters, and calculates the standard deviation of the output results which provides a measure of the uncertainty of the model as a result of the uncertainties of the input parameters. In addition to a single trajectory that is calculated by the oil spill model using the mean values of the parameters, a band of trajectories can be defined when various simulations are done taking into account the uncertainties of the input parameters. This band of trajectories defines envelopes of the trajectories that are likely to be followed by the spill given the uncertainties of the input. The method was applied to an oil spill that occurred in 1989 near Sines in the southwestern coast of Portugal. This model represented well the distinction between a wind driven part that remained offshore, and a tide driven part that went ashore. For both parts, the method defined two trajectory envelopes, one calculated exclusively with the wind fields, and the other using wind and tidal currents. In both cases reasonable approximation to the observed results was obtained. The envelope of likely trajectories that is obtained with the uncertainty modelling proved to give a better interpretation of the trajectories that were simulated by the oil spill model.
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Biodegradation of dispersed oil in seawater is not inhibited by a commercial oil spill dispersant.
Brakstad, Odd G; Ribicic, Deni; Winkler, Anika; Netzer, Roman
2018-04-01
Chemical dispersants are well-established as oil spill response tools. Several studies have emphasized their positive effects on oil biodegradation, but recent studies have claimed that dispersants may actually inhibit the oil biodegradation process. In this study, biodegradation of oil dispersions in natural seawater at low temperature (5°C) was compared, using oil without dispersant, and oil premixed with different concentrations of Slickgone NS, a widely used oil spill dispersant in Europe. Saturates (nC10-nC36 alkanes), naphthalenes and 2- to 5-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were biotransformed at comparable rates in all dispersions, both with and without dispersant. Microbial communities differed primarily between samples with or without oil, and they were not significantly affected by increasing dispersant concentrations. Our data therefore showed that a common oil spill dispersant did not inhibit biodegradation of oil at dispersant concentrations relevant for response operations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Helping nature clean up oil spills
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Paddock, A.
Oil spills are nothing new. In fact, for millions of years crude oil has been seeping up to the Earth`s surface, and for all that time Mother Nature has been on the job with microbes, or bacteria, to harmlessly convert the oil to water and carbon dioxide gas. Not all bacteria are bad. True, some can make us sick, however, the good ones help us bake bread, brew beer, and even clean up oil spills by a process known as biodegradation. Oil and bacteria don`t easily get together because oil and water don`t mix and bacteria prefer to stay inmore » water. After some oil tankers spills in the English Channel 25 years ago, major oil companies (Arco, BP, Exxon, and others) developed oil dispersant products-specialized chemicals that make oils and sea water mix. The simplest examples of similar wetting agents are soaps and detergents. Now, thanks to dispersants, the natural bacteria at sea can easily get to the oil and the normally slow biodegradation process goes rather quickly.« less
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Sea Oil Spill Detection Using Self-Similarity Parameter of Polarimetric SAR Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tong, S.; Chen, Q.; Liu, X.
2018-04-01
The ocean oil spills cause serious damage to the marine ecosystem. Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an important mean for oil spill detections on sea surface. The major challenge is how to distinguish oil slicks from look-alikes effectively. In this paper, a new parameter called self-similarity parameter, which is sensitive to the scattering mechanism of oil slicks, is introduced to identify oil slicks and reduce false alarm caused by look-alikes. Self-similarity parameter is small in oil slicks region and it is large in sea region or look-alikes region. So, this parameter can be used to detect oil slicks from look-alikes and water. In addition, evaluations and comparisons were conducted with one Radarsat-2 image and two SIR-C images. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the self-similarity parameter for oil spill detection.
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77 FR 32978 - Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Notice of Meeting
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-06-04
... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting... Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee. DATES: July 9, 2012, at 10 a.m. ADDRESSES: Glenn Olds...
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30 CFR 250.219 - What oil and hazardous substance spills information must accompany the EP?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What oil and hazardous substance spills information must accompany the EP? 250.219 Section 250.219 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE... and Information Contents of Exploration Plans (ep) § 250.219 What oil and hazardous substance spills...
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Children's Moral and Ecological Reasoning about the Prince William Sound Oil Spill.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kahn, Peter H., Jr.; Friedman, Batya
This study investigated children's moral and ecological conceptions and values about an actual, environmentally destructive accident, the large oil spill that occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1989. Sixty children from second, fifth, and eighth grades were interviewed on children's reasoning and understandings about the oil spill which…
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Wolfe, D.A.
Three separate papers are represented in this final report; Toxicity of intertidal and subtidal sediments contaminated by the Exxon Valdez oil spill; Comparative toxicities of polar and non-polar organic fractions from sediments affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska; and Fate of the oil spilled from the T/V Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
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30 CFR 254.30 - When must I revise my response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.30 When must I revise my response plan... the oil spill removal organizations cited in the plan; or (4) There is a significant change to the...
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30 CFR 553.13 - How much OSFR must I demonstrate?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Applicability and Amount of OSFR § 553.13... the following table: COF worst case oil-spill discharge volume Applicable amount of OSFR Over 1,000... worst case oil-spill discharge of 1,000 bbls or less if the Director notifies you in writing that the...
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30 CFR 254.3 - May I cover more than one facility in my response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE... Plans must address all the elements required for a response plan in Subpart B, Oil Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities, or Subpart D, Oil Spill Response Requirements for Facilities...
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30 CFR 254.30 - When must I revise my response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.30 When must I revise my response plan... the oil spill removal organizations cited in the plan; or (4) There is a significant change to the...
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30 CFR 254.3 - May I cover more than one facility in my response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE... Plans must address all the elements required for a response plan in Subpart B, Oil Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities, or Subpart D, Oil Spill Response Requirements for Facilities...
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30 CFR 254.30 - When must I revise my response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.30 When must I revise... name(s) or capabilities of the oil spill removal organizations cited in the plan; or (4) There is a...
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30 CFR 553.13 - How much OSFR must I demonstrate?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Applicability and Amount of OSFR § 553.13... the following table: COF worst case oil-spill discharge volume Applicable amount of OSFR Over 1,000... worst case oil-spill discharge of 1,000 bbls or less if the Director notifies you in writing that the...
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30 CFR 254.30 - When must I revise my response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.30 When must I revise my response plan... the oil spill removal organizations cited in the plan; or (4) There is a significant change to the...
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30 CFR 254.9 - Authority for information collection.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE General § 254.9... 1010-0091. The title of this information collection is “30 CFR part 254, Oil Spill Response... that the owner or operator of an offshore facility is prepared to respond to an oil spill. BSEE uses...
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30 CFR 254.9 - Authority for information collection.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE General § 254.9... 1010-0091. The title of this information collection is “30 CFR part 254, Oil Spill Response... that the owner or operator of an offshore facility is prepared to respond to an oil spill. BSEE uses...
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30 CFR 254.45 - Verifying the capabilities of your response equipment.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE... Protocol for the Evaluation of Oil-Spill Containment Booms,” available from BSEE, for guidance. Performance... document “Suggested Test Protocol for the Evaluation of Oil Spill Skimmers for the OCS,” available from...
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30 CFR 553.13 - How much OSFR must I demonstrate?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... OIL SPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES Applicability and Amount of OSFR § 553.13... the following table: COF worst case oil-spill discharge volume Applicable amount of OSFR Over 1,000... worst case oil-spill discharge of 1,000 bbls or less if the Director notifies you in writing that the...
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30 CFR 254.9 - Authority for information collection.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE General § 254.9... 1010-0091. The title of this information collection is “30 CFR part 254, Oil Spill Response... that the owner or operator of an offshore facility is prepared to respond to an oil spill. BSEE uses...
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30 CFR 254.3 - May I cover more than one facility in my response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE... Plans must address all the elements required for a response plan in Subpart B, Oil Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities, or Subpart D, Oil Spill Response Requirements for Facilities...
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30 CFR 254.45 - Verifying the capabilities of your response equipment.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE... Protocol for the Evaluation of Oil-Spill Containment Booms,” available from BSEE, for guidance. Performance... document “Suggested Test Protocol for the Evaluation of Oil Spill Skimmers for the OCS,” available from...
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30 CFR 254.30 - When must I revise my response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Section 254.30 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans... transported at the facility; (3) There is a change in the name(s) or capabilities of the oil spill removal...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Broström, G.; Carrasco, A.; Hole, L. R.; Dick, S.; Janssen, F.; Mattsson, J.; Berger, S.
2011-06-01
Oil spill modeling is considered to be an important decision support system (DeSS) useful for remedial action in case of accidents, as well as for designing the environmental monitoring system that is frequently set up after major accidents. Many accidents take place in coastal areas implying that low resolution basin scale ocean models is of limited use for predicting the trajectories of an oil spill. In this study, we target the oil spill in connection with the Full City accident on the Norwegian south coast and compare three different oil spill models for the area. The result of the analysis is that all models do a satisfactory job. The "standard" operational model for the area is shown to have severe flaws but including an analysis based on a higher resolution model (1.5 km resolution) for the area the model system show results that compare well with observations. The study also shows that an ensemble using three different models is useful when predicting/analyzing oil spill in coastal areas.
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Guidi, Giambattista; Sliskovic, Merica; Violante, Anna Carmela; Vukic, Luka
2016-01-01
An oil spill is the accidental or intentional discharge of petroleum products into the environment due to human activities. Although oil spills are actually just a little percent of the total world oil pollution problem, they represent the most visible form of it. The impact on the ecosystems can be severe as well as the impact on economic activities. Oil spill cleanup is a very difficult and expensive activity, and many techniques are available for it. In previous works, a methodology based on different kinds of criteria in order to come to the most satisfactory technique was proposed and the relative importance of each impact criterion on the basis of the Saaty's Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was also evaluated. After a review of the best available techniques (BATs) available for oil spill response, this work suggests criteria for BATs' selection when oil spills occur in the Mediterranean Sea under well-defined circumstances: calm sea and presence of economic activities in the affected area. A group of experts with different specializations evaluated the alternative BATs by means of AHP method taking into account their respective advantages and disadvantages.
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Sedimentation Of Oil-MIneral Aggregates For Remediation Of Vegetable Oil Spills
A response alternative for floating vegetable oil spills based on sedimentation of negatively buoyant oil-mineral aggregrates followed by anaerobic biodegradation in the sediments is under investigation. Sedimentation of floating canola oil by interaction with montmorillonite wa...
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RST analysis of thermal infrared satellite data for a continuous oil spill detection and monitoring
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Grimaldi, C. S. L.; Coviello, I.; Lacava, T.; Pergola, N.; Tramutoli, V.
2012-04-01
Oil spills is one of the main sea pollution sources causing remarkable ecological impact on maritime and coastal environments. Oil spills can derive both from natural phenomena (hurricanes, landslides, earthquakes) and "human errors" (tankers collisions, shipwrecks, platform accidents), even if the main contribution to this kind of technological hazard comes from operational discharge from tankers (i.e. oil dumped during cleaning operations) representing 45% of total hydrocarbons marine pollution. Mainly for this reason, the developing of systems able to provide a high frequent sampling and observation of sea surface is fundamental. Satellite remote sensing, thanks to global coverage and continuity of observations, might effectively contribute to mitigate oil spill environmental impact, provided that reliable and effective detection techniques are developed and that relevant information and products are timely delivered and made available. In particular, satellite remote sensing by passive optical sensors on board meteorological satellites, thanks to their high temporal resolution (from a few hours to 15 minutes, depending on the characteristics of the platform/sensor), can give a significant opportunity in this field. Unfortunately, up to now, optical satellite data found a poor application in oil spill alert system mainly for the lack of data analysis techniques suitable for an automatic oil spill detection. The few methods up to now proposed are only able to manually and interactively localize the presence of an already known oil spill, mainly for "a posteriori" mapping purpose, often requiring the intervention of an expert operator. In particular, techniques based on Thermal Infrared (TIR) records exploit oil and water different thermal inertia in order to map spill sea pollution. Oil thermal inertia, in fact, is lower than sea water one, so that oil polluted areas usually show Brightness Temperature (BT) higher than sea water in TIR images collected in daytime while the opposite is true at night-time. Oil BT behaviour in night-time acquisitions makes more difficult oil detection in TIR satellite images collected because also clouds shows at this time BT lower than sea water, producing possible false identifications. The Robust Satellite Techniques (RST) approach is a general strategy for multi-temporal satellite data analysis, applicable on whatever signal and independently from a specific satellite/sensor. This allowed us to apply it for an automatic oil spill detection and monitoring using single channel TIR diurnal data, as well as on a combination of two TIR channels (e.g. split window) to obtain a reliable oil spill detection also during night-time acquisitions. Results achieved using data acquired from both AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data, in different geographic areas and observational conditions, demonstrated the good performances of the proposed approach in the context of a h24 near real time oil spill disaster monitoring system. In this paper some of these results are shown and discussed, pointing out on the relevance that a system based on such an approach might have in reducing oil spill impact on marine ecosystem.
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Prolonged recovery of sea otters from the Exxon Valdez oil spill? A re-examination of the evidence.
Garshelis, David L; Johnson, Charles B
2013-06-15
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) suffered major mortality after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1989. We evaluate the contention that their recovery spanned over two decades. A model based on the otter age-at-death distribution suggested a large, spill-related population sink, but this has never been found, and other model predictions failed to match empirical data. Studies focused on a previously-oiled area where otter numbers (~80) stagnated post-spill; nevertheless, post-spill abundance exceeded the most recent pre-spill count, and population trends paralleled an adjacent, unoiled-lightly-oiled area. Some investigators posited that otters suffered chronic effects by digging up buried oil residues while foraging, but an ecological risk assessment indicated that exposure levels via this pathway were well below thresholds for toxicological effects. Significant confounding factors, including killer whale predation, subsistence harvests, human disturbances, and environmental regime shifts made it impossible to judge recovery at such a small scale. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Oseni, O.
2017-12-01
This paper explores the impacts of oil spill on the physical environment (soil, water and plants) with particular attention paid to the NNPC/PPMC pipeline system. It focuses on the environmental impacts of oil pollution in Nigeria, and discusses the increasing environmental contradictions of the area, and its influence on global warming. The discovery of oil in Nigeria in 1956, the country has been suffering the negative environmental consequences of oil exploration and exploitation. Between 1976 and 1996 a total of 4647 incidents resulted in the spill of approximately 2,369,470 barrels of oil into the environment. In addition, between 1997 and 2001, Nigeria also recorded a total number of 2,097 oil spill incidents. The study traces the effects of the oil spillage on the environment in order to determine whether oil spill is a major factor responsible for environmental pollution. By the use of remotely sensed data and other ancillary data, it identified the major causes of oil spill in the region; the presence of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) in the environment, and it also determined the environmental impacts on land and water. Personal interview, field observation and laboratory analysis of soil and water were used. Gas chromatography was used to determine the TPH concentration in soil extract and water extracts. Liquid-liquid extraction method was used for water and spectro-radiometer which is a very efficient process commonly used to determine spectral signature of various soil, water and plant samples obtained from the study area.Values of analyzed soil and water samples in the oil impacted area were compared to the control area (region with no spill). Based largely onthe GISanalysis, the findings showed that the main cause of oil spill is vandalism along the pipeline right of way; Vandalism which is an act of sabotage had the highest percentage compared to equipment failure, accident from oil tankers and accidental discharge during pipeline repairs.TPH were present at the site with soil samples having the high values, and the environmental impact onsoil and water is due to poor resource management and control. Satellite imagery (Ikonos and Landsat series)helped in monitoring oil spill by providing the spill position.
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2014-10-01
recommendations that came out of the DWH experience. The USCG BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Incident Specific Preparedness Review Final Report, January...look at the EPA air monitoring data that was posted the ERMA situation map. The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Incident Specific Preparedness Review...incidents: M/V New Carissa Grounding, 1999 (in-situ burning) Eugene Island Pipeline Spill , 2009 (dispersant) T/V Krymsk Oil Spill , 2009
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Brody, Thomas M; Di Bianca, Paisly; Krysa, Jan
2012-10-01
Although coastal oil spills tend to be highly publicized, crude oil spills in the United States affect inland areas relatively often. Spills to inland areas often affect sensitive environments and can have greater impacts to health and welfare than spills to coastal areas. For these reasons, the authors investigated inland crude oil spill threats, vulnerabilities, and emergency response in the midwestern U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. These states work with the Region 5 Offices of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Region 5's geospatial data in the Inland Sensitivity Atlas were turned into metrics indicating inland crude oil spill threats and vulnerabilities among the Region's sub-watersheds. These threats and vulnerabilities were weighted using data from the National Response Center and the Department of Energy's Environmental Restoration Priority System. The locations of the Region's emergency responders were geocoded in GIS. The GIS calculated the emergency response times to the Region's sub-watersheds. The resulting scatter plots are connected to the sub-watersheds in the map so stakeholders can (1) see the outlying sub-watersheds of concern and (2) better understand how reducing threats and better response time can reduce the risk of inland crude oil spills. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the U.S.A.
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The Federal Oil Spill Team for Emergency Response Remote Sensing (FOSTERRS)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stough, T.; Jones, C. E.; Leifer, I.; Lindsay, F. E.; Murray, J. J.; Ramirez, E. M.; Salemi, A.; Streett, D.
2014-12-01
Oil spills can cause enormous ecological and economic devastation, necessitating application of the best science and technology available, for which remote sensing plays a critical role in detection and monitoring of oil spills. The FOSTERRS interagency working group seeks to ensure that during an oil spill, remote sensing assets (satellite/aircraft) and analysis techniques are quickly, effectively and seamlessly available to oil spills responders. FOSTERRS enables cooperation between agencies with core environmental remote sensing assets and capabilities and academic and industry experts to act as an oil spill remote sensing information clearinghouse. The US government and its collaborators have a broad variety of aircraft and satellite sensors, imagery interrogation techniques and other technology that can provide indispensable remote sensing information to agencies, emergency responders and the public during an oil spill. Specifically, FOSTERRS will work to ensure that (1) suitable aircraft and satellite imagery and radar observations are quickly made available in a manner that can be integrated into oil spill detection and mitigation efforts, (2) existing imagery interrogation techniques are in the hands of those who will provide the 24 x 7 operational support and (3) efforts are made to develop new technology where the existing techniques do not provide oil spills responders with important information they need. The FOSTERRS mission goal places it in an ideal place for identification of critical technological needs, and identifying bottlenecks in technology acceptance. The core FOSTERRS team incorporates representation for operations and science for agencies with relevant instrumental and platform assets (NASA, NOAA, USGS, NRL). FOSTERRS membership will open to a wide range of end-user agencies and planned observer status from industry and academic experts, and eventually international partners. Through these collaborations, FOSTERRS facilitates interagency and cooperation and communication to the larger end-user community on remote sensing and its best use.
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Large Oil Spill Classification Using SAR Images Based on Spatial Histogram
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schvartzman, I.; Havivi, S.; Maman, S.; Rotman, S. R.; Blumberg, D. G.
2016-06-01
Among the different types of marine pollution, oil spill is a major threat to the sea ecosystems. Remote sensing is used in oil spill response. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an active microwave sensor that operates under all weather conditions and provides information about the surface roughness and covers large areas at a high spatial resolution. SAR is widely used to identify and track pollutants in the sea, which may be due to a secondary effect of a large natural disaster or by a man-made one . The detection of oil spill in SAR imagery relies on the decrease of the backscattering from the sea surface, due to the increased viscosity, resulting in a dark formation that contrasts with the brightness of the surrounding area. Most of the use of SAR images for oil spill detection is done by visual interpretation. Trained interpreters scan the image, and mark areas of low backscatter and where shape is a-symmetrical. It is very difficult to apply this method for a wide area. In contrast to visual interpretation, automatic detection algorithms were suggested and are mainly based on scanning dark formations, extracting features, and applying big data analysis. We propose a new algorithm that applies a nonlinear spatial filter that detects dark formations and is not susceptible to noises, such as internal or speckle. The advantages of this algorithm are both in run time and the results retrieved. The algorithm was tested in genesimulations as well as on COSMO-SkyMed images, detecting the Deep Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (occurred on 20/4/2010). The simulation results show that even in a noisy environment, oil spill is detected. Applying the algorithm to the Deep Horizon oil spill, the algorithm classified the oil spill better than focusing on dark formation algorithm. Furthermore, the results were validated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data.
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Ordinioha, Best; Brisibe, Seiyefa
2013-01-01
Background: The health hazards created by oil exploration and exploitation are covert and slow in action. They are not given the deserved attention in official documents in Nigeria, even as they can be major contributors to the disease burden in oil-bearing communities. This study is an interpretation of the data reported in several published studies on crude oil spills in the Niger delta region, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A manual and Internet search was conducted to extract quantitative data on the quantity of crude oil spilled; the concentrations of the pollutants in surface water, ground water, ambient air and plant and animal tissue; and the direct impact on human health and household food security. Results: An average of 240,000 barrels of crude oil are spilled in the Niger delta every year, mainly due to unknown causes (31.85%), third party activity (20.74%), and mechanical failure (17.04%). The spills contaminated the surface water, ground water, ambient air, and crops with hydrocarbons, including known carcinogens like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and benxo (a) pyrene, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and trace metals that were further bioaccumulated in some food crops. The oil spills could lead to a 60% reduction in household food security and were capable of reducing the ascorbic acid content of vegetables by as much as 36% and the crude protein content of cassava by 40%. These could result in a 24% increase in the prevalence of childhood malnutrition. Animal studies indicate that contact with Nigerian crude oil could be hemotoxic and hepatotoxic, and could cause infertility and cancer. Conclusions: The oil spills in the Niger delta region have acute and long-term effects on human health. Material relief and immediate and long-term medical care are recommended, irrespective of the cause of the spill, to ensure that the potential health effects of exposures to the spills are properly addressed. PMID:23661893
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Ordinioha, Best; Brisibe, Seiyefa
2013-01-01
The health hazards created by oil exploration and exploitation are covert and slow in action. They are not given the deserved attention in official documents in Nigeria, even as they can be major contributors to the disease burden in oil-bearing communities. This study is an interpretation of the data reported in several published studies on crude oil spills in the Niger delta region, Nigeria. A manual and Internet search was conducted to extract quantitative data on the quantity of crude oil spilled; the concentrations of the pollutants in surface water, ground water, ambient air and plant and animal tissue; and the direct impact on human health and household food security. An average of 240,000 barrels of crude oil are spilled in the Niger delta every year, mainly due to unknown causes (31.85%), third party activity (20.74%), and mechanical failure (17.04%). The spills contaminated the surface water, ground water, ambient air, and crops with hydrocarbons, including known carcinogens like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and benxo (a) pyrene, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and trace metals that were further bioaccumulated in some food crops. The oil spills could lead to a 60% reduction in household food security and were capable of reducing the ascorbic acid content of vegetables by as much as 36% and the crude protein content of cassava by 40%. These could result in a 24% increase in the prevalence of childhood malnutrition. Animal studies indicate that contact with Nigerian crude oil could be hemotoxic and hepatotoxic, and could cause infertility and cancer. The oil spills in the Niger delta region have acute and long-term effects on human health. Material relief and immediate and long-term medical care are recommended, irrespective of the cause of the spill, to ensure that the potential health effects of exposures to the spills are properly addressed.
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Physical, chemical and biological observations and modeling of oil spills in the Mediterranean Sea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ribotti, A.; De Dominicis, M.
2016-11-01
According to a definition of GESAMP, United Nations advisory body on scientific aspects of marine protection, a marine pollution is: "direct or indirect introduction by man of substances or energy into the marine environment … which results in such deleterious effects as harm to living resources, hazard to human health, hindrance to marine activities including fishing, impairment of water quality and reduction of marine attractions". The works presented in this Special Issue stem from the need to manage the problem of marine pollution. The categories of pollutants associated with the maritime traffic are mainly hydrocarbons and chemicals. Hydrocarbon is the oil in all its forms, including the crude oil, the fuel oil, the sludges, debris and other refined products (as defined by MARPOL 73/78 Annex I (MARPOL, 1978)). An oil spill is a release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term often refers to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the open ocean or coastal waters. Oil spills include releases of crude oil from tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, as well as spills of refined petroleum products (such as gasoline, diesel) and their by-products, and heavier fuels used by large ships such as bunker fuel, or the spill of any oily refuse or waste oil. Oil spills can have devastating effects on the marine environment and can jeopardize the functional integrity of the marine ecosystem (seabirds populations, fish communities, and marine mammals), as reported in Jackson et al. (1989), Piatt and Anderson (1996), Peterson et al. (2003). While being toxic to marine life, the hydrocarbons are very difficult to clean up, and last for years in the sediment and marine environment. Discharge of cargo residues from bulk carries can pollute ports, waterways and oceans. In many instances vessels intentionally discharge illegal wastes despite foreign and domestic regulation prohibiting such actions. Illegal discharges of oil from ships are often limited in size and scattered but, surprisingly, their sum is higher than that from oil spills, and they may create a chronic impact of oil in certain areas. For instance littoral sediments affected by low or moderated but continuous oil spills, like the coasts of the Bay of Algeciras (near the Strait of Gibraltar), are more polluted than those affected by accidental oil spills such as during the Prestige accident (2002) (Morales-Caselles et al., 2007). Oil discharges may be also accidental. According to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd (ITOPF) a lot of pollutions are due to a combination of factors that lead to groundings, collisions, structural failures, fires and explosions.
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A method for quantitative mapping of thick oil spills using imaging spectroscopy
Clark, Roger N.; Swayze, Gregg A.; Leifer, Ira; Livo, K. Eric; Kokaly, Raymond F.; Hoefen, Todd; Lundeen, Sarah; Eastwood, Michael; Green, Robert O.; Pearson, Neil; Sarture, Charles; McCubbin, Ian; Roberts, Dar; Bradley, Eliza; Steele, Denis; Ryan, Thomas; Dominguez, Roseanne; ,
2010-01-01
In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a method of near-infrared imaging spectroscopic analysis was developed to map the locations of thick oil floating on water. Specifically, this method can be used to derive, in each image pixel, the oil-to-water ratio in oil emulsions, the sub-pixel areal fraction, and its thicknesses and volume within the limits of light penetration into the oil (up to a few millimeters). The method uses the shape of near-infrared (NIR) absorption features and the variations in the spectral continuum due to organic compounds found in oil to identify different oil chemistries, including its weathering state and thickness. The method is insensitive to complicating conditions such as moderate aerosol scattering and reflectance level changes from other conditions, including moderate sun glint. Data for this analysis were collected by the NASA Airborne Visual Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instrument, which was flown over the oil spill on May 17, 2010. Because of the large extent of the spill, AVIRIS flight lines could cover only a portion of the spill on this relatively calm, nearly cloud-free day. Derived lower limits for oil volumes within the top few millimeters of the ocean surface directly probed with the near-infrared light detected in the AVIRIS scenes were 19,000 (conservative assumptions) to 34,000 (aggressive assumptions) barrels of oil. AVIRIS covered about 30 percent of the core spill area, which consisted of emulsion plumes and oil sheens. Areas of oil sheen but lacking oil emulsion plumes outside of the core spill were not evaluated for oil volume in this study. If the core spill areas not covered by flight lines contained similar amounts of oil and oil-water emulsions, then extrapolation to the entire core spill area defined by a MODIS (Terra) image collected on the same day indicates a minimum of 66,000 to 120,000 barrels of oil was floating on the surface. These estimates are preliminary and subject to revision pending further analysis. Based on laboratory measurements, near-infrared (NIR) photons penetrate only a few millimeters into oil-water emulsions. As such, the oil volumes derived with this method are lower limits. Further, the detection is only of thick surface oil and does not include sheens, underwater oil, or oil that had already washed onto beaches and wetlands, oil that had been burned or evaporated as of May 17. Because NIR light penetration within emulsions is limited, and having made field observations that oil emulsions sometimes exceeded 20 millimeters in thickness, we estimate that the volume of oil, including oil thicker than can be probed in the AVIRIS imagery, is possibly as high as 150,000 barrels in the AVIRIS scenes. When this value is projected to the entire spill, it gives a volume of about 500,000 barrels for thick oil remaining on the sea surface as of May 17. AVIRIS data cannot be used to confirm this higher volume, and additional field work including more in-situ measurements of oil thickness would be required to confirm this higher oil volume. Both the directly detected minimum range of oil volume, and the higher possible volume projection for oil thicker than can be probed with NIR spectroscopy imply a significantly higher total volume of oil relative to that implied by the early NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) estimate of 5,000 barrels per day reported on their Web site.
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Massachusetts wants a tougher federal oil spill control plan
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
Massachusetts wants a tougher federal oil spill control plan and has petitioned the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The present oil spill contingency plan is inadequate, according to M. Dukakis (Gov. Mass.). The Massachusetts plan, which CEQ officials view favorably, would extend responsibility to the 200 mi fishing limit, provide for protection of birds, and set up an oil strike force on 24 hr alert.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-03-18
..., Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the T/B DBL 152 Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico AGENCY... Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the T/B DBL 152 Oil Spill in the..., T/B DBL 152 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of...
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Khanna, Shruti; Santos, Maria J; Ustin, Susan L; Koltunov, Alexander; Kokaly, Raymond F; Roberts, Dar A
2013-01-01
The British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the biggest oil spill in US history. To assess the impact of the oil spill on the saltmarsh plant community, we examined Advanced Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data flown over Barataria Bay, Louisiana in September 2010 and August 2011. Oil contamination was mapped using oil absorption features in pixel spectra and used to examine impact of oil along the oiled shorelines. Results showed that vegetation stress was restricted to the tidal zone extending 14 m inland from the shoreline in September 2010. Four indexes of plant stress and three indexes of canopy water content all consistently showed that stress was highest in pixels next to the shoreline and decreased with increasing distance from the shoreline. Index values along the oiled shoreline were significantly lower than those along the oil-free shoreline. Regression of index values with respect to distance from oil showed that in 2011, index values were no longer correlated with proximity to oil suggesting that the marsh was on its way to recovery. Change detection between the two dates showed that areas denuded of vegetation after the oil impact experienced varying degrees of re-vegetation in the following year. This recovery was poorest in the first three pixels adjacent to the shoreline. This study illustrates the usefulness of high spatial resolution airborne imaging spectroscopy to map actual locations where oil from the spill reached the shore and then to assess its impacts on the plant community. We demonstrate that post-oiling trends in terms of plant health and mortality could be detected and monitored, including recovery of these saltmarsh meadows one year after the oil spill.
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Khanna, Shruti; Santos, Maria J.; Ustin, Susan L.; Koltunov, Alexander; Kokaly, Raymond F.; Roberts, Dar A.
2013-01-01
The British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the biggest oil spill in US history. To assess the impact of the oil spill on the saltmarsh plant community, we examined Advanced Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data flown over Barataria Bay, Louisiana in September 2010 and August 2011. Oil contamination was mapped using oil absorption features in pixel spectra and used to examine impact of oil along the oiled shorelines. Results showed that vegetation stress was restricted to the tidal zone extending 14 m inland from the shoreline in September 2010. Four indexes of plant stress and three indexes of canopy water content all consistently showed that stress was highest in pixels next to the shoreline and decreased with increasing distance from the shoreline. Index values along the oiled shoreline were significantly lower than those along the oil-free shoreline. Regression of index values with respect to distance from oil showed that in 2011, index values were no longer correlated with proximity to oil suggesting that the marsh was on its way to recovery. Change detection between the two dates showed that areas denuded of vegetation after the oil impact experienced varying degrees of re-vegetation in the following year. This recovery was poorest in the first three pixels adjacent to the shoreline. This study illustrates the usefulness of high spatial resolution airborne imaging spectroscopy to map actual locations where oil from the spill reached the shore and then to assess its impacts on the plant community. We demonstrate that post-oiling trends in terms of plant health and mortality could be detected and monitored, including recovery of these saltmarsh meadows one year after the oil spill.
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Khanna, Shruti; Santos, Maria J.; Ustin, Susan L.; Koltunov, Alexander; Kokaly, Raymond F.; Roberts, Dar A.
2013-01-01
The British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the biggest oil spill in US history. To assess the impact of the oil spill on the saltmarsh plant community, we examined Advanced Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data flown over Barataria Bay, Louisiana in September 2010 and August 2011. Oil contamination was mapped using oil absorption features in pixel spectra and used to examine impact of oil along the oiled shorelines. Results showed that vegetation stress was restricted to the tidal zone extending 14 m inland from the shoreline in September 2010. Four indexes of plant stress and three indexes of canopy water content all consistently showed that stress was highest in pixels next to the shoreline and decreased with increasing distance from the shoreline. Index values along the oiled shoreline were significantly lower than those along the oil-free shoreline. Regression of index values with respect to distance from oil showed that in 2011, index values were no longer correlated with proximity to oil suggesting that the marsh was on its way to recovery. Change detection between the two dates showed that areas denuded of vegetation after the oil impact experienced varying degrees of re-vegetation in the following year. This recovery was poorest in the first three pixels adjacent to the shoreline. This study illustrates the usefulness of high spatial resolution airborne imaging spectroscopy to map actual locations where oil from the spill reached the shore and then to assess its impacts on the plant community. We demonstrate that post-oiling trends in terms of plant health and mortality could be detected and monitored, including recovery of these saltmarsh meadows one year after the oil spill. PMID:24223872
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GREEN BEAST™ OIL SPILL & ODOR REMEDIATOR
Technical product bulletin: this surface washing agent used in oil spill cleanups works best applied at high pressure, for treating hydrocarbons on beaches, rocks, and hard surfaces. Preferably applied over 3 consecutive days on heavy spills.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Lee, Richard F.; Anderson, Jack W.
2005-07-01
The relationships among cytochrome P450 induction in marine wildlife species, levels of fluorescent aromatic compounds (FAC) in their bile, the chemical composition of the inducing compounds, the significance of the exposure pathway, and any resulting injury, as a consequence of exposure to crude oil following a spill, are reviewed. Fish collected after oil spills often show increases in cytochrome P450 system activity, cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) and bile fluorescent aromatic compounds (FAC), that are correlated with exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the oil. There is also some evidence for increases in bile FAC and induction of cytochrome P450 inmore » marine birds and mammals after oil spills. However, when observed, increases in these exposure indicators are transitory and generally decrease to background levels within one year after the exposure. Laboratory studies have shown induction of cytochrome P450 systems occurs after exposure of fish to crude oil in water, sediment or food. Most of the PAH found in crude oil (dominantly 2- and 3-ring PAH) are not strong inducers of cytochrome P450. Exposure to the 4-ring chrysenes or the photooxidized products of the PAH may account for the cytochrome P450 responses in fish collected from oil-spill sites. The contribution of non-spill background PAH, particularly combustion-derived (pyrogenic) PAH, to bile FAC and cytochrome P450 system responses can be confounding and needs to be considered when evaluating oil spill effects. The ubiquity of pyrogenic PAH makes it important to fully characterize all sources of PAH, including PAH from natural resources, e.g. retene, in oil spill studies. In addition, such parameters as species, sex, age, ambient temperature and season need to be taken into account. While increases in fish bile FAC and cytochrome P450 system responses, can together, be sensitive general indicators of PAH exposure after an oil spill, there is little unequivocal evidence to suggest a linkage to higher order biological effects, e.g. toxicity, lesions, reproductive failure.« less
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Anderson, C.M.; Johnson, W.R.; Marshall, C.F.
1995-01-01
The Federal Government has proposed to offer Outer Continental Shelf lands in the Gulf of Alaska/Yakutat for oil and gas leasing. Because oil spills may occur from activities associated with offshore oil production, the Minerals Management Service conducts a formal risk assessment. The report summarizes results of an oil-spill risk analysis conducted for OCS Lease Sale 158, Gulf of Alaska/Yakutat. The objective of this analysis was to estimate relative risks associated with oil and gas production for the proposed lease sale.
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Powers, Sean P.; Hernandez, Frank J.; Condon, Robert H.; Drymon, J. Marcus; Free, Christopher M.
2013-01-01
The pelagic brown alga Sargassum forms an oasis of biodiversity and productivity in an otherwise featureless ocean surface. The vast pool of oil resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill came into contact with a large portion of the Gulf of Mexico’s floating Sargassum mats. Aerial surveys performed during and after the oil spill show compelling evidence of loss and subsequent recovery of Sargassum. Expanding on the trends observed in the aerial surveys, we conducted a series of mesocosm experiments to test the effect of oil and dispersants on the vertical position and weight of the Sargassum complex (Sargassum natans and S. fluitans), as well as on the dissolved oxygen concentrations surrounding the algae. Dispersant and dispersed-oil had significant effects on the vertical position of both species of Sargassum over a period of 72 hours. Similarly, dissolved oxygen concentrations were lowest in dispersant and dispersed-oil treatments, respectively. Cumulatively, our findings suggest three pathways for oil-spill related injury: (1) Sargassum accumulated oil on the surface exposing animals to high concentrations of contaminants; (2) application of dispersant sank Sargassum, thus removing the habitat and potentially transporting oil and dispersant vertically; and (3) low oxygen surrounded the habitat potentially stressing animals that reside in the alga. These pathways represent direct, sublethal, and indirect effects of oil and dispersant release that minimize the ecosystem services provided by floating Sargassum – the latter two effects are rarely considered in assessing impacts of oil spills or response procedures. PMID:24086378
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Powers, Sean P; Hernandez, Frank J; Condon, Robert H; Drymon, J Marcus; Free, Christopher M
2013-01-01
The pelagic brown alga Sargassum forms an oasis of biodiversity and productivity in an otherwise featureless ocean surface. The vast pool of oil resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill came into contact with a large portion of the Gulf of Mexico's floating Sargassum mats. Aerial surveys performed during and after the oil spill show compelling evidence of loss and subsequent recovery of Sargassum. Expanding on the trends observed in the aerial surveys, we conducted a series of mesocosm experiments to test the effect of oil and dispersants on the vertical position and weight of the Sargassum complex (Sargassum natans and S. fluitans), as well as on the dissolved oxygen concentrations surrounding the algae. Dispersant and dispersed-oil had significant effects on the vertical position of both species of Sargassum over a period of 72 hours. Similarly, dissolved oxygen concentrations were lowest in dispersant and dispersed-oil treatments, respectively. Cumulatively, our findings suggest three pathways for oil-spill related injury: (1) Sargassum accumulated oil on the surface exposing animals to high concentrations of contaminants; (2) application of dispersant sank Sargassum, thus removing the habitat and potentially transporting oil and dispersant vertically; and (3) low oxygen surrounded the habitat potentially stressing animals that reside in the alga. These pathways represent direct, sublethal, and indirect effects of oil and dispersant release that minimize the ecosystem services provided by floating Sargassum - the latter two effects are rarely considered in assessing impacts of oil spills or response procedures.
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Zhang, Shuangfei; Hu, Zhong; Wang, Hui
2018-01-01
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 resulted in serious damage to local marine and coastal environments. In addition to the physical removal and chemical dispersion of spilled oil, biodegradation by indigenous microorganisms was regarded as the most effective way for cleaning up residual oil. Different microbiological methods were applied to investigate the changes and responses of bacterial communities after the DWH oil spills. By summarizing and analyzing these microbiological methods, giving recommendations and proposing some methods that have not been used, this review aims to provide constructive guidelines for microbiological studies after environmental disasters, especially those involving organic pollutants.
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Zhang, Shuangfei; Hu, Zhong; Wang, Hui
2018-01-01
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 resulted in serious damage to local marine and coastal environments. In addition to the physical removal and chemical dispersion of spilled oil, biodegradation by indigenous microorganisms was regarded as the most effective way for cleaning up residual oil. Different microbiological methods were applied to investigate the changes and responses of bacterial communities after the DWH oil spills. By summarizing and analyzing these microbiological methods, giving recommendations and proposing some methods that have not been used, this review aims to provide constructive guidelines for microbiological studies after environmental disasters, especially those involving organic pollutants. PMID:29628913
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Zipf's Law Application To Oil Spill Detection In The Ocean
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Platonov, A.; Redondo, J. M.
One of the results of the CLEAN SEAS European Union project using SAR imaging of European Coastal Waters was the statistical analysis and detection of thousands of oil spills and slicks in the three compared sections, Baltic Sea, North Sea and N.W. Mediterranean. The results of another European Project, OIL WATCH together with the past 30 years of recorded mayor tanker accidental oil spills have been used in a predictive scheme that subject to spatial and temporal normalization of these two different scale processes clearly shows that the annual probability of the occurence of an oil spill follows Zipf's law. Local deviations from the law may be also explained in terms of multifractal analysis.
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MODELING METHODOLOGIES FOR OIL SPILLS
Oil spilled into aquatic environments is subject to a number of fates, including natural dispersion, emulsification and weathering. An oil slick moves due to the inherent spreading of the oil, currents, winds and waves. All of these processes influence the impacts of the oil on...
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30 CFR 254.25 - What information must I include in the “Contractual agreements” appendix?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
..., REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities..., spill-response service providers, or spill management team members who are not your employees that you...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Spill response plans for facilities located in...
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Brine Spills Associated with Unconventional Oil Development in North Dakota.
Lauer, Nancy E; Harkness, Jennifer S; Vengosh, Avner
2016-05-17
The rapid rise of unconventional oil production during the past decade in the Bakken region of North Dakota raises concerns related to water contamination associated with the accidental release of oil and gas wastewater to the environment. Here, we characterize the major and trace element chemistry and isotopic ratios ((87)Sr/(86)Sr, δ(18)O, δ(2)H) of surface waters (n = 29) in areas impacted by oil and gas wastewater spills in the Bakken region of North Dakota. We establish geochemical and isotopic tracers that can identify Bakken brine spills in the environment. In addition to elevated concentrations of dissolved salts (Na, Cl, Br), spill waters also consisted of elevated concentrations of other contaminants (Se, V, Pb, NH4) compared to background waters, and soil and sediment in spill sites had elevated total radium activities ((228)Ra + (226)Ra) relative to background, indicating accumulation of Ra in impacted soil and sediment. We observed that inorganic contamination associated with brine spills in North Dakota is remarkably persistent, with elevated levels of contaminants observed in spills sites up to 4 years following the spill events.
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Kwok, Richard K.; Engel, Lawrence S.; Miller, Aubrey K.; Blair, Aaron; Curry, Matthew D.; Jackson, W. Braxton; Stewart, Patricia A.; Stenzel, Mark R.; Birnbaum, Linda S.; Sandler, Dale P.
2017-01-01
Background: The 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster led to the largest ever marine oil spill. Individuals who worked on the spill were exposed to toxicants and stressors that could lead to adverse effects. Objectives: The GuLF STUDY was designed to investigate relationships between oil spill exposures and multiple potential physical and mental health effects. Methods: Participants were recruited by telephone from lists of individuals who worked on the oil spill response and clean-up or received safety training. Enrollment interviews between 2011 and 2013 collected information about spill-related activities, demographics, lifestyle, and health. Exposure measurements taken during the oil spill were used with questionnaire responses to characterize oil exposures of participants. Participants from Gulf states completed a home visit in which biological and environmental samples, anthropometric and clinical measurements, and additional health and lifestyle information were collected. Participants are being followed for changes in health status. Results: Thirty-two thousand six hundred eight individuals enrolled in the cohort, and 11,193 completed a home visit. Most were young (56.2% ≤ 45 years of age), male (80.8%), lived in a Gulf state (82.3%), and worked at least 1 day on the oil spill (76.5%). Workers were involved in response (18.0%), support operations (17.5%), clean-up on water (17.4%) or land (14.6%), decontamination (14.3%), and administrative support (18.3%). Using an ordinal job exposure matrix, 45% had maximum daily total hydrocarbon exposure levels ≥ 1.0 ppm. Conclusions: The GuLF STUDY provides a unique opportunity to study potential adverse health effects from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Citation: Kwok RK, Engel LS, Miller AK, Blair A, Curry MD, Jackson WB II, Stewart PA, Stenzel MR, Birnbaum LS, Sandler DP for the GuLF STUDY Research Team. 2017. The GuLF STUDY: a prospective study of persons involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and clean-up. Environ Health Perspect 125:570–578; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP715 PMID:28362265
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shughrue, C. M.; Werner, B.; Nugnug, P. T.
2010-12-01
The catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill highlights the risks for widespread environmental damage resulting from petroleum resource extraction. Possibilities for amelioration of these risks depend critically on understanding the dynamics and nonlinear interactions between various components of the coupled human-environmental resource extraction system. We use a complexity analysis to identify the levels of description and time scales at which these interactions are strongest, and then use the analysis as the basis for an agent-based numerical model with which decadal trends can be analyzed. Oil industry economic and technological activity and associated oil spills are components of a complex system that is coupled to natural environment, legislation, regulation, media, and resistance systems over annual to decadal time scales. In the model, oil spills are produced stochastically with a range of magnitudes depending on a reliability-engineering-based assessment of failure for the technology employed, human factors including compliance with operating procedures, and risks associated with the drilling environment. Oil industry agents determine drilling location and technological investment using a cost-benefit analysis relating projected revenue from added production to technology cost and government regulation. Media outlet agents reporting on the oil industry and environmental damage from oil spills assess the impacts of aggressively covering a story on circulation increases, advertiser concerns and potential loss of information sources. Environmental advocacy group agents increase public awareness of environmental damage (through media and public contact), solicit memberships and donations, and apply direct pressure on legislators for policy change. Heterogeneous general public agents adjust their desire for change in the level of regulation, contact their representatives or participate in resistance via protest by considering media sources, personal experiences with oil spills and individual predispositions toward the industry. Legislator agents pass legislation and influence regulator agents based on interaction with oil industry, media and general public agents. Regulator agents generate and enforce regulations by responding to pressure from legislator and oil industry agents. Oil spill impacts on the natural environment are related to number and magnitude of spills, drilling locations, and spill response methodology, determined collaboratively by government and oil company agents. Agents at the corporate and government levels use heterogeneous prediction models combined with a constant absolute risk aversion utility for wealth. This model simulates a nonlinear adaptive system with mechanisms to self-regulate oil industry activity, environmental damage and public response. A comparison of model output with historical oil industry development and environmental damage; the sensitivity of oil spill damage to economic, political and social factors; the potential for the emergence of new and possibly unstable behaviors; and opportunities for intervening in system dynamics to alter expected outcomes will be discussed. Supported by NSF: Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics Program
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aseev, Nikita; Agoshkov, Valery
2015-04-01
The report is devoted to the one approach to the problem of oil spill risk control of protected areas in the Baltic Sea (Aseev et al., 2014). By the problem of risk control is meant a problem of determination of optimal resources quantity which are necessary for decreasing the risk to some acceptable value. It is supposed that only moment of accident is a random variable. Mass of oil slick is chosen as a function of control. For the realization of the random variable the quadratic 'functional of cost' is introduced. It comprises cleaning costs and deviation of damage of oil pollution from its acceptable value. The problem of minimization of this functional is solved based on the methods of optimal control and the theory of adjoint equations (Agoshkov, 2003, Agoshkov et al., 2012). The solution of this problem is explicitly found. In order to solve the realistic problem of oil spill risk control in the Baltic Sea the 2d model of oil spill propagation on the sea surface based on the Seatrack Web model (Liungman, Mattson, 2011) is developed. The model takes into account such processes as oil transportation by sea currents and wind, turbulent diffusion, spreading, evaporation from sea surface, dispersion and formation of emulsion 'water-in-oil'. The model allows to calculate basic oil slick parameters: localization, mass, volume, thickness, density of oil, water content and viscosity of emulsion. The results of several numerical experiments in the Baltic Sea using the model and the methodology of oil spill risk control are presented. Along with moment of accident other parameters of oil spill and environment could be chosen as a random variables. The methodology of solution of oil spill risk control problem will remain the same but the computational complexity will increase. Conversion of the function of control to quantity of resources with a glance to methods of pollution removal should be processed. As a result, the developed 2d model of oil spill propagation combined with the methodology of solution of oil spill risk control problem could provide the basis for oil spill simulation systems, systems of evaluation and control of oil spill risk and damage in seas or decision support systems. References V.I. Agoshkov. The methods of optimal control and adjoint equations in problems of mathematical physics. // Moscow: INM RAS, 2003, 256 p. (in Russian). V.I. Agoshkov, N.A. Aseev, I.S. Novikov. The methods of investigation and solution of the problems of local sources and local or integral observations. // Moscow: INM RAS, 2012. 151 p. (in Russian). N.A. Aseev, V.I. Agoshkov, V.B. Zalesny, R. Aps, P. Kujala, and J. Rytkonen. The problem of control of oil pollution risk in the Baltic Sea // Russ. J. Numer. Analysis and Math. Modelling, 2014, V 29, No. 2, 93-105. O. Liungman, J. Mattson. Scientific documentation of Seatrack Web; physical processes, algorithms and references, 2011. // https://stw-helcom.smhi.se/
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Potential impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on large pelagic fishes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Frias-Torres, Sarrah; Bostater, Charles R., Jr.
2011-11-01
Biogeographical analyses provide insights on how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacted large pelagic fishes. We georeferenced historical ichthyoplankton surveys and published literature to map the spawning and larval areas of bluefin tuna, swordfish, blue marlin and whale shark sightings in the Gulf of Mexico with daily satellite-derived images detecting surface oil. The oil spill covered critical areas used by large pelagic fishes. Surface oil was detected in 100% of the northernmost whale shark sightings, in 32.8 % of the bluefin tuna spawning area and 38 % of the blue marlin larval area. No surface oil was detected in the swordfish spawning and larval area. Our study likely underestimates the extend of the oil spill due to satellite sensors detecting only the upper euphotic zone and the use of dispersants altering crude oil density, but provides a previously unknown spatio-temporal analysis.
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Obida, Christopher B; Alan Blackburn, G; Duncan Whyatt, J; Semple, Kirk T
2018-02-01
The Niger Delta is one of the largest oil producing regions of the world. Large numbers and volumes of oil spills have been reported in this region. What has not been quantified is the putative exposure of humans and/or the environment to this hydrocarbon pollution. In this novel study, advanced geostatistical techniques were applied to an extensive database of oil spill incidents from 2007 to 2015. The aims were to (i) identify and analyse spill hotspots along the oil pipeline network and (ii) estimate the exposure of the hydrocarbon pollution to the human population and the environment within the Niger Delta. Over the study period almost 90millionlitres of oil were released. Approximately 29% of the human population living in proximity to the pipeline network has been potentially exposed to oil contamination, of which 565,000 people live within high or very high spill intensity sectors. Over 1000km 2 of land has been contaminated by oil pollution, with broadleaved forest, mangroves and agricultural land the most heavily impacted land cover types. Proximity to the coast, roads and cities are the strongest spatial factors contributing to spill occurrence, which largely determine the accessibility of sites for pipeline sabotage and oil theft. Overall, the findings demonstrate the high levels of environmental and human exposure to hydrocarbon pollutants in the Niger Delta. These results provide evidence with which to spatially target interventions to reduce future spill incidents and mitigate the impacts of previous spills on human communities and ecosystem health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling 13543 Order 13543 Presidential... Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling By the authority vested in me as President by the... applicable to offshore drilling that would ensure effective oversight, monitoring, and response capabilities...
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The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has led to the use of >1 M gallons of oil spill dispersants, which are mixtures of surfactants and solvents. Because of this large scale use there is a critical need to understand the potential for toxicity of the currently used dispersant and pote...
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50 CFR 622.14 - Area closures related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... Web site: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.htm. (b) Gulf EEZ area closure related... the Gulf EEZ identified in the map shown on the NMFS Web site: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater... shown on the NMFS Web site: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.htm. ...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-07-09
... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore... an open meeting on July 12 and 13, 2010, of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, (75 FR 37783). This document makes several corrections to that notice. FOR...
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THE FATE AND EFFECTS OF CRUDE OIL SPILLED ON SUBARCTIC PERMAFROST TERRAIN IN INTERIOR ALASKA
This study was conducted to determine both the short- and long-term effects of spills of hot Prudhoe Bay crude oil on permafrost terrain in subarctic interior Alaska. Two experimental oil spills of 7570 liters (2000 gallons) each on 500sqm test plots were made at a forest site un...
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46 CFR 68.29 - Citizenship requirements for limited coastwise endorsement.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.29 Citizenship requirements for limited coastwise... issued to a vessel owned by— (1) A not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative if the vessel meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section; or (2) A member or members of a not-for-profit oil spill...
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46 CFR 68.35 - Application to document a vessel under this subpart.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.35 Application to document a vessel under this subpart. (a) To... subpart, a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative shall file with the Director, National Vessel... Center will furnish the not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative with a letter of qualification. The...
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46 CFR 68.35 - Application to document a vessel under this subpart.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.35 Application to document a vessel under this subpart. (a) To... subpart, a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative shall file with the Director, National Vessel... Center will furnish the not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative with a letter of qualification. The...
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46 CFR 68.29 - Citizenship requirements for limited coastwise endorsement.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.29 Citizenship requirements for limited coastwise... issued to a vessel owned by— (1) A not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative if the vessel meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section; or (2) A member or members of a not-for-profit oil spill...
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30 CFR 253.13 - How much OSFR must I demonstrate?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
...: COF worst case oil-spill discharge volume Applicable amount of OSFR Over 1,000 bbls but not more than... must demonstrate OSFR in accordance with the following table: COF worst case oil-spill discharge volume... applicable table in paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) for a facility with a potential worst case oil-spill discharge...
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46 CFR 68.31 - Vessel eligibility requirements for limited coastwise endorsement.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.31 Vessel eligibility requirements for limited... vessel was formerly owned by a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative or by one or more members of a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative and the vessel meets the criteria of § 68.29. [CGD...
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46 CFR 68.31 - Vessel eligibility requirements for limited coastwise endorsement.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.31 Vessel eligibility requirements for limited... vessel was formerly owned by a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative or by one or more members of a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative and the vessel meets the criteria of § 68.29. [CGD...
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46 CFR 68.29 - Citizenship requirements for limited coastwise endorsement.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.29 Citizenship requirements for limited coastwise... issued to a vessel owned by— (1) A not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative if the vessel meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section; or (2) A member or members of a not-for-profit oil spill...
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46 CFR 68.31 - Vessel eligibility requirements for limited coastwise endorsement.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... Documentation of Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.31 Vessel eligibility requirements for limited... vessel was formerly owned by a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative or by one or more members of a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative and the vessel meets the criteria of § 68.29. [CGD...
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46 CFR 68.35 - Application to document a vessel under this subpart.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... Certain Vessels for Oil Spill Cleanup § 68.35 Application to document a vessel under this subpart. (a) To... subpart, a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative shall file with the Director, National Vessel... Center will furnish the not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative with a letter of qualification. The...
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The Tasman Spirit oil spill: implications for regulatory change in Pakistan.
Mian, Saima; Bennett, Suzan
2009-07-01
An oil spill in July 2003 from the tanker Tasman Spirit attracted considerable public and media attention in Pakistan. This paper focuses on the experience of a developing country such as Pakistan in dealing with a major oil spill and its impact on bringing about change in the national regulatory framework. A major outcome has been the ratification of the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage 1992, which came into force in March 2006 in Pakistan. The convention provides a compensation mechanism for victims incurring oil pollution damages from maritime casualties involving oil laden ships. Several additional changes are still required to improve the country's ability to cope with marine oil spills. These include the development of a comprehensive domestic regulatory framework, implementation of an effective contingency plan, and capacity building of all relevant agencies.
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Forensic fingerprinting and source identification of the 2009 Sarnia (Ontario) oil spill.
Wang, Zhendi; Yang, C; Yang, Z; Sun, J; Hollebone, B; Brown, C; Landriault, M
2011-11-01
This paper presents a case study in which integrated forensic oil fingerprinting and data interpretation techniques were used to characterize the chemical compositions and determine the source of the 2009 Sarnia (Ontario) oil spill incident. The diagnostic fingerprinting techniques include determination of hydrocarbon groups and semi-quantitative product-type screening via gas chromatography (GC), analysis of oil-characteristic biomarkers and the extended suite of parent and alkylated PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) homologous series via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), determination and comparison of a variety of diagnostic ratios of "source-specific marker" compounds, and determination of the weathering degree of the spilled oil, and whether the spilled oil hydrocarbons have been mixed with any other "background" chemicals (biogenic and/or pyrogenic hydrocarbons). The detailed chemical fingerprinting data and results reveal the following: (1) all four samples are mixtures of diesel and lubricating oil with varying percentages of diesel to lube oil. Both samples 1460 and 1462 are majority diesel-range oil mixed with a smaller portion of lube oil. Sample 1461 contains slightly less diesel-range oil. Sample 1463 is majority lubricating-range oil. (2) The diesel in the four diesel/lube oil mixture samples was most likely the same diesel and from the same source. (3) The spill sample 1460 and the suspected-source sample 1462 have nearly identical concentrations and distribution patterns of target analytes including TPHs, n-alkane, PAHs and biomarker compounds; and have nearly identical diagnostic ratios of target compounds as well. Furthermore, a perfect "positive match" correlation line (with all normalized ratio data points falling into the straight correlation line) is clearly demonstrated. It is concluded that the spill oil water sample 1460 (#1, from the water around the vessel enclosed by a boom) matches with the suspected source sample 1462 (#3, from the vessel engine room bilge pump). (4) From the n-alkane and PAH analysis, it appears that the oil in the spill sample 1460 is slightly more weathered in comparison with sample 1462. The minor differences in fingerprints of two samples were most likely caused by weathering effects. (5) Sample 1461 (#2, from the vessel engine room bilge) and sample 1463 (#4, from the vessel bilge waste collection tank) demonstrated significantly different fingerprints and diagnostic ratios of target compounds from that of spill sample 1460. This was caused most likely by percentages of diesel to lube oil in these two samples different from that in spill sample 1460.
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Untangling the Disaster-Depression Knot: The Role of Social Ties After Deepwater Horizon
Rung, Ariane L.; Gaston, Symielle; Robinson, William T.; Trapido, Edward J.; Peters, Edward S.
2017-01-01
The mental health consequences of disasters, including oil spills, are well known. The goal of this study is to examine whether social capital and social support mediate the effects of exposure to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on depression among women. Data for the analysis come from the first wave of data collection for the Women and Their Children's Health Study, a longitudinal study of the health effects of women exposed to the oil spill in southern Louisiana, USA. Women were interviewed about their exposure to the oil spill, depression symptoms, structural social capital (neighborhood organization participation), cognitive social capital (sense of community and informal social control), and social support. Structural equation models indicated that structural social capital was associated with increased levels of cognitive social capital, which were associated with higher levels of social support, which in turn were associated with lower levels of depression. Physical exposure to the oil spill was associated with greater economic exposure, which in turn was associated with higher levels of depression. When all variables were taken into account, economic exposure was no longer associated with depression, and social support and cognitive social capital mediated the effect of economic exposure on depression, explaining 67% of the effect. Findings support an extension of the deterioration model of social support to include the additional coping resource of social capital. Social capital and social support were found to be beneficial for depression post-oil spill; however, they were themselves negatively impacted by the oil spill, explaining the overall negative effect of the oil spill on depression. A better understanding of the pathways between the social context and depression could lead to interventions for improved mental health in the aftermath of a disaster. PMID:28152421
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DISPERSANT EFFECTIVENESS ON OIL SPILLS - EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS
When a dispersant is applied to an oil slick, its effectiveness in dispersing the spilled oil depends on various factors such as oil properties, wave mixing energy, temperature of both oil and water, and salinity of the water. Estuaries represent water with varying salinities. In...
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Hostettler, Frances D.; Kvenvolden, Keith A.
1994-01-01
North Slope crude oil spilled from the T/V Exxon Valdez in March 1989 and contaminated about 500 km of Prince William Sound shoreline. Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in oil samples collected in August 1990 and June 1992 from beaches on six islands impacted by the spill have been compared with the hydrocarbons from North Slope crude oil taken from the stricken tanker. Degradation processes have changed the physical appearance of this residual spilled oil; the beached oil as collected ranged from a light brown color, to a heavy black viscous oil, to a black, powder-like residue. In these physically different samples, terpane, sterane, and aromatic sterane distributions, as well as carbon isotope values, are similar and correlate with the original Exxon Valdez oil. On the other hand, n-alkanes, isoprenoids, and many of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are present in the original crude oil are dramatically altered in the oil samples collected from the beaches.
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1982-11-01
time of application. Such designs were probably influenced by the ready availabilit " 51 of fire-fighting hoses on ships and tugs; the water stream not...8217 I I1 ---- i . . .. . IIII . . . I I PREFACE The use of chemicals for the dispersal of oil spilled on water has been the subject of discussion (and of...20 Oil Type, Weathering and Emulsification.. 20 Slick Thickness .......................... 28 Water Temperature
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DeGange, Anthony R.; Doroff, Angela M.; Monson, Daniel H.
1994-01-01
ound, Alaska, spilling approximately 11 million barrels of crude oil. Oil wasdeposited on beaches nearly 700 km from the spill site (Galt and Payton 1990,Piatt et al. 1990), affecting thousands of hectares of sea otter(Enhydra lutris)habitat. Two of the principal limitations in determining the initial effects of theExxon Valdez oil spill on sea otter populations were a lack of recent populationdata, and a lack of information on the proportion of the total number of seaotters killed by the spill that were actually recovered.ound, Alaska, spilling approximately 11 million barrels of crude oil. Oil wasdeposited on beaches nearly 700 km from the spill site (Galt and Payton 1990,Piatt et al. 1990), affecting thousands of hectares of sea otter(Enhydra lutris)habitat. Two of the principal limitations in determining the initial effects of theExxon Valdez oil spill on sea otter populations were a lack of recent populationdata, and a lack of information on the proportion of the total number of seaotters killed by the spill that were actually recovered.On 24 March 1989, the T/V Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling approximately 11 million barrels of crude oil. Oil was deposited on beaches nearly 700 km from the spill site (Galt and Payton 1990, Piatt et al. 1990), affecting thousands of hectares of sea otter (Enhydra lutris) habitat. Two of the principal limitations in determining the initial effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on sea otter populations were a lack of recent population data, and a lack of information on the proportion of the total number of sea otters killed by the spill that were actually recovered.In late April and early May oil spread to the Kodiak Archipelago. With the oil came wildlife rescue, beach cleanup, and other spill-response activities including searches for dead birds and mammals. We took this opportunity to assess experimentally the recovery of sea otter carcasses in the Kodiak Island area. Specifically, we were interested in the proportion of the total number of dead sea otters the recovered carcasses represented.
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Navigation of autonomous vehicles for oil spill cleaning in dynamic and uncertain environments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jin, Xin; Ray, Asok
2014-04-01
In the context of oil spill cleaning by autonomous vehicles in dynamic and uncertain environments, this paper presents a multi-resolution algorithm that seamlessly integrates the concepts of local navigation and global navigation based on the sensory information; the objective here is to enable adaptive decision making and online replanning of vehicle paths. The proposed algorithm provides a complete coverage of the search area for clean-up of the oil spills and does not suffer from the problem of having local minima, which is commonly encountered in potential-field-based methods. The efficacy of the algorithm is tested on a high-fidelity player/stage simulator for oil spill cleaning in a harbour, where the underlying oil weathering process is modelled as 2D random-walk particle tracking. A preliminary version of this paper was presented by X. Jin and A. Ray as 'Coverage Control of Autonomous Vehicles for Oil Spill Cleaning in Dynamic and Uncertain Environments', Proceedings of the American Control Conference, Washington, DC, June 2013, pp. 2600-2605.
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Multisource oil spill detection
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Salberg, Arnt B.; Larsen, Siri O.; Zortea, Maciel
2013-10-01
In this paper we discuss how multisource data (wind, ocean-current, optical, bathymetric, automatic identification systems (AIS)) may be used to improve oil spill detection in SAR images, with emphasis on the use of automatic oil spill detection algorithms. We focus particularly on AIS, optical, and bathymetric data. For the AIS data we propose an algorithm for integrating AIS ship tracks into automatic oil spill detection in order to improve the confidence estimate of a potential oil spill. We demonstrate the use of ancillary data on a set of SAR images. Regarding the use of optical data, we did not observe a clear correspondence between high chlorophyll values (estimated from products derived from optical data) and observed slicks in the SAR image. Bathymetric data was shown to be a good data source for removing false detections caused by e.g. sand banks on low tide. For the AIS data we observed that a polluter could be identified for some dark slicks, however, a precise oil drift model is needed in order to identify the polluter with high certainty.
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Stige, Leif Chr; Ottersen, Geir; Yaragina, Natalia A; Vikebø, Frode B; Stenseth, Nils Chr; Langangen, Øystein
2018-04-01
It has been proposed that the multiple pressures of fishing and petroleum activities impact fish stocks in synergy, as fishing-induced demographic changes in a stock may lead to increased sensitivity to detrimental effects of acute oil spills. High fishing pressure may erode the demographic structure of fish stocks, lead to less diverse spawning strategies, and more concentrated distributions of offspring in space and time. Hence an oil spill may potentially hit a larger fraction of a year-class of offspring. Such a link between demographic structure and egg distribution was recently demonstrated for the Northeast Arctic stock of Atlantic cod for years 1959-1993. We here estimate that this variation translates into a two-fold variation in the maximal proportion of cod eggs potentially exposed to a large oil spill. With this information it is possible to quantitatively account for demographic structure in prospective studies of population effects of possible oil spills. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Contingency plan improvement for managing oil spills in the coastal waters of Thailand.
Singkran, Nuanchan
2014-12-15
The estimated risks of being impacted by oil spills in the coastal waters were used to improve the oil spill contingency plan of Thailand. Functional roles of local agencies are integrated into the plan. Intensive measures are suggested for the coastal provinces located in high-very high risk zones, whereas light and moderate measures are suggested for the coastal provinces located in low and moderate risk zones, respectively. The estimated percentage risks due to simulated oil slicks hitting the coast and/or important resources (PRoilspill) were used to guide the year-round water activities that should be carefully handled at a certain radius with a low-moderate PRoilspill, whereas they should be avoided at a certain radius with a high-very high PRoilspill. Important measures before, during, and post periods of an oil spill incident are suggested to prevent and monitor oil spill incidents and mitigate their impacts on the environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pandey, A.; Srivastava, P.; Singh, U.
2016-12-01
It is estimated that 4.9 million liters of petroleum are spilled into U.S. waters from vessels and pipelines in a typical year. Oil spill may be as huge as of 8 million barrels (The Persian Gulf oil spill of 1991). Oil-water separation processes using polymeric or inorganic membranes have been proposed as effective and cost competitive technologies but in present the commercial use of membrane in treatment of spilled oil is currently limited by their low efficiency as well as high capital and operating cost. Indian hair-market is a billion-dollar industry yearly exporting thousands of tones of thick and dark hairs. Hairs contain keratin, a family of fibrous structural proteins been proved to adsorb oils. Laboratory results conclude that one gram of human hair can selectively adsorb about 15.5301 grams of crude oil over water, following Frendlich's isotherm. We seek hair mats made up of hairs of size ≤5 inches, costing 37/ton from selected parts of Indian hair market. With a known adsorbing efficiency of 95% towards crude oil, an estimated desorption efficiency of 70% oil worth 0.8M per year can be regained in crude form from U.S. waters only. To ensure solid waste management of hairs, hair mats left with 30% of adsorbed oil can be utilized in the cultivation of oyster mushrooms, a 20-34/kg crop that grows best in 20-25°C ,80-90% relative humidity and oily conditions. This will reduce the growing period of crop ensuring yearly profit of $6.06M in U.S. only engaging variety of stakeholders over borders. Results thus obtained in this study present an economic, safer and sustainable technique to minimize oil loss due to oil spill in waters further ensuring a low labor-low cost technique of waste management that enhances the growth of an in-demand crop. Keywords: Oil Spill, Human Hair Mats, Adsorb, Oyster Mushrooms
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Environmental Conditions in northern Gulf of Mexico Estuaries: before and after the BP Oil Spill
This presentation provides a summary of ecological condition and sediment chemistry data for northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries that were exposed to oil and oil-related contaminants from the BP Oil Spill.
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Advanced Oil Spill Detection Algorithms For Satellite Based Maritime Environment Monitoring
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Radius, Andrea; Azevedo, Rui; Sapage, Tania; Carmo, Paulo
2013-12-01
During the last years, the increasing pollution occurrence and the alarming deterioration of the environmental health conditions of the sea, lead to the need of global monitoring capabilities, namely for marine environment management in terms of oil spill detection and indication of the suspected polluter. The sensitivity of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to the different phenomena on the sea, especially for oil spill and vessel detection, makes it a key instrument for global pollution monitoring. The SAR performances in maritime pollution monitoring are being operationally explored by a set of service providers on behalf of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), which has launched in 2007 the CleanSeaNet (CSN) project - a pan-European satellite based oil monitoring service. EDISOFT, which is from the beginning a service provider for CSN, is continuously investing in R&D activities that will ultimately lead to better algorithms and better performance on oil spill detection from SAR imagery. This strategy is being pursued through EDISOFT participation in the FP7 EC Sea-U project and in the Automatic Oil Spill Detection (AOSD) ESA project. The Sea-U project has the aim to improve the current state of oil spill detection algorithms, through the informative content maximization obtained with data fusion, the exploitation of different type of data/ sensors and the development of advanced image processing, segmentation and classification techniques. The AOSD project is closely related to the operational segment, because it is focused on the automation of the oil spill detection processing chain, integrating auxiliary data, like wind information, together with image and geometry analysis techniques. The synergy between these different objectives (R&D versus operational) allowed EDISOFT to develop oil spill detection software, that combines the operational automatic aspect, obtained through dedicated integration of the processing chain in the existing open source NEST software, with new detection, filtering and classification algorithms. Particularly, dedicated filtering algorithm development based on Wavelet filtering was exploited for the improvement of oil spill detection and classification. In this work we present the functionalities of the developed software and the main results in support of the developed algorithm validity.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Spanoudaki, Katerina
2016-04-01
Oil biodegradation by native bacteria is one of the most important natural processes that can attenuate the environmental impacts of marine oil spills. However, very few numerical models of oil spill fate and transport include biodegradation kinetics of spilled oil. Furthermore, in models where biodegradation is included amongst the oil transformation processes simulated, it is mostly represented as a first order decay process neglecting the effect of several important parameters that can limit biodegradation rate, such as oil composition and oil droplets-water interface. To this end, the open source numerical model MEDSKIL-II, which simulates oil spill fate and transport in the marine environment, has been modified to include biodegradation kinetics of oil droplets dispersed in the water column. MEDSLIK-II predicts the transport and weathering of oil spills following a Lagrangian approach for the solution of the advection-diffusion equation. Transport is governed by the 3D sea currents and wave field provided by ocean circulation models. In addition to advective and diffusive displacements, the model simulates several physical and chemical processes that transform the oil (evaporation, emulsification, dispersion in the water column, adhesion to coast). The fate algorithms employed in MEDSLIK-II consider the oil as a uniform substance whose properties change as the slick weathers, an approach that can lead to reduced accuracy, especially in the estimation of oil evaporation and biodegradation. Therefore MEDSLIK-II has been modified by adopting the "pseudo-component" approach for simulating weathering processes. Spilled oil is modelled as a relatively small number of discrete, non-interacting components (pseudo-components). Chemicals in the oil mixture are grouped by physical-chemical properties and the resulting pseudo-component behaves as if it were a single substance with characteristics typical of the chemical group. The fate (evaporation, dispersion, biodegradation) of each component is tracked separately. Biodegradation of oil droplets is modelled by Monod kinetics. The kinetics of oil particles size reduction due to the microbe-mediated degradation at water-oil particle interface is represented by the shrinking core model. In order to test the performance of the modified MEDSLIK-II model, it has been applied to a test case built-in the original code. The total fate of the oil spill is simulated both without biodegradation kinetics and when biodegradation is taken into account, for reasons of comparison. Several parameters that control biodegradation rate, including initial oil concentration and composition, size distribution of oil droplets and initial microbial concentration have been investigated. This upgraded version of MEDSLIK-II can be useful not only for predicting the transport and fate of spilled oil in the short term but also for evaluating different bioremediation strategies and risk assessment for the mid- and long term. Acknowledgements: The financial support by the EU project DECATASTROPHIZE: Use of SDSS and MCDA to Prepare for Disasters or Plan for Multiple Hazards, GA no. ECHO/SUB/2015/713788/PREP02, is greatly acknowledged.
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located in State Waters... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Spill response plans for facilities located in...
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30 CFR 254.1 - Who must submit a spill-response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE General § 254.1 Who must submit a spill-response plan? (a) If you are the owner or operator of an oil handling... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Who must submit a spill-response plan? 254.1...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located in State Waters... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Spill response plans for facilities located in...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located in State Waters Seaward... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Spill response plans for facilities located in...
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30 CFR 254.1 - Who must submit a spill-response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE General § 254.1 Who must submit a spill-response plan? (a) If you are the owner or operator of an oil handling... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Who must submit a spill-response plan? 254.1...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities Located in State Waters... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Spill response plans for facilities located in...
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30 CFR 254.1 - Who must submit a spill-response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Who must submit a spill-response plan? 254.1 Section 254.1 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL... spill-response plan? (a) If you are the owner or operator of an oil handling, storage, or transportation...
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30 CFR 254.1 - Who must submit a spill-response plan?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE General § 254.1 Who must submit a spill-response plan? (a) If you are the owner or operator of an oil handling... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Who must submit a spill-response plan? 254.1...
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DISPERSANT EFFECTIVENESS ON OIL SPILLS - IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
When a dispersant is applied to an oil slick, its effectiveness in dispersing the spilled oil depends on various factors such as oil properties, wave mixing energy, temperature of both oil and water, and salinity of the water. Estuaries represent water with varying salinities. In...
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Correlates of Harlequin Duck densities during winter in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Esler, Daniel N.; Bowman, Timothy D.; Dean, T.A.; O'Clair, Charles E.; Jewett, S.C.; McDonald, L.L.
2000-01-01
We evaluated relationships of Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) densities to habitat attributes, history of habitat contamination by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, and prey biomass density and abundance during winters 1995-1997 in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Habitat features that explained variation in duck densities included distance to streams and reefs, degree of exposure to wind and wave action, and dominant substrate type. After accounting for these effects, densities were lower in oiled than unoiled areas, suggesting that population recovery from the oil spill was not complete, due either to lack of recovery from initial oil spill effects or continuing deleterious effects. Prey biomass density and abundance were not strongly related to duck densities after accounting for habitat and area effects. Traits of Harlequin Ducks that reflect their affiliation with naturally predictable winter habitats, such as strong site fidelity and intolerance of increased energy costs, may make their populations particularly vulnerable to chronic oil spill effects and slow to recover from population reductions, which may explain lower densities than expected on oiled areas nearly a decade following the oil spill.
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Lecithins - promising oil spill cleaner
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
A new, non-polluting method of cleaning up oil spills at sea as well as on land has been developed by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Their technique is based on the use of lecithins, a byproduct of producing edible oils from plants. Lecithin molecules are hydrophyllic at one end and lipophilic at their tail ends. When they come into contact with water, they organize themselves into bilayers whose heads all face the water and whose tails are all directed towards each other. These bilayers form particles called liposomes that, when spread on water fouled by oil spills, changemore » the properties of the oil thereby stopping the spreading and breaking it down into sticky droplets that continue to float on the surface and can be easily collected. The treatment is said to be effective in both fresh and salt water and is almost temperature and pH independent. Another beneficial effect is that the physical change generated by liposomes in the spilled oil improves the ability of oil-eating bacteria in the water to remove some of the spill by bioremediation.« less
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Satellite monitoring of sea surface pollution. [North and Irish Seas
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Fielder, G.; Hall, T. S. (Principal Investigator); Telfer, D. J.; Wilson, L.; Fryer, R. J.
1980-01-01
Thermal IR data from NASA's Heat Capacity Mapping Mission were used in a study of the feasibility of detecting oil spills in the seas around the UK. The period of observation covered the years 1978/9, in which there were no major spills in the area. A video processor capable of generating false color renderings of any satellite image from eight density levels was used in the synoptic search for spills. Other laboratory equipment, and associated analyses, were used to study the thermal behavior of oil spills on water. Oil spills may appear to be warmer or cooler that the surrounding sea, depending on numerous factors.
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Technical product bulletin: aka OIL SOLUTIONS POWDER, SPILL GREEN LS, this miscellaneous oil spill control agent used in cleanups initially behaves like a synthetic sorbent, then as a solidifier as the molecular microencapsulating process occurs.
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... oil, assessing shoreline impact, and evaluating accepted cleanup technologies. Students and teachers can find a variety of oil spill-related educational resources in our Education section . For stories, news, and updates about current, notable, and historical ...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-06-03
... regarding those closures to the public during a public health emergency or oil spill characterized by... regulations to address a public health emergency or oil spill. Section 305(c)(3) states: (3) Any emergency... on a permanent basis; (C) that responds to a public health emergency or an oil spill may remain in...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-12-03
... research related to the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. To date, an additional nine... issued solely for research related to the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill research in the Gulf of Mexico... for research related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Table 1--Summary of HMS Exempted Permits...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-22
... in late August. Given the dynamic nature of the ongoing Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill in the Gulf... boat fishing effort that may be related to the oil spill. The number of captain interviews conducted... effects of the oil spill on Gulf recreational fisheries. Results from the increased sampling program can...
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Meo, Sultan Ayoub; Al-Drees, Abdul Majeed; Rasheed, Shahzad; Meo, Imran Mu; Khan, Muhammad Mujahid; Al-Saadi, Muslim M; Alkandari, Jasem Ramadan
2009-01-01
Oil spill in sea water represents a huge environmental disaster for marine life and humans in the vicinity. The aim was to investigate the effect of duration of exposure to polluted air environment on lung function in subjects exposed to crude oil spill into sea water. The present study was conducted under the supervision of Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the period July 2003 - December 2004. This was a comparative study of spirometry in 31 apparently healthy, non smoking, male workers, exposed to crude oil spill environment during the oil cleaning operation. The exposed group was matched with similar number of male, non smoking control subjects. Pulmonary function test was performed by using an electronic spirometer. Subjects exposed to polluted air for periods longer than 15 days showed a significant reduction in Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in First Second (FEV1), Forced Expiratory Flow in 25-25% (FEF25-75%) and Maximal Voluntary Ventilation (MVV). Air environment polluted due to crude oil spill into sea water caused impaired lung function and this impairment was associated with dose response effect of duration of exposure to air polluted by crude oil spill into sea water.
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Tracking and Monitoring Oil Slicks Using remote Sensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Klemas, V. V.
2011-12-01
Tracking and Monitoring Oil Slicks Using Remote Sensing Victor Klemas, Ph.D. , College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 Abstract Oil spills can harm marine life in the ocean, estuaries and wetlands. To limit the damage by a spill and facilitate cleanup efforts, emergency managers need information on spill location, size and extent, direction and speed of oil movement, wind, current, and wave information for predicting oil drift and dispersion. The main operational data requirements are fast turn-around time and frequent imaging to monitor the dynamics of the spill. Radar and multispectral remote sensors on satellites and aircraft meet most of these requirements by tracking the spilled oil at various resolutions, over wide areas and at frequent intervals. They also provide key inputs to drift prediction models and facilitate targeting of skimming and booming efforts. Satellite data are frequently supplemented by information provided by aircraft, ships and remotely controlled underwater robots. The Sea Princess tanker grounding off the coast of Wales and the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico provide two representative, yet different, scenarios for evaluating the effectiveness of remote sensors during oil spill emergencies. Session NH17: Remote Sensing of Natural Hazards Session Chair: Ramesh P. Singh Sponsor: Natural Hazards (NH)
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Warr, Laurence N.; Friese, André; Schwarz, Florian; Schauer, Frieder; Portier, Ralph J.; Basirico, Laura M.; Olson, Gregory M.
2013-01-01
Much oil spill research has focused on fertilizing hydrocarbon oxidising bacteria, but a primary limitation is the rapid dilution of additives in open waters. A new technique is presented for bioremediation by adding nutrient amendments to the oil spill using thin filmed minerals comprised largely of Fullers Earth clay. Together with adsorbed N and P fertilizers, filming additives, and organoclay, clay flakes can be engineered to float on seawater, attach to the oil, and slowly release contained nutrients. Our laboratory experiments of microbial activity on weathered source oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico show fertilized clay treatment significantly enhanced bacterial respiration and consumption of alkanes compared to untreated oil-in-water conditions and reacted faster than straight fertilization. Whereas a major portion (up to 98%) of the alkane content was removed during the 1 month period of experimentation by fertilized clay flake interaction; the reduced concentration of polyaromatic hydrocarbons was not significantly different from the non-clay bearing samples. Such clay flake treatment could offer a way to more effectively apply the fertilizer to the spill in open nutrient poor waters and thus significantly reduce the extent and duration of marine oil spills, but this method is not expected to impact hydrocarbon toxicity. PMID:23864952
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Warr, Laurence N; Friese, André; Schwarz, Florian; Schauer, Frieder; Portier, Ralph J; Basirico, Laura M; Olson, Gregory M
2013-01-01
Much oil spill research has focused on fertilizing hydrocarbon oxidising bacteria, but a primary limitation is the rapid dilution of additives in open waters. A new technique is presented for bioremediation by adding nutrient amendments to the oil spill using thin filmed minerals comprised largely of Fullers Earth clay. Together with adsorbed N and P fertilizers, filming additives, and organoclay, clay flakes can be engineered to float on seawater, attach to the oil, and slowly release contained nutrients. Our laboratory experiments of microbial activity on weathered source oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico show fertilized clay treatment significantly enhanced bacterial respiration and consumption of alkanes compared to untreated oil-in-water conditions and reacted faster than straight fertilization. Whereas a major portion (up to 98%) of the alkane content was removed during the 1 month period of experimentation by fertilized clay flake interaction; the reduced concentration of polyaromatic hydrocarbons was not significantly different from the non-clay bearing samples. Such clay flake treatment could offer a way to more effectively apply the fertilizer to the spill in open nutrient poor waters and thus significantly reduce the extent and duration of marine oil spills, but this method is not expected to impact hydrocarbon toxicity.
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Deepwater Horizon - Estimating surface oil volume distribution in real time
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lehr, B.; Simecek-Beatty, D.; Leifer, I.
2011-12-01
Spill responders to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill required both the relative spatial distribution and total oil volume of the surface oil. The former was needed on a daily basis to plan and direct local surface recovery and treatment operations. The latter was needed less frequently to provide information for strategic response planning. Unfortunately, the standard spill observation methods were inadequate for an oil spill this size, and new, experimental, methods, were not ready to meet the operational demands of near real-time results. Traditional surface oil estimation tools for large spills include satellite-based sensors to define the spatial extent (but not thickness) of the oil, complemented with trained observers in small aircraft, sometimes supplemented by active or passive remote sensing equipment, to determine surface percent coverage of the 'thick' part of the slick, where the vast majority of the surface oil exists. These tools were also applied to DWH in the early days of the spill but the shear size of the spill prevented synoptic information of the surface slick through the use small aircraft. Also, satellite images of the spill, while large in number, varied considerably in image quality, requiring skilled interpretation of them to identify oil and eliminate false positives. Qualified staff to perform this task were soon in short supply. However, large spills are often events that overcome organizational inertia to the use of new technology. Two prime examples in DWH were the application of hyper-spectral scans from a high-altitude aircraft and more traditional fixed-wing aircraft using multi-spectral scans processed by use of a neural network to determine, respectively, absolute or relative oil thickness. But, with new technology, come new challenges. The hyper-spectral instrument required special viewing conditions that were not present on a daily basis and analysis infrastructure to process the data that was not available at the command post. Very few days provided sufficient observation quality and spatial coverage. Future application of this method will require solving both the observational and analysis challenges demonstrated at DWH. Similarly, the multi-spectral scanner results could only be interpreted by a handful of individuals, causing some logistical problems incorporating the observational results with the incident command decisions. This roadblock may go away as the spill response community becomes more familiar with the technology.
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Levy, Barry S; Nassetta, William J
2011-01-01
In April 2010, an explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers, injured 17 workers, and spilled an estimated 185 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf. Adverse effects on the health of cleanup workers, fishermen, and others as well as on the ecosystem are being studied. This paper reviews published studies of the adverse health effects due to previous oil spills. Acute effects have included: respiratory, eye, and skin symptoms; headache; nausea; dizziness; and tiredness or fatigue. Chronic effects have included: psychological disorders, respiratory disorders, genotoxic effects, and endocrine abnormalities. We also present a systematic approach to evaluating individuals exposed to oil spills.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
NONE
1994-01-01
The objective of the study was to determine the impact of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on juvenile pink and chum salmon during their initial period of residency in nearshore marine habitats of western Prince William Sound. In oiled locations, both pink and chum salmon fry in the nearshore marine environment observations and laboratory experiments indicated that ingestion of whole oil or oil-contaminated prey was an important route of contamination.
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Esler, Daniel N.; Ballachey, Brenda E.; Bowen, Lizabeth; Miles, A. Keith; Dickson, Rian D.; Henderson, John D.
2017-01-01
The authors quantified hepatic hydrocarbon-inducible cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) expression, as ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, in wintering harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) captured in Prince William Sound, Alaska (USA), during 2011, 2013, and 2014 (22–25 yr following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill). Average EROD activity was compared between birds from areas oiled by the spill and those from nearby unoiled areas. The present study replicated studies conducted from 1998 to 2009 demonstrating that harlequin ducks using areas oiled in 1989 had elevated EROD activity, indicative of oil exposure, up to 2 decades post spill. In the present study, it was found that average EROD activity during March 2011 was significantly higher in wintering harlequin ducks captured in oiled areas relative to unoiled areas, which the authors interpret to indicate that harlequin ducks continued to be exposed to residual Exxon Valdez oil up to 22 yr after the original spill. However, the 2011 results also indicated reductions in exposure relative to previous years. Average EROD activity in birds from oiled areas was approximately 2 times that in birds from unoiled areas in 2011, compared with observations from 2005 to 2009, in which EROD activity was 3 to 5 times higher in oiled areas. It was also found that average EROD activity during March 2013 and March 2014 was not elevated in wintering harlequin ducks from oiled areas. The authors interpret these findings to indicate that exposure of harlequin ducks to residual Exxon Valdez oil abated within 24 yr after the original spill. The present study finalizes a timeline of exposure, extending over 2 decades, for a bird species thought to be particularly vulnerable to oil contamination in marine environments
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Oil spill dispersants: boon or bane?
Prince, Roger C
2015-06-02
Dispersants provide a reliable large-scale response to catastrophic oil spills that can be used when the preferable option of recapturing the oil cannot be achieved. By allowing even mild wave action to disperse floating oil into tiny droplets (<70 μm) in the water column, seabirds, reptiles, and mammals are protected from lethal oiling at the surface, and microbial biodegradation is dramatically increased. Recent work has clarified how dramatic this increase is likely to be: beached oil has an environmental residence of years, whereas dispersed oil has a half-life of weeks. Oil spill response operations endorse the concept of net environmental benefit, that any environmental costs imposed by a response technique must be outweighed by the likely benefits. This critical review discusses the potential environmental debits and credits from dispersant use and concludes that, in most cases, the potential environmental costs of adding these chemicals to a polluted area are likely outweighed by the much shorter residence time, and hence integrated environmental impact, of the spilled oil in the environment.
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Towards improving the representation of beaching in oil spill models: a case study.
Samaras, Achilleas G; De Dominicis, Michela; Archetti, Renata; Lamberti, Alberto; Pinardi, Nadia
2014-11-15
Oil-shoreline interaction (or "beaching" as commonly referred to in literature) is an issue of major concern in oil spill modeling, due to the significant environmental, social and economic importance of coastal areas. The present work studies the improvement of the representation of beaching brought by the introduction of the Oil Holding Capacity approach to estimate oil concentration on coast, along with new approaches for coast type assignment to shoreline segments and the calculation of permanent oil attachment to the coast. The above were tested for the Lebanon oil spill of 2006, using a modified version of the open-source oil spill model MEDSLIK-II. The modified model results were found to be in good agreement with field observations for the specific case study, and their comparison with the original model results denote the significant improvement in the fate of beached oil brought by the proposed changes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Liu, Qian-qian; Wang, Chun-yan; Shi, Xiao-feng; Li, Wen-dong; Luan, Xiao-ning; Hou, Shi-lin; Zhang, Jin-liang; Zheng, Rong-er
2012-04-01
In this paper, a new method was developed to differentiate the spill oil samples. The synchronous fluorescence spectra in the lower nonlinear concentration range of 10(-2) - 10(-1) g x L(-1) were collected to get training data base. Radial basis function artificial neural network (RBF-ANN) was used to identify the samples sets, along with principal component analysis (PCA) as the feature extraction method. The recognition rate of the closely-related oil source samples is 92%. All the results demonstrated that the proposed method could identify the crude oil samples effectively by just one synchronous spectrum of the spill oil sample. The method was supposed to be very suitable to the real-time spill oil identification, and can also be easily applied to the oil logging and the analysis of other multi-PAHs or multi-fluorescent mixtures.
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Potential oil spill risk from shipping and the implications for management in the Caribbean Sea.
Singh, Asha; Asmath, Hamish; Chee, Candice Leung; Darsan, Junior
2015-04-15
The semi enclosed Caribbean Sea is ranked as having one of the most intense maritime traffic in the world. These maritime activities have led to significant oil pollution. Simultaneously, this sea supports many critical habitats functioning as a Large Marine Ecosystem (LME). While the impacts of oil pollution are recognised, a number of management challenges remain. This study applies spatial modelling to identify critical areas potentially at risk from oil spills in the form of a potential oil spill risk (POSR) model. The model indicates that approximately 83% of the sea could be potentially impacted by oil spills due to shipping. The results from this study collectively support a management framework for minimising ship generated oil pollution in the Caribbean Sea. Among the recommended components are a common policy, surveillance and monitoring controls, standards, monitoring programmes, data collection and greater rates of convention ratifications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Development of waterborne oil spill sensor based on printed ITO nanocrystals.
Koo, Jieun; Jung, Jung-Yeul; Lee, Sangtae; Lee, Moonjin; Chang, Jiho
2015-09-15
Oil spill accidents occasionally occur in coastal and ocean environments, and cause critical environmental damage, spoiling the marine habitats and ecosystems. To mitigate the damages, the species and amount of spilled oil should be monitored. In this study, we developed a waterborne oil spill sensor using a printed ITO layer. ITO is a compatible material for salty environments such as oceans because ITO is strong against corrosion. The fabricated sensor was tested using three oils, gasoline, lubricant and diesel, and different oil thicknesses of 0, 5, 10, and 15mm. The results showed that the resistance of the sensor clearly increased with the oil thickness and its electrical resistance. For sustainable sensing applications in marine environments, XRD patterns confirmed that the crystal structure of the ITO sensor did not change and FE-SEM images showed that the surface was clearly maintained after tests. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Urakawa, Hidetoshi; Garcia, Juan C; Barreto, Patricia D; Molina, Gabriela A; Barreto, Jose C
2012-05-01
The sensitivity of nitrifiers to crude oil released by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Gulf of Mexico was examined using characterized ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea to develop a bioassay and to gain further insight into the ecological response of these two groups of microorganisms to marine oil spills. Inhibition of nitrite production was observed among all the tested ammonia-oxidizing organisms at 100 ppb crude oil. Nitrosopumilus maritimus, a cultured representative of the abundant Marine Group I Archaea, showed 20% inhibition at 1 ppb, a much greater degree of sensitivity to petroleum than the tested ammonia-oxidizing and heterotrophic bacteria. The differing susceptibility may have ecological significance since a shift to bacterial dominance in response to an oil spill could potentially persist and alter trophic interactions influenced by availability of different nitrogen species. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Study on Inland River Vessel Fuel-oil Spillage and Emergency Response Strategies
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, R. C.; Shi, N.; Wang, K. S.
2017-12-01
by making statistics and conducting regression analysis on the carrying volume of vessels navigating on inland rivers and coastal waters, the linear relation between the oil volume carried by a vessel and its gross tonnage (GT) is found. Based on the linear relation, the possible spillage of a 10,000 GT vessel is estimated by using the empirical formula method which is commonly used to measure oil spillage from any vessel spill incident. In the waters downstream of Yangtze River, the trajectory and fates model is used to predict the drifting paths and fates of the spilled oil under three weather scenarios, and then, the emergency response strategies for vessel oil spills are put forth. The results of the research can be used to develop an empirical method to quickly estimate oil spillage and provide recommendations on oil spill emergency response strategies for decision-makers.
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In 1989, the oil tanker struck Bligh Reef and spilled over 11 million gallons of crude oil. The spill was the largest in U.S. history and tested the abilities of local, national, and industrial organizations to prepare for and respond to such a disaster.
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Liu, Yao-Zhong; Roy-Engel, Astrid M; Baddoo, Melody C; Flemington, Erik K; Wang, Guangdi; Wang, He
2015-01-01
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (BP oil spill) in the Gulf of Mexico was a unique disaster event, where a huge amount of oil spilled from the sea bed and a large volume of dispersants were applied to clean the spill. The operation lasted for almost three months and involved >50,000 workers. The potential health hazards to these workers may be significant as previous research suggested an association of persistent respiratory symptoms with exposure to oil and oil dispersants. To reveal the potential effects of oil and oil dispersants on the respiratory system at the molecular level, we evaluated the transcriptomic profile of human airway epithelial cells grown under treatment of crude oil, the dispersants Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527 and oil-dispersant mixtures. We identified a very strong effect of Corexit 9500 treatment, with 84 genes (response genes) differentially expressed in treatment vs. control samples. We discovered an interactive effect of oil-dispersant mixtures; while no response gene was found for Corexit 9527 treatment alone, cells treated with Corexit 9527 + oil mixture showed an increased number of response genes (46 response genes), suggesting a synergic effect of 9527 with oil on airway epithelial cells. Through GO (gene ontology) functional term and pathway-based analysis, we identified upregulation of gene sets involved in angiogenesis and immune responses and downregulation of gene sets involved in cell junctions and steroid synthesis as the prevailing transcriptomic signatures in the cells treated with Corexit 9500, oil or Corexit 9500 + oil mixture. Interestingly, these key molecular signatures coincide with important pathological features observed in common lung diseases, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Our study provides mechanistic insights into the detrimental effects of oil and oil dispersants to the respiratory system and suggests significant health impacts of the recent BP oil spill to those people involved in the cleaning operation. PMID:26692141
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Biodegradability Of Lingering Crude Oil 19 Years After The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
In 2001 and 2003, geospatial surveys of lingering oil were conducted in Prince William Sound (PWS) resulting in a prediction of significant acreage being contaminated with substantial subsurface oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). In 2007, other researchers d...
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Grose, P.L.; Mattson, J.S.; Petersen, H.
1979-08-01
This report presents the studies and findings of the NOAA-USCG Spilled Oil Research and Greenland Fisheries Investigations, Ministry for Greenland teams which responded to study the spill. In summary, the fate of the 107,000 gallons of spilled Bunker-C fuel was that 33% evaporated; the major part of the remaining seems to have sunk in 1,000 meters of water over a large area of Melville Bay and a small part remained on the surface as small pancakes. A very small amount of the oil was accommodated into the water column. Melville Bay is not a highly bioproductive area in terms ofmore » fisheries, although it is important as a native sealing area. It was concluded that the oil spilled from the USNS Potomac significantly contributed to the pollution of Melville Bay which normally has very low petroleum hydrocarbon levels in its surface waters. This incident probably had no lasting effect on the ecology of the region.« less
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van der Ham, Joris L.; de Mutsert, Kim
2014-01-01
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacted Louisiana's coastal estuaries physically, chemically, and biologically. To better understand the ecological consequences of this oil spill on Louisiana estuaries, we compared the abundance and size of two Gulf shrimp species (Farfantepeneus aztecus and Litopeneus setiferus) in heavily affected and relatively unaffected estuaries, before and after the oil spill. Two datasets were used to conduct this study: data on shrimp abundance and size before the spill were available from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). Data on shrimp abundance and size from after the spill were independently collected by the authors and by LDWF. Using a Before-After-Control-Impact with Paired sampling (BACIP) design with monthly samples of two selected basins, we found brown shrimp to become more abundant and the mean size of white shrimp to become smaller. Using a BACIP with data on successive shrimp year-classes of multiple basins, we found both species to become more abundant in basins that were affected by the spill, while mean shrimp size either not change after the spill, or increased in both affected and unaffected basins. We conclude that following the oil spill abundances of both species increased within affected estuaries, whereas mean size may have been unaffected. We propose two factors that may have caused these results: 1) exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may have reduced the growth rate of shrimp, resulting in a delayed movement of shrimp to offshore habitats, and an increase of within-estuary shrimp abundance, and 2) fishing closures established immediately after the spill, may have resulted in decreased fishing effort and an increase in shrimp abundance. This study accentuates the complexities in determining ecological effects of oil spills, and the need of studies on the organismal level to reveal cause-and-effect relationships of such events. PMID:25272142
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sandven, Stein; Kudriavtsev, Vladimir; Malinovsky, Vladimir; Stanovoy, Vladimir
2008-01-01
DEMOSS will develop and demonstrate elements of a marine oil spill detection and prediction system based on satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and other space data. In addition, models for prediction of sea surface pollution drift will be developed and tested. The project implements field experiments to study the effect of artificial crude oil and oil derivatives films on short wind waves and multi-frequency (Ka-, Ku-, X-, and C-band) dual polarization radar backscatter power and Doppler shift at different wind and wave conditions. On the basis of these and other available experimental data, the present model of short wind waves and radar scattering will be improved and tested.A new approach for detection and quantification of the oil slicks/spills in satellite SAR images is developed that can discriminate human oil spills from biogenic slicks and look-alikes in the SAR images. New SAR images are obtained in coordination with the field experiments to test the detection algorithm. Satellite SAR images from archives as well as from new acquisitions will be analyzed for the Black/Caspian/Kara/Barents seas to investigate oil slicks/spills occurrence statistics.A model for oil spills/slicks transport and evolution is developed and tested in ice-infested arctic seas, including the Caspian Sea. Case studies using the model will be conducted to simulate drift and evolution of oil spill events observed in SAR images. The results of the project will be disseminated via scientific publications and by demonstration to users and agencies working with marine monitoring. The project lasts for two years (2007 - 2009) and is funded under INTAS Thematic Call with ESA 2006.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Texley, Juliana
1991-01-01
The impact of oil spills and oil fires in the Persian Gulf is discussed. Activities to be done in the classroom that simulate oil spills are presented. Sample discussion questions and direction for the activities are included. (KR)
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Han, Jeonghoon; Won, Eun-Ji; Kang, Hye-Min; Lee, Min-Chul; Jeong, Chang-Bum; Kim, Hui-Su; Hwang, Dae-Sik; Lee, Jae-Seong
2017-11-30
Recently, accidental spills of heavy oil have caused adverse effects in marine organisms. Oil pollution can induce damages on development and reproduction, linking with detrimental effects on diverse molecular levels of genes and proteins in plankton and fish. However, most information was mainly focused on marine vertebrates and consequently, limited information was available in marine invertebrates. Furthermore, there is still a lack of knowledge bridging in vivo endpoints with the functional regulation of cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes in response to oil spill pollution in marine invertebrates. In this paper, adverse effects of oil spill pollution in marine invertebrates are summarized with the importance of CYP genes as a potential biomarker, applying for environmental monitoring to detect oil spill using marine copepods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Identification of spilled oils by NIR spectroscopy technology based on KPCA and LSSVM
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tan, Ailing; Bi, Weihong
2011-08-01
Oil spills on the sea surface are seen relatively often with the development of the petroleum exploitation and transportation of the sea. Oil spills are great threat to the marine environment and the ecosystem, thus the oil pollution in the ocean becomes an urgent topic in the environmental protection. To develop the oil spill accident treatment program and track the source of the spilled oils, a novel qualitative identification method combined Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA) and Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM) was proposed. The proposed method adapt Fourier transform NIR spectrophotometer to collect the NIR spectral data of simulated gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene oil spills samples and do some pretreatments to the original spectrum. We use the KPCA algorithm which is an extension of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using techniques of kernel methods to extract nonlinear features of the preprocessed spectrum. Support Vector Machines (SVM) is a powerful methodology for solving spectral classification tasks in chemometrics. LSSVM are reformulations to the standard SVMs which lead to solving a system of linear equations. So a LSSVM multiclass classification model was designed which using Error Correcting Output Code (ECOC) method borrowing the idea of error correcting codes used for correcting bit errors in transmission channels. The most common and reliable approach to parameter selection is to decide on parameter ranges, and to then do a grid search over the parameter space to find the optimal model parameters. To test the proposed method, 375 spilled oil samples of unknown type were selected to study. The optimal model has the best identification capabilities with the accuracy of 97.8%. Experimental results show that the proposed KPCA plus LSSVM qualitative analysis method of near infrared spectroscopy has good recognition result, which could work as a new method for rapid identification of spilled oils.
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THE OHIO RIVER OIL SPILL: A CASE STUDY
The spill of diesel oil fuel from an Ashland Oil storage tank in January 1988 on the Monongahela River raised a number of technical, legislative, and administrative issues. These include as assessing long- and short-term environmental damage, evaluating regulations regarding oil ...
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Timelines and mechanisms of wildlife population recovery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Esler, Daniel; Ballachey, Brenda E.; Matkin, Craig; Cushing, Daniel; Kaler, Robert; Bodkin, James; Monson, Daniel; Esslinger, George; Kloecker, Kim
2018-01-01
Research and monitoring activities over the 28 years since the T/V Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska have led to an improved understanding of how wildlife populations were damaged, as well as the mechanisms and timelines of recovery. A key finding was that for some species, such as harlequin ducks and sea otters, chronic oil spill effects persisted for at least two decades and were a larger influence on population dynamics over the long term than acute effects of the spill. These data also offer insights into population variation resulting from factors other than the oil spill. For example, while many seabirds experienced direct and indirect effects of the spill, population trajectories of some piscivorous birds, including pigeon guillemots and marbled murrelets, were linked to long-term environmental changes independent of spill effects. Another species, killer whales, suffered population declines due to acute spill effects that have not been resolved despite lack of chronic direct effects, representing a novel pathway of long-term injury. The observed variation in mechanisms and timelines of recovery is linked to species specific life history and natural history traits, and thus may be useful for predicting population recovery for other species following other spills.
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Timelines and mechanisms of wildlife population recovery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Esler, Daniel N.; Ballachey, Brenda E.; Matkin, Craig O.; Cushing, Daniel; Kaler, Robert; Bodkin, James L.; Monson, Daniel; Esslinger, George G.; Kloecker, Kimberly A.
2018-01-01
Research and monitoring activities over the 28 years since the T/V Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska have led to an improved understanding of how wildlife populations were damaged, as well as the mechanisms and timelines of recovery. A key finding was that for some species, such as harlequin ducks and sea otters, chronic oil spill effects persisted for at least two decades and were a larger influence on population dynamics over the long term than acute effects of the spill. These data also offer insights into population variation resulting from factors other than the oil spill. For example, while many seabirds experienced direct and indirect effects of the spill, population trajectories of some piscivorous birds, including pigeon guillemots and marbled murrelets, were linked to long-term environmental changes independent of spill effects. Another species, killer whales, suffered population declines due to acute spill effects that have not been resolved despite lack of chronic direct effects, representing a novel pathway of long-term injury. The observed variation in mechanisms and timelines of recovery is linked to species specific life history and natural history traits, and thus may be useful for predicting population recovery for other species following other spills.
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-07-01
... Resources BUREAU OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.20 Purpose. This subpart describes the requirements for preparing spill...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-07-01
... Resources BUREAU OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.20 Purpose. This subpart describes the requirements for preparing spill...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.20 Purpose. This subpart describes the requirements for preparing spill-response plans for...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-07-01
... Resources BUREAU OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.20 Purpose. This subpart describes the requirements for preparing spill...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Oseni, O.
2016-12-01
This paper explores the impacts of oil spill on the physical environment with particular attention paid to the NNPC/PPMC pipeline system. It focuses on the environmental impacts of oil pollution in Nigeria, and discusses the increasing environmental contradictions of the area, and its influence on global warming. Nigeria's economy is highly dependent on earnings from the oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. Since the discovery of oil in Nigeria in 1956, the country has been suffering the negative environmental consequences of oil exploration and exploitation. Between 1976 and 1996 a total of 4647 incidents resulted in the spill of approximately 2,369,470 barrels of oil into the environment. The study traces the effects of the oil spillage on the environment to determine whether oil spill is a major factor responsible for environmental pollution. By the use of remotely sensed data and other ancillary data, the major causes of oil spill in the region were identified; the presence of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) in the environment, and it also determined the environmental impacts on land and water. Field observation and laboratory analysis of soil and water were used. Gas chromatography was used to determine the TPH concentration in soil extract and water extracts. Liquid-liquid extraction method was used for water and spectro-radiometer which is a very efficient process commonly used to determine spectral signature of various soil, water and plant samples obtained from the study area. Based largely on the GIS analysis, the findings showed that the main cause of oil spill is vandalism along the pipeline right of way; Vandalism which is an act of sabotage had the highest percentage compared to equipment failure, accident from oil tankers and accidental discharge during pipeline repairs. TPH were present at the site with soil samples having the high values, and the environmental impact on soil and water is due to poor resource management and control. Satellite imagery (Ikonos and Landsat series) helped in monitoring oil spill by providing the spill position. The petroleum industries should work with government agencies, universities and research centers to prevent oil spill incidents. Keywords: Environment, Pollution, GIS, TPH, Analysis, Vandalism.
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Nylon 6,6 Nonwoven Fabric Separates Oil Contaminates from Oil-in-Water Emulsions.
Ortega, Ryan A; Carter, Erin S; Ortega, Albert E
2016-01-01
Industrial oil spills into aquatic environments can have catastrophic environmental effects. First responders to oil spills along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the southern United States have used spunbond nylon fabric bags and fences to separate spilled oil and oil waste from contaminated water. Low area mass density spunbond nylon is capable of sorbing more than 16 times its mass in low viscosity crude oil and more than 26 times its mass in higher viscosity gear lube oil. Nylon bags separated more than 95% of gear lube oil contaminate from a 4.5% oil-in-water emulsion. Field testing of spunbond nylon fences by oil spill first responders has demonstrated the ability of this material to contain the oily contaminate while allowing water to flow through. We hypothesize that the effectiveness of nylon as an oil filter is due to the fact that it is both more oleophilic and more hydrophilic than other commonly used oil separation materials. The nylon traps oil droplets within the fabric or on the surface, while water droplets are free to flow through the fabric to the water on the opposite side of the fabric.
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Nylon 6,6 Nonwoven Fabric Separates Oil Contaminates from Oil-in-Water Emulsions
Carter, Erin S.; Ortega, Albert E.
2016-01-01
Industrial oil spills into aquatic environments can have catastrophic environmental effects. First responders to oil spills along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the southern United States have used spunbond nylon fabric bags and fences to separate spilled oil and oil waste from contaminated water. Low area mass density spunbond nylon is capable of sorbing more than 16 times its mass in low viscosity crude oil and more than 26 times its mass in higher viscosity gear lube oil. Nylon bags separated more than 95% of gear lube oil contaminate from a 4.5% oil-in-water emulsion. Field testing of spunbond nylon fences by oil spill first responders has demonstrated the ability of this material to contain the oily contaminate while allowing water to flow through. We hypothesize that the effectiveness of nylon as an oil filter is due to the fact that it is both more oleophilic and more hydrophilic than other commonly used oil separation materials. The nylon traps oil droplets within the fabric or on the surface, while water droplets are free to flow through the fabric to the water on the opposite side of the fabric. PMID:27411088
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clary, Renee M.; Sumrall, Jeanne L.; Rodgers, John C., III; Wandersee, James H.
2013-01-01
The 2010 "Deepwater Horizon" oil spill greatly affected the Gulf Coast, and the news media reported information to wide audiences. Students enrolled in an online Environmental Geoscience course in fall 2010 voluntarily participated in a Gulf oil spill survey. More than 92% of the students (N = 77; 83 total enrollment), who were primarily…
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1996-07-02
An Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) was conducted on the : subject oil spill incident response. The ISPR team was tasked with comparing the response in this case against current federal, state, and local oil spill response contingency pla...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Picou, J. Steven; And Others
Technological accidents such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 create man-made disaster situations that threaten community survival and the well-being and quality of life of community residents. This paper focuses on the social and psychological impact of the 1989 oil spill on Cordova, an isolated Alaskan community with high economic…
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Space Radar Image of North Sea, Germany
1999-05-01
This is an X-band image of an oil slick experiment conducted in the North Sea, Germany. The image is centered at 54.58 degrees north latitude and 7.48 degrees east longitude. This image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C and X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on October 6, 1994, during the second flight of the spaceborne radar. The experiment was designed to differentiate between petroleum oil spills and natural slicks floating on the sea surface. Two types of petroleum oil and six types of oils resembling natural sea surface slicks were poured on the sea surface from ships and a helicopter just before the space shuttle flew over the region. At the bottom of the image is the Sylt peninsula, a famous holiday resort. Twenty-six gallons (100 liters) of diesel oil was dissipated due to wave action before the shuttle reached the site. The oil spill seen at the uppermost part of the image is about 105 gallons (400 liters) of heavy heating oil and the largest spill is about 58 gallons (220 liters) of oleyl alcohol, resembling a "natural oil" like the remaining five spills used to imitate natural slicks that have occurred offshore from various states. The volume of these other oils spilled on the ocean surface during the five experimental spills varied from 16 gallons to 21 gallons (60 liters to 80 liters). The distance between neighboring spills was about half a mile (800 meters) at the most. The largest slick later thinned out to monomolecular sheets of about 10 microns, which is the dimension of a molecule. Oceanographers found that SIR-C/X-SAR was able to clearly distinguish the oil slicks from algae products dumped nearby. Preliminary indications are that various types of slicks may be distinguished, especially when other radar wavelengths are included in the analysis. Radar imaging of the world's oceans on a continuing basis may allow oceanographers in the future to detect and clean up oil spills much more swiftly than is currently possible. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01748
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
2002-09-01
The Federal Government plans to offer U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands in the Eastern Planning Area of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) for oil and gas leasing. This report summarizes results of that analysis, the objective of which was to estimate the risk of oil-spill contact to sensitive offshore and onshore environmental resources and socioeconomic features from oil spills accidentally occurring from the OCS activities.
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SAR observation and model tracking of an oil spill event in coastal waters.
Cheng, Yongcun; Li, Xiaofeng; Xu, Qing; Garcia-Pineda, Oscar; Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Pichel, William G
2011-02-01
Oil spills are a major contributor to marine pollution. The objective of this work is to simulate the oil spill trajectory of oil released from a pipeline leaking in the Gulf of Mexico with the GNOME (General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment) model. The model was developed by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to investigate the effects of different pollutants and environmental conditions on trajectory results. Also, a Texture-Classifying Neural Network Algorithm (TCNNA) was used to delineate ocean oil slicks from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations. During the simulation, ocean currents from NCOM (Navy Coastal Ocean Model) outputs and surface wind data measured by an NDBC (National Data Buoy Center) buoy are used to drive the GNOME model. The results show good agreement between the simulated trajectory of the oil spill and synchronous observations from the European ENVISAT ASAR (Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar) and the Japanese ALOS (Advanced Land Observing Satellite) PALSAR (Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar) images. Based on experience with past marine oil spills, about 63.0% of the oil will float and 18.5% of the oil will evaporate and disperse. In addition, the effects from uncertainty of ocean currents and the diffusion coefficient on the trajectory results are also studied. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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MODELING DISPERSANT INTERACTIONS WITH OIL SPILLS
EPA is developing a model called the EPA Research Object-Oriented Oil Spill Model (ERO3S) and associated databases to simulate the impacts of dispersants on oil slicks. Because there are features of oil slicks that align naturally with major concepts of object-oriented programmi...
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Investigation of Oil Fluorescence as a Technique for the Remote Sensing of Oil Spills
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1971-06-01
The flexibility of remote sensing of oil spills by laser-excited oil fluorescence is investigated. The required parameters are fed into a physical model to predict signal and background levels; and the predictions are verified by field experiments. A...
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CONTAMINANT REDISTRIBUTION CAN CONFOUND INTERPRETATION OF OIL-SPILL BIOREMEDIATION STUDIES
The physical redistribution of oil between the inside and outside of experimental plots can affect the results of bioremediation field studies that are conducted on shorelines contaminated by real oil spills. Because untreated oil from the surrounding beach will enter the plot, ...
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DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1997-07-18
This scoping risk assessment is an initial charaacterization of the hazards which can cause oil spills by ships underway and the environmental sensitivity to such spills; deathes, injuries, and property losses are not accounted for in the consequence...
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OIL SPILL RESPONSE SCENARIOS FOR REMOTE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENTS
Special problems occur during oil spill cleanup in remote inland areas in cold climates. In Alaska these problems result from the harsh climate, the unusual terrain features, and the special problems of spills along swift rivers. The analysis begins with a description of the envi...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Korotenko, K.
2003-04-01
An ultra-high-resolution version of DieCAST was adjusted for the Adriatic Sea and coupled with an oil spill model. Hydrodynamic module was developed on base of th low dissipative, four-order-accuracy version DieCAST with the resolution of ~2km. The oil spill model was developed on base of particle tracking technique The effect of evaporation is modeled with an original method developed on the base of the pseudo-component approach. A special dialog interface of this hybrid system allowing direct coupling to meteorlogical data collection systems or/and meteorological models. Experiments with hypothetic oil spill are analyzed for the Northern Adriatic Sea. Results (animations) of mesoscale circulation and oil slick modeling are presented at wabsite http://thayer.dartmouth.edu/~cushman/adriatic/movies/
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Wu, Yongsheng; Hannah, Charles G; Thupaki, Pramod; Mo, Ruping; Law, Brent
2017-01-15
Raindrops falling on the sea surface produce turbulence. The present study examined the influence of rain-induced turbulence on oil droplet size and dispersion of oil spills in Douglas Channel in British Columbia, Canada using hourly atmospheric data in 2011-2013. We examined three types of oils: a light oil (Cold Lake Diluent - CLD), and two heavy oils (Cold Lake Blend - CLB and Access Western Blend - AWB). We found that the turbulent energy dissipation rate produced by rainfalls is comparable to what is produced by wind-induced wave breaking in our study area. With the use of chemical dispersants, our results indicate that a heavy rainfall (rain rate>20mmh -1 ) can produce the maximum droplet size of 300μm for light oil and 1000μm for heavy oils, and it can disperse the light oil with fraction of 22-45% and the heavy oils of 8-13%, respectively. Heavy rainfalls could be a factor for the fate of oil spills in Douglas Channel, especially for a spill of light oil and the use of chemical dispersants. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Challenges to oil spill assessment for seabirds in the deep ocean
Haney, J. Christopher; Jodice, Patrick G. R.; Montevecchi, William; Evers, David C.
2017-01-01
We synthesize impediments for evaluating effects to seabirds from open ocean hydrocarbon releases. Effects on seabirds from ship discharges, spills, and well blowouts often are poorly detected and monitored far from land. Regulatory regimes for ocean spills can result in monitoring efforts that are not entirely transparent. We illustrate how interdisciplinary technologies address deficits that hamper individual or population level assessments for seabirds, and we demonstrate where emerging technologies might be engaged to bridge gaps in oil spill monitoring. Although acute mortality from direct oil exposure poses the greatest risk to seabirds, other hazards from light-attraction, flaring, collisions, chronic pollution, and hydrocarbon inhalation around oil infrastructure also may induce bird mortality in the deep ocean.
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Oil spill treatment products approval: the UK approach and potential application to the Gulf region.
Kirby, Mark F; Law, Robin J
2008-07-01
The environmental threat from oil spills remains significant across the globe and particularly in regions of high oil production and transport such as the Gulf. The ultimate damage caused can be limited by mitigation actions that responders deploy. The responsible and appropriate use of oil spill treatment products (e.g. dispersants, sorbents etc.) can offer response options that can result in substantial net environmental benefit. However, the approval and choice of what products to use needs careful consideration. The United Kingdom has had in place a statutory approval scheme for oil spill treatment products for 30 years. It is based on measures of efficiency and environmental acceptability. Two toxicity tests form an integral part of the assessment, the Sea test and the Rocky Shore test, and work on the premise that approved products will not make the situation significantly worse when added to spilled oil. This paper outlines the UK approach and how its rationale might be applied to the approval of products specific for the Gulf region. Issues such as species choice, higher temperatures and salinity and regional environmental conditions are considered.
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Multisensor surveillance data augmentation and prediction with optical multipath signal processing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bush, G. T., III
1980-12-01
The spatial characteristics of an oil spill on the high seas are examined in the interest of determining whether linear-shift-invariant data processing implemented on an optical computer would be a useful tool in analyzing spill behavior. Simulations were performed on a digital computer using data obtained from a 25,000 gallon spill of soy bean oil in the open ocean. Marked changes occurred in the observed spatial frequencies when the oil spill was encountered. An optical detector may readily be developed to sound an alarm automatically when this happens. The average extent of oil spread between sequential observations was quantified by a simulation of non-holographic optical computation. Because a zero crossover was available in this computation, it may be possible to construct a system to measure automatically the amount of spread. Oil images were subjected to deconvolutional filtering to reveal the force field which acted upon the oil to cause spreading. Some features of spill-size prediction were observed. Calculations based on two sequential photos produced an image which exhibited characteristics of the third photo in that sequence.
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An Approach of Registration between Remote Sensing Image and Electronic Chart Based on Coastal Line
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Ying; Yu, Shuiming; Li, Chuanlong
Remote sensing plays an important role marine oil spill emergency. In order to implement a timely and effective countermeasure, it is important to provide exact position of oil spills. Therefore it is necessary to match remote sensing image and electronic chart properly. Variance ordinarily exists between oil spill image and electronic chart, although geometric correction is applied to remote sensing image. It is difficult to find the steady control points on sea to make exact rectification of remote sensing image. An improved relaxation algorithm was developed for finding the control points along the coastline since oil spills occurs generally near the coast. A conversion function is created with the least square, and remote sensing image can be registered with the vector map based on this function. SAR image was used as the remote sensing data and shape format map as the electronic chart data. The results show that this approach can guarantee the precision of the registration, which is essential for oil spill monitoring.
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Abascal, Ana J; Sanchez, Jorge; Chiri, Helios; Ferrer, María I; Cárdenas, Mar; Gallego, Alejandro; Castanedo, Sonia; Medina, Raúl; Alonso-Martirena, Andrés; Berx, Barbara; Turrell, William R; Hughes, Sarah L
2017-06-15
This paper presents a novel operational oil spill modelling system based on HF radar currents, implemented in a northwest European shelf sea. The system integrates Open Modal Analysis (OMA), Short Term Prediction algorithms (STPS) and an oil spill model to simulate oil spill trajectories. A set of 18 buoys was used to assess the accuracy of the system for trajectory forecast and to evaluate the benefits of HF radar data compared to the use of currents from a hydrodynamic model (HDM). The results showed that simulated trajectories using OMA currents were more accurate than those obtained using a HDM. After 48h the mean error was reduced by 40%. The forecast skill of the STPS method was valid up to 6h ahead. The analysis performed shows the benefits of HF radar data for operational oil spill modelling, which could be easily implemented in other regions with HF radar coverage. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Improvement of operational prediction system applied to the oil spill prediction in the Yellow Sea
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, C.; Cho, Y.; Choi, B.; Jung, K.
2012-12-01
Multi-nested operational prediction system for the Yellow Sea (YS) has been developed to predict the movement of oil spill. Drifter trajectory simulations were performed to predict the path of the oil spill of the MV Hebei Spirit accident occurred on 7 December 2007. The oil spill trajectories at the surface predicted by numerical model without tidal forcing were remarkably faster than the observation. However the speed of drifters predicted by model considering tide was satisfactorily improved not only for the motion with tidal cycle but also for the motion with subtidal period. The subtidal flow of the simulation with tide was weaker than that without tide due to tidal stress. Tidal stress decelerated the southward subtidal flows driven by northwesterly wind along the Korean coast of the YS in winter. This result provides a substantial implication that tide must be included for accurate prediction of oil spill trajectory not only for variation within a tidal cycle but also for longer time scale advection in tide dominant area.
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Depellegrin, Daniel; Pereira, Paulo
2016-01-15
This study presents a series of oil spill indexes for the characterization of physical and biological sensitivity in unsheltered coastal environments. The case study extends over 237 km of Lithuanian-Russian coastal areas subjected to multiple oil spill threats. Results show that 180 km of shoreline have environmental sensitivity index (ESI) of score 3. Natural clean-up processes depending on (a) shoreline sinuosity, (b) orientation and (c) wave exposure are favourable on 72 km of shoreline. Vulnerability analysis from pre-existing Kravtsovskoye D6 platform oil spill scenarios indicates that 15.1 km of the Curonian Spit have high impact probability. The highest seafloor sensitivity within the 20 m isobath is at the Vistula Spit and Curonian Spit, whereas biological sensitivity is moderate over the entire study area. The paper concludes with the importance of harmonized datasets and methodologies for transboundary oil spill impact assessment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Segmentation of Oil Spills on Side-Looking Airborne Radar Imagery with Autoencoders.
Gallego, Antonio-Javier; Gil, Pablo; Pertusa, Antonio; Fisher, Robert B
2018-03-06
In this work, we use deep neural autoencoders to segment oil spills from Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) imagery. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been much exploited for ocean surface monitoring, especially for oil pollution detection, but few approaches in the literature use SLAR. Our sensor consists of two SAR antennas mounted on an aircraft, enabling a quicker response than satellite sensors for emergency services when an oil spill occurs. Experiments on TERMA radar were carried out to detect oil spills on Spanish coasts using deep selectional autoencoders and RED-nets (very deep Residual Encoder-Decoder Networks). Different configurations of these networks were evaluated and the best topology significantly outperformed previous approaches, correctly detecting 100% of the spills and obtaining an F 1 score of 93.01% at the pixel level. The proposed autoencoders perform accurately in SLAR imagery that has artifacts and noise caused by the aircraft maneuvers, in different weather conditions and with the presence of look-alikes due to natural phenomena such as shoals of fish and seaweed.
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Johnson, B. Thomas; Petty, J.D.; Huckins, J.N.; Lee, Kenneth; Gauthier, J.
2004-01-01
Phytoremediation in a simulated crude oil spill was studied with a “minimalistic” approach. The SPMD-TOX paradigm—a miniature passive sorptive device to collect and concentrate chemicals and microscale tests to detect toxicity—was used to monitor over time the bioavailability and potential toxicity of an oil spill. A simulated crude oil spill was initiated on an intertidal freshwater grass-wetland along the St. Lawrence River southwest of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Several phytoremediation treatments were investigated; to dissipate and ameliorate the spill, treatments included nutrient amendments with inorganic nitrogen sources (ammonium nitrate and sodium nitrate) and phosphate (super triple phosphate) with and without cut plants, with natural attenuation (no phytoremedial treatment) as a control. Sequestered oil residues were bioavailable in all oil-treated plots in Weeks 1 and 2. Interestingly, the samples were colored and fluoresced under ultraviolet light. In addition, microscale tests showed that sequestered residues were acutely toxic and genotoxic, as well as that they induced hepatic P450enzymes. Analysis of these data suggested that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were among the bioavailable residues sequestered. In addition, these findings suggested that the toxic bioavailable fractions of the oil spill and degradation products dissipated rapidly over time because after the second week the water column contained no oil or detectable degradation products in this riverine intertidal wetland. SPMD-TOX revealed no evidence of bioavailable oil products in Weeks 4, 6, 8, and 12. All phytoremediation efforts appeared to be ineffective in changing either the dissipation rate or the ability to ameliorate the oil toxicity. SPMD-TOX analysis of the water columns from these riverine experimental plots profiled the occurrence, dissipation, and influence of phytoremediation on the bioavailability and toxicity of oil products (parent or degradation products).
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Biodegradability Of Lingering EVOS Oil 19 Years After The Spill
In 2001 and 2003, NOAA scientists conducted geospatial surveys of lingering oil in Prince William Sound (PWS) and concluded areas were still contaminated with substantial subsurface oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). In 2007, a mass weathering index (MWI) wa...
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Neural networks for oil spill detection using TerraSAR-X data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Avezzano, Ruggero G.; Velotto, Domenico; Soccorsi, Matteo; Del Frate, Fabio; Lehner, Susanne
2011-11-01
The increased amount of available Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images involves a growing workload on the operators at analysis centers. In addition, even if the operators go through extensive training to learn manual oil spill detection, they can provide different and subjective responses. Hence, the upgrade and improvements of algorithms for automatic detection that can help in screening the images and prioritizing the alarms are of great benefit. In this paper we present the potentialities of TerraSAR-X (TS-X) data and Neural Network algorithms for oil spills detection. The radar on board satellite TS-X provides X-band images with a resolution of up to 1m. Such resolution can be very effective in the monitoring of coastal areas to prevent sea oil pollution. The network input is a vector containing the values of a set of features characterizing an oil spill candidate. The network output gives the probability for the candidate to be a real oil spill. Candidates with a probability less than 50% are classified as look-alikes. The overall classification performances have been evaluated on a data set of 50 TS-X images containing more than 150 examples of certified oil spills and well-known look-alikes (e.g. low wind areas, wind shadows, biogenic films). The preliminary classification results are satisfactory with an overall detection accuracy above 80%.
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Atighechian, Golrokh; Maleki, Mohammadreza; Aryankhesal, Aidin; Jahangiri, Katayoun
2016-07-24
Oil spill in fresh water can affect ecological processes and accordingly it can influence human health. Iran, due to having 58.8 % of the world oil reserves, is highly vulnerable to water contamination by oil products. The aim of this study was to determine environmental factors affecting the management of the oil spill into one of the river in Iran using the PESTLE analysis. This was a qualitative case study conducted in 2015 on an oil spill incident in Iran and its roots from a disaster management approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Seventy managers and staffs with those responsible or involved in oil spill incident management were recruited to the study. Qualitative content analysis approach was employed for the data analysis. Document analysis was used to collect additional information. Findings of the present study indicated that different factors affected the management of the event of oil spill onto one of the central river and consequently the management of drink water resources. Using this analysis, managers can plan for such events and develop scenarios for them to have better performance for the future events.
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Atighechian, Golrokh; Maleki, Mohammadreza; Aryankhesal, Aidin; Jahangiri, Katayoun
2016-01-01
Introduction: Oil spill in fresh water can affect ecological processes and accordingly it can influence human health. Iran, due to having 58.8 % of the world oil reserves, is highly vulnerable to water contamination by oil products. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine environmental factors affecting the management of the oil spill into one of the river in Iran using the PESTLE analysis. Material and methods: This was a qualitative case study conducted in 2015 on an oil spill incident in Iran and its roots from a disaster management approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Seventy managers and staffs with those responsible or involved in oil spill incident management were recruited to the study. Qualitative content analysis approach was employed for the data analysis. Document analysis was used to collect additional information. Results: Findings of the present study indicated that different factors affected the management of the event of oil spill onto one of the central river and consequently the management of drink water resources. Using this analysis, managers can plan for such events and develop scenarios for them to have better performance for the future events. PMID:27698608
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Earth Observation Services (Oil Spill Mapping)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1992-01-01
An EOCAP project led Research Planning, Inc. to the development of advanced techniques for "environmental sensitivity" oil spill mapping. The new method incorporates satellite remote sensing and GIS technologies and was utilized to assess the damage potential of the Gulf war oil spill. EOCAP provides government co-funding to encourage private investment in, and to broaden the, use of, NASA-developed technology for analyzing information about Earth and ocean resources.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-09-24
... restricted to those areas that had been closed to all fishing because of BP Deepwater Horizon MC252 oil spill... fishing because of the BP Deepwater Horizon MC252 oil spill, and may not be re-opened to fishing during... season without first determining the effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon MC252 oil spill to the...
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Recruitment and survival of immature seabirds in relation to oil spills and climate variability.
Votier, S C; Birkhead, T R; Oro, D; Trinder, M; Grantham, M J; Clark, J A; McCleery, R H; Hatchwell, B J
2008-09-01
1. In long-lived animals with delayed maturity, the non-breeding component of the population may play an important role in buffering the effects of stochastic mortality. Populations of colonial seabirds often consist of more than 50% non-breeders, yet because they spend much of their early life at sea, we understand little about their impact on the demographic process. 2. Using multistate capture-mark-recapture techniques, we analyse a long-term data set of individually identifiable common guillemots, Uria aalge Pont., to assess factors influencing their immature survival and two-stage recruitment process. 3. Analysis of the distribution of ringed common guillemots during the non-breeding season, separated by age classes, revealed that all age classes were potentially at risk from four major oil spills. However, the youngest age class (0-3 years) were far more widely spread than birds 4-6 years old, which were more widely spread than birds aged 6 and over. Therefore the chance of encountering an oil spill was age-dependent. 4. A 2-year compound survival estimate for juvenile guillemots was weakly negatively correlated with winter sea-surface temperature, but was not influenced by oil spills. Non-breeder survival did not vary significantly over time. 5. In years following four oil spills, juvenile recruitment was almost double the value in non-oil-spill years. Recent work from Skomer Island showed a doubling of adult mortality associated with major oil spills, which probably reduced competition at the breeding colony, allowing increased immature recruitment to compensate for these losses. We discuss the implications of compensatory recruitment for assessing the impact of oil pollution incidents.
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Gutierrez, Tony; Berry, David; Yang, Tingting; Mishamandani, Sara; McKay, Luke; Teske, Andreas; Aitken, Michael D.
2013-01-01
Halomonas species are recognized for producing exopolysaccharides (EPS) exhibiting amphiphilic properties that allow these macromolecules to interface with hydrophobic substrates, such as hydrocarbons. There remains a paucity of knowledge, however, on the potential of Halomonas EPS to influence the biodegradation of hydrocarbons. In this study, the well-characterized amphiphilic EPS produced by Halomonas species strain TG39 was shown to effectively increase the solubilization of aromatic hydrocarbons and enhance their biodegradation by an indigenous microbial community from oil-contaminated surface waters collected during the active phase of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Three Halomonas strains were isolated from the Deepwater Horizon site, all of which produced EPS with excellent emulsifying qualities and shared high (97-100%) 16S rRNA sequence identity with strain TG39 and other EPS-producing Halomonas strains. Analysis of pyrosequence data from surface water samples collected during the spill revealed several distinct Halomonas phylotypes, of which some shared a high sequence identity (≥97%) to strain TG39 and the Gulf spill isolates. Other bacterial groups comprising members with well-characterized EPS-producing qualities, such as Alteromonas , Colwellia and Pseudoalteromonas , were also found enriched in surface waters, suggesting that the total pool of EPS in the Gulf during the spill may have been supplemented by these organisms. Roller bottle incubations with one of the Halomonas isolates from the Deepwater Horizon spill site demonstrated its ability to effectively produce oil aggregates and emulsify the oil. The enrichment of EPS-producing bacteria during the spill coupled with their capacity to produce amphiphilic EPS is likely to have contributed to the ultimate removal of the oil and to the formation of oil aggregates, which were a dominant feature observed in contaminated surface waters. PMID:23826336
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Environmental implications of oil spills from shipping accidents.
Rogowska, Justyna; Namieśnik, Jacek
2010-01-01
Since ancient times, ships have sunk during storms, either as a result of collisions with other vessels or running onto rocks. However, the ever-increasing importance of crude oil in the twentieth century and the corresponding growth in the world's tanker fleet have drawn attention to the negative implications of sea transport. Disasters involving tankers like the Torrey Canyon or the Amoco Cadiz have shown how dramatic the consequences of such an accident may be. The effects of oil spills at sea depend on numerous factors, such as the physicochemical parameters of the oil, the characteristics of the environment affected, and the physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring there, such as evaporation, dissolution, dispersion, emulsification, photo-oxidation, biodegradation, and sedimentation. The combination of these processes reduces the concentrations of hydrocarbons in sediments and water and alters the chemical composition of spilled oils. In every case, oil spills pose a danger to fauna and flora and cause damage to sea and shores ecosystems. Many of the petroleum-related chemicals that are spilled are toxic, otherwise carcinogenic or can be bioaccumulated in the tissues of marine organisms. Such chemicals may then be biomagnified up the marine food chain from phytoplankton to fish, then to seals and other carnivorous sea mammals. Moreover, oil products can be accumulated and immobilized in bottom deposits for long periods of time. Oil spills are particularly dangerous when they occur in small inland seas that have intense sea traffic, e.g., the Baltic Sea.
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Effects of exposure to oil spills on human health: Updated review.
Laffon, Blanca; Pásaro, Eduardo; Valdiglesias, Vanessa
2016-01-01
Oil spills may involve health risks for people participating in the cleanup operations and coastal inhabitants, given the toxicological properties of the oil components. In spite of this, only after a few major oil spills (crude oil or fuel oil no. 6) have studies on effects of exposure to diverse aspects of human health been performed. Previously, Aguilera et al. (2010) examined all documents published to that date dealing with any type of human health outcome in populations exposed to oil spills. The aim of the present review was to compile all new information available and determine whether evidence reported supports the existence of an association between exposure and adverse human health risks. Studies were classified in three groups according to type of health outcome addressed: (i) effects on mental health, (ii) physical/physiological effects, and (iii) genotoxic, immunotoxic, and endocrine toxicity. New studies published on oil-spill-exposed populations-coastal residents in the vicinity of the spills or participants in cleanup operations-provide additional support to previous evidence on adverse health effects related to exposure regarding different parameters in all three categories considered. Some of the observed effects even indicated that several symptoms may persist for some years after exposure. Hence, (1) health protection in these individuals should be a matter of concern; and (2) health risk assessment needs to be carried out not only at the time of exposure but also for prolong periods following exposure, to enable early detection of any potential exposure-related harmful effects.
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[A literature review on health effects of exposure to oil spill].
Ha, Mina; Lee, Won Jin; Lee, Seungmin; Cheong, Hae Kwan
2008-09-01
Our objective is to review and summarize the previous studies on the health effects of exposure to oil spills in order to make suggestions for mid- and long-term study plans regarding the health effects of the Hebei Spirit oil spill occurred in Korea. We searched PubMed to systemically retrieve reports on the human health effects related to oil spill accidents. The papers' reference lists and reviews on the topic were searched as well. We found 24 articles that examined seven oil spill accidents worldwide over the period from 1989 to August 2008, including the Exxon Valdes, Braer, Sea Empress, Erika, Nakhodka, Prestige and Tasman Spirit oil spills. Most of the studies applied cross-sectional and short-term follow-up study designs. The exposure level was measured by assessing the place of residence, using a questionnaire and environmental and personal monitoring. Studies on the acute or immediate health effects mainly focused on the subjective physical symptoms related to clean-up work or residential exposure. Late or mid-term follow-up studies were performed to investigate a range of health effects such as pulmonary function and endocrine, immunologic and genetic toxicity. The economic and social impact of the accidents resulted in the socio-psychological exposure and the psychosocial health effects. Studies of the health effects of exposure to oil spills should consider a range of health outcomes, including the physical and psychological effects, and the studies should be extended for a considerable period of time to study the long-term chronic health effects.
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Leifer, Ira; Lehr, William J.; Simecek-Beatty, Debra; Bradley, Eliza; Clark, Roger N.; Dennison, Philip E.; Hu, Yongxiang; Matheson, Scott; Jones, Cathleen E; Holt, Benjamin; Reif, Molly; Roberts, Dar A.; Svejkovsky, Jan; Swayze, Gregg A.; Wozencraft, Jennifer M.
2012-01-01
The vast and persistent Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill challenged response capabilities, which required accurate, quantitative oil assessment at synoptic and operational scales. Although experienced observers are a spill response's mainstay, few trained observers and confounding factors including weather, oil emulsification, and scene illumination geometry present challenges. DWH spill and impact monitoring was aided by extensive airborne and spaceborne passive and active remote sensing.Oil slick thickness and oil-to-water emulsion ratios are key spill response parameters for containment/cleanup and were derived quantitatively for thick (> 0.1 mm) slicks from AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) data using a spectral library approach based on the shape and depth of near infrared spectral absorption features. MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite, visible-spectrum broadband data of surface-slick modulation of sunglint reflection allowed extrapolation to the total slick. A multispectral expert system used a neural network approach to provide Rapid Response thickness class maps.Airborne and satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) provides synoptic data under all-sky conditions; however, SAR generally cannot discriminate thick (> 100 μm) oil slicks from thin sheens (to 0.1 μm). The UAVSAR's (Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle SAR) significantly greater signal-to-noise ratio and finer spatial resolution allowed successful pattern discrimination related to a combination of oil slick thickness, fractional surface coverage, and emulsification.In situ burning and smoke plumes were studied with AVIRIS and corroborated spaceborne CALIPSO (Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) observations of combustion aerosols. CALIPSO and bathymetry lidar data documented shallow subsurface oil, although ancillary data were required for confirmation.Airborne hyperspectral, thermal infrared data have nighttime and overcast collection advantages and were collected as well as MODIS thermal data. However, interpretation challenges and a lack of Rapid Response Products prevented significant use. Rapid Response Products were key to response utilization—data needs are time critical; thus, a high technological readiness level is critical to operational use of remote sensing products. DWH's experience demonstrated that development and operationalization of new spill response remote sensing tools must precede the next major oil spill.
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Operational Oceanograhy System for Oil Spill Risk Management at Santander Bay (Spain)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Castanedo Bárcena, S.; Nuñez, P.; Perez-Diaz, B.; Abascal, A.; Cardenas, M.; Medina, R.
2016-02-01
Estuaries and bays are sheltered areas that usually host a wide range of industry and interests (e.g. aquaculture, fishing, recreation, habitat protection). Oil spill risk assessment in these environments is fundamental given the reduced response time associated to this very local scale. This work presents a system comprising two modules: (1) an Operational Oceanography System (OOS) based on nesting high resolution models which provides short-term (within 48 hours) oil spill trajectory forecasting and (2) an oil spill risk assessment system (OSRAS) that estimates risk as the combination of hazard and vulnerability. Hazard is defined as the probability of the coast to be polluted by an oil spill and is calculated on the basis of a library of pre-run cases. The OOS is made up by: (1) Daily boundary conditions (sea level, ocean currents, salinity and temperature) and meteorological forcing are obtained from the European network MYOCEAN and from the Spanish met office, AEMET, respectively; (2) COAWST modelling system is the engine of the OOS (at this stage of the project only ROMS is on); (3) an oil spill transport and fate model, TESEO (4) a web service that manages the operational system and allows the user to run hypothetical as well as real oil spill trajectories using the daily forecast of wind and high resolution ocean variables carried out by COAWST. Regarding the OSRAS system, the main contributions of this work are: (1) the use of extensive meteorological and oceanographic database provided by state-of-the-art ocean and atmospheric models, (2) the use of clustering techniques to establish representative met-ocean scenarios (i.e. combination of sea state, meteorological conditions, tide and river flow), (3) dynamic downscaling of the met-ocean scenarios with COAWST modelling system and (4) management of hundreds of runs performed with the state-of-the-art oil spill transport model TESEO.
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Mid-Term Probabilistic Forecast of Oil Spill Trajectories
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Castanedo, S.; Abascal, A. J.; Cardenas, M.; Medina, R.; Guanche, Y.; Mendez, F. J.; Camus, P.
2012-12-01
There is increasing concern about the threat posed by oil spills to the coastal environment. This is reflected in the promulgation of various national and international standards among which are those that require companies whose activities involves oil spill risk, to have oil pollution emergency plans or similar arrangements for responding promptly and effectively to oil pollution incidents. Operational oceanography systems (OOS) that provide decision makers with oil spill trajectory forecasting, have demonstrated their usefulness in recent accidents (Castanedo et al., 2006). In recent years, many national and regional OOS have been setup focusing on short-term oil spill forecast (up to 5 days). However, recent accidental marine oil spills (Prestige in Spain, Deep Horizon in Gulf of Mexico) have revealed the importance of having larger prediction horizons (up to 15 days) in regional-scale areas. In this work, we have developed a methodology to provide probabilistic oil spill forecast based on numerical modelling and statistical methods. The main components of this approach are: (1) Use of high resolution long-term (1948-2009) historical hourly data bases of wind, wind-induced currents and astronomical tide currents obtained using state-of-the-art numerical models; (2) classification of representative wind field patterns (n=100) using clustering techniques based on PCA and K-means algorithms (Camus et al., 2011); (3) determination of the cluster occurrence probability and the stochastic matrix (matrix of transition of probability or Markov matrix), p_ij, (probability of moving from a cluster "i" to a cluster "j" in one time step); (4) Initial state for mid-term simulations is obtained from available wind forecast using nearest-neighbors analog method; (5) 15-days Stochastic Markov Chain simulations (m=1000) are launched; (6) Corresponding oil spill trajectories are carried out by TESEO Lagrangian transport model (Abascal et al., 2009); (7) probability maps are delivered using an user friendly Web App. The application of the method to the Gulf of Biscay (North Spain) will show the ability of this approach. References Abascal, A.J., Castanedo, S., Mendez, F.J., Medina, R., Losada, I.J., 2009. Calibration of a Lagrangian transport model using drifting buoys deployed during the Prestige oil spill. J. Coast. Res. 25 (1), 80-90.. Camus, P., Méndez, F.J., Medina, R., 2011. Analysis of clustering and selection algorithms for the study of multivariate wave climate. Coastal Engineering, doi:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2011.02.003. Castanedo, S., Medina, R., Losada, I.J., Vidal, C., Méndez, F.J., Osorio, A., Juanes, J.A., Puente, A., 2006. The Prestige oil spill in Cantabria (Bay of Biscay). Part I: operational forecasting system for quick response, risk assessment and protection of natural resources. J. Coast. Res. 22 (6), 1474-1489.
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Maloney, Kelly O; Baruch-Mordo, Sharon; Patterson, Lauren A; Nicot, Jean-Philippe; Entrekin, Sally A; Fargione, Joseph E; Kiesecker, Joseph M; Konschnik, Kate E; Ryan, Joseph N; Trainor, Anne M; Saiers, James E; Wiseman, Hannah J
2017-03-01
Extraction of oil and gas from unconventional sources, such as shale, has dramatically increased over the past ten years, raising the potential for spills or releases of chemicals, waste materials, and oil and gas. We analyzed spill data associated with unconventional wells from Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania from 2005 to 2014, where we defined unconventional wells as horizontally drilled into an unconventional formation. We identified materials spilled by state and for each material we summarized frequency, volumes and spill rates. We evaluated the environmental risk of spills by calculating distance to the nearest stream and compared these distances to existing setback regulations. Finally, we summarized relative importance to drinking water in watersheds where spills occurred. Across all four states, we identified 21,300 unconventional wells and 6622 reported spills. The number of horizontal well bores increased sharply beginning in the late 2000s; spill rates also increased for all states except PA where the rate initially increased, reached a maximum in 2009 and then decreased. Wastewater, crude oil, drilling waste, and hydraulic fracturing fluid were the materials most often spilled; spilled volumes of these materials largely ranged from 100 to 10,000L. Across all states, the average distance of spills to a stream was highest in New Mexico (1379m), followed by Colorado (747m), North Dakota (598m) and then Pennsylvania (268m), and 7.0, 13.3, and 20.4% of spills occurred within existing surface water setback regulations of 30.5, 61.0, and 91.4m, respectively. Pennsylvania spills occurred in watersheds with a higher relative importance to drinking water than the other three states. Results from this study can inform risk assessments by providing improved input parameters on volume and rates of materials spilled, and guide regulations and the management policy of spills. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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Maloney, Kelly O.; Baruch-Mordo, Sharon; Patterson, Lauren A.; Nicot, Jean-Philippe; Entrekin, Sally; Fargione, Joe E.; Kiesecker, Joseph M.; Konschnik, Kate E.; Ryan, Joseph N.; Trainor, Anne M.; Saiers, James E.; Wiseman, Hannah J.
2017-01-01
Extraction of oil and gas from unconventional sources, such as shale, has dramatically increased over the past ten years, raising the potential for spills or releases of chemicals, waste materials, and oil and gas. We analyzed spill data associated with unconventional wells from Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania from 2005 to 2014, where we defined unconventional wells as horizontally drilled into an unconventional formation. We identified materials spilled by state and for each material we summarized frequency, volumes and spill rates. We evaluated the environmental risk of spills by calculating distance to the nearest stream and compared these distances to existing setback regulations. Finally, we summarized relative importance to drinking water in watersheds where spills occurred. Across all four states, we identified 21,300 unconventional wells and 6622 reported spills. The number of horizontal well bores increased sharply beginning in the late 2000s; spill rates also increased for all states except PA where the rate initially increased, reached a maximum in 2009 and then decreased. Wastewater, crude oil, drilling waste, and hydraulic fracturing fluid were the materials most often spilled; spilled volumes of these materials largely ranged from 100 to 10,000 L. Across all states, the average distance of spills to a stream was highest in New Mexico (1379 m), followed by Colorado (747 m), North Dakota (598 m) and then Pennsylvania (268 m), and 7.0, 13.3, and 20.4% of spills occurred within existing surface water setback regulations of 30.5, 61.0, and 91.4 m, respectively. Pennsylvania spills occurred in watersheds with a higher relative importance to drinking water than the other three states. Results from this study can inform risk assessments by providing improved input parameters on volume and rates of materials spilled, and guide regulations and the management policy of spills.
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An overview of sea otter studies
Ballachey, Brenda E.; Bodkin, James L.; DeGange, Anthony R.; Loughlin, Thomas R.
1994-01-01
The Exxron Valdez oil spill (EVOS) on 24 March 1989 threatened extensive areas of prime sea otter (Enhydra lutris) habitat along the coasts of south-central Alaska. The spill occurred in northeastern Prince William Sound (PWS), and oil moved rapidly south and west through PWS into the Gulf of Alaska. Much of the coastline of western PWS was heavily oiled, and the slick eventually spread as far southwest as Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula (Galt and Payton 1990; Morris and Loughlin, Chapter 1). All coastal waters affected by the spill were inhabited by sea otters.Concern for the survival of sea otters following the oil spill was immediate and well founded. Sea otters are particularly vulnerable to oil contamination because they rely on pelage rather than blubber for insulation, and oiling drastically reduces the insulative value of the fur (Costa and Kooyman 1982; Siniff et al. 1982; Geraci and Williams 1990). Within days of the spill, recovery of oiled live otters and carcasses began. During the several months following the spill, sea otters became symbolic of the mortality associated with the spilled oil, and of the hope for rescue and recovery of injured wildlife (Batten 1990).An extensive sea otter rescue and rehabilitation effort was mounted in the weeks and months following the spill. Handling and treatment of the captive sea otters posed an enormous and difficult challenge, given the large number of otters held at the facilities and minimal prior experience in caring for oiled sea otters. Rehabilitation of sea otters was a separate effort from the postspill studies designed to evaluate injury to the otter populations and is not addressed in this chapter only as it relates to evaluation of damage assessment studies. Detailed information on the rehabilitation effort is presented in Bayha and Kormendy (1990) and Williams and Davis (1990).Sea otters retained a high profile in the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) studies largely because the initial injury to the sea otter population was readily demonstrable, but also because of concerns about long-term damages. The scope of the postspill studies to assess oil-related damages to sea otters was extensive: From 1989 through 1993, more than $3,000,000 was spent, and more than 20 scientists were involved in a comprehensive research program. The studies were predominantly directed at sea otter populations in PWS.Damages to sea otters generally can be classified as either acute, defined as spill-related deaths occurring during the spill, or chronic, defined as longer term lethal or sublethal oil-related injuries. Studies of acute damages focused on estimating the total initial loss of sea otters. Characterization of the pathologies associated with exposure to oil was a secondary goal of studies of acute effects. Chronic or longer term damages may have resulted from sublethal initial exposure or continued exposure to hydrocarbons persisting in the environment. Studies of chronic effects included evaluating abundance and distribution, survival and reproduction rates, foraging behavior, and pathological, physiological, and toxicological changes in the years following the spill.The objective of this chapter is to review the studies conducted on sea otters in response to the EVOS and to synthesize the major findings of those studies relative to injury to the sea otter population associated with exposure to oil. We also provide recommendations for research to improve our understanding of the effects of future oil spills on Sea otter populations.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Deneke, F.J.; McCown, B.H.; Coyne, P.I.
1975-12-01
Knowledge concerning the biological effects of oil pollution on arctic and subarctic terrestrial ecosystems is limited. USA CRREL research personnel conducted investigations from 1970 through 1974 to expand information in this field. Objectives were to: (1) define the ecosystems most sensitive to the presence of crude oil or its refined products, (2) quantify and understand the injury response, and (3) establish time frames for manifestation of damage and natural restorative processes in arctic and subarctic regions. This was accomplished through: (1) surveys of natural oil seepages and past accidential spills in the Arctic and Subarctic, (2) initiation of controlled oilmore » spills and (3) detailed laboratory investigations. Results demonstrated that terrestrial oil spills will to some degree be detrimental to both artic and subarctic plant communities. Degree and longevity of damage will be influenced primarily by the magnitude of the spill, season of occurrence and existing soil moisture content. Rapid recovery of plant communities subjected to spills will occur only if root systems remain relatively unaffected. Damage will be more extensive and long-term when root systems are saturated witl oil. Effects of damage will be manifested gradually over several seasons being influenced by winter stresses. Variation does exist in plant species susceptibility. Carex aquatilis a predominant sedge of the arctic is markedly resistant to crude oil damage. In the taiga Picea mariana is very susceptible. Plant recovery can be enhanced through the application of fertilizer. Fertilization, in addition to its direct effect on plant nutrition, will stimulate microbial decomposition of crude oil. (Author)« less
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Oil spills and their impacts on sand beach invertebrate communities: A literature review.
Bejarano, Adriana C; Michel, Jacqueline
2016-11-01
Sand beaches are highly dynamic habitats that can experience considerable impacts from oil spills. This review provides a synthesis of the scientific literature on major oil spills and their impacts on sand beaches, with emphasis on studies documenting effects and recoveries of intertidal invertebrate communities. One of the key observations arising from this review is that more attention has generally been given to studying the impacts of oil spills on invertebrates (mostly macrobenthos), and not to documenting their biological recovery. Biological recovery of sand beach invertebrates is highly dynamic, depending on several factors including site-specific physical properties and processes (e.g., sand grain size, beach exposure), the degree of oiling, depth of oil burial, and biological factors (e.g., species-specific life-history traits). Recovery of affected communities ranges from several weeks to several years, with longer recoveries generally associated with physical factors that facilitate oil persistence, or when cleanup activities are absent on heavily oiled beaches. There are considerable challenges in quantifying impacts from spills on sand beach invertebrates because of insufficient baseline information (e.g., distribution, abundance and composition), knowledge gaps in their natural variability (spatial and temporal), and inadequate sampling and replication during and after oil spills. Thus, environment assessments of impacts and recovery require a rigorous experimental design that controls for confounding sources of variability. General recommendations on sampling strategies and toxicity testing, and a preliminary framework for incorporating species-specific life history traits into future assessments are also provided. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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DETERMINING DISPERSANT EFFECTIVENESS DATA FOR A SUITE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
Chemical dispersants are used in oil spill response operations to enhance the dispersion of oil slicks at sea as small oil droplets in the water column. To assess the impacts of dispersant usage on oil spills, US EPA is developing a simulation model called the EPA Research Objec...
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DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF PROTOCOLS FOR EVALUATION OF OIL SPILL BIOREMEDIATION (RESEARCH BRIEF)
Protocols were developed and evaluated to assess the efficacy and environmental safety of commercial oil spill bioremediation agents (CBAs). Test systems that simulate oil slicks on open water or oiled sandy beaches were used to test the effectiveness of CBAs. Gravimetric and gas...
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Biodegradability Of Lingering EVOS Oil 19 Years After The Spill (Presentation)
In 2001 and 2003, NOAA scientists conducted geospatial surveys of lingering oil in Prince William Sound (PWS) and concluded areas were still contaminated with substantial subsurface oil from the 1989 Exxon Vladez oil spill (EVOS). In 2007, a mass weathering index (MWI) wa...
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A Review of Oil Spill Remote Sensing
Brown, Carl E.
2017-01-01
The technical aspects of oil spill remote sensing are examined and the practical uses and drawbacks of each technology are given with a focus on unfolding technology. The use of visible techniques is ubiquitous, but limited to certain observational conditions and simple applications. Infrared cameras offer some potential as oil spill sensors but have several limitations. Both techniques, although limited in capability, are widely used because of their increasing economy. The laser fluorosensor uniquely detects oil on substrates that include shoreline, water, soil, plants, ice, and snow. New commercial units have come out in the last few years. Radar detects calm areas on water and thus oil on water, because oil will reduce capillary waves on a water surface given moderate winds. Radar provides a unique option for wide area surveillance, all day or night and rainy/cloudy weather. Satellite-carried radars with their frequent overpass and high spatial resolution make these day–night and all-weather sensors essential for delineating both large spills and monitoring ship and platform oil discharges. Most strategic oil spill mapping is now being carried out using radar. Slick thickness measurements have been sought for many years. The operative technique at this time is the passive microwave. New techniques for calibration and verification have made these instruments more reliable. PMID:29301212
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A Review of Oil Spill Remote Sensing.
Fingas, Merv; Brown, Carl E
2017-12-30
The technical aspects of oil spill remote sensing are examined and the practical uses and drawbacks of each technology are given with a focus on unfolding technology. The use of visible techniques is ubiquitous, but limited to certain observational conditions and simple applications. Infrared cameras offer some potential as oil spill sensors but have several limitations. Both techniques, although limited in capability, are widely used because of their increasing economy. The laser fluorosensor uniquely detects oil on substrates that include shoreline, water, soil, plants, ice, and snow. New commercial units have come out in the last few years. Radar detects calm areas on water and thus oil on water, because oil will reduce capillary waves on a water surface given moderate winds. Radar provides a unique option for wide area surveillance, all day or night and rainy/cloudy weather. Satellite-carried radars with their frequent overpass and high spatial resolution make these day-night and all-weather sensors essential for delineating both large spills and monitoring ship and platform oil discharges. Most strategic oil spill mapping is now being carried out using radar. Slick thickness measurements have been sought for many years. The operative technique at this time is the passive microwave. New techniques for calibration and verification have made these instruments more reliable.
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Possible connection between two Alaskan catastrophes occurring 25 yr apart (1964 and 1989)
Kvenvolden, K.A.; Carlson, P.R.; Threlkeld, C.N.; Warden, A.
1993-01-01
On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez supertanker grounded on Bligh Reef, spilling North Slope crude oil into Prince william Sound, Alaska. Tracking the geochemical fate of this spilled oil has revealed, in addition to weathered products from the spill, minor oil residues on beaches from a distinctly different source. This probably was the Great Alaska Earthquake of March 27, 1964. This quake and the subsequent tsunami destroyed asphalt storage facilities at the old Valdez town site, spilling asphalt into Port Valdez fjord. From there the asphalt apparently advanced south into the sound. -from Authors
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MIT/marine industry collegium opportunity brief No. 9. oil spills: Problems and opportunities
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Not Available
1977-07-20
The events occurring during the grounding and break up of the Liberian tanker, Argo Merchant, in December 1976, are used to illustrate the types and magnitudes of problems involved in responding to accidental oil spills. The Argo Merchant incident provides a framework for understanding what is needed for dealing with such events in the future. A chronology of the important events between the grounding and the break up are presented. The need for instrumentation and research to answer the question of 'how much oil has been spilled and where is it likely to go' is dealt with. The equipment andmore » vehicles needed for containment of a spill on the high seas are discussed and then the logistical requirements of getting people and equipment to the spill, containing and collecting oil and removing it are discussed and finally the general characteristics required for two boats and barges are summarized.« less
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Effects of a crude oil spill on the benthic invertebrate community in the Gasconade River, Missouri
Poulton, Barry C.; Finger, Susan E.; Humphrey, S.A.
1997-01-01
Effects of a 3.3-million–L crude oil spill on the benthic macroinvertebrate community of the Gasconade River, a large river in Missouri, were evaluated by comparing several macroinvertebrate community indices in riffle and backwater habitats above and below the spill. Concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in sediments decreased dramatically in riffle habitats within 6 months of the spill, but elevated hydrocarbon levels (TPH = 80–270 μg/g) were still present in backwater habitats at the end of the study. Correspondingly, riffle macroinvertebrate communities recovered rapidly, but overall benthic diversity continued to be reduced in backwater areas until the end of the study 18 months after the spill. In addition, statistical analysis of benthic functional feeding groups revealed that both scrapers and shredders were reduced in backwater habitats below the oil spill. Decreased abundance of shredders and scrapers in these habitats is likely caused by oil contamination of aquatic sediments and associated organic matter required by these groups for food and substrate. Results of this study suggest that the persistence of oil in backwater habitats has a negative effect on the benthic community in large rivers.
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Operational Satellite-based Surface Oil Analyses (Invited)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Streett, D.; Warren, C.
2010-12-01
During the Deepwater Horizon spill, NOAA imagery analysts in the Satellite Analysis Branch (SAB) issued more than 300 near-real-time satellite-based oil spill analyses. These analyses were used by the oil spill response community for planning, issuing surface oil trajectories and tasking assets (e.g., oil containment booms, skimmers, overflights). SAB analysts used both Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and high resolution visible/near IR multispectral satellite imagery as well as a variety of ancillary datasets. Satellite imagery used included ENVISAT ASAR (ESA), TerraSAR-X (DLR), Cosmo-Skymed (ASI), ALOS (JAXA), Radarsat (MDA), ENVISAT MERIS (ESA), SPOT (SPOT Image Corp.), Aster (NASA), MODIS (NASA), and AVHRR (NOAA). Ancillary datasets included ocean current information, wind information, location of natural oil seeps and a variety of in situ oil observations. The analyses were available as jpegs, pdfs, shapefiles and through Google, KML files and also available on a variety of websites including Geoplatform and ERMA. From the very first analysis issued just 5 hours after the rig sank through the final analysis issued in August, the complete archive is still publicly available on the NOAA/NESDIS website http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/MPS/deepwater.html SAB personnel also served as the Deepwater Horizon International Disaster Charter Project Manager (at the official request of the USGS). The Project Manager’s primary responsibility was to acquire and oversee the processing and dissemination of satellite data generously donated by numerous private companies and nations in support of the oil spill response including some of the imagery described above. SAB has begun to address a number of goals that will improve our routine oil spill response as well as help assure that we are ready for the next spill of national significance. We hope to (1) secure a steady, abundant and timely stream of suitable satellite imagery even in the absence of large-scale emergencies such as Deepwater Horizon, (2) acquire a 24 x 7 oil spill response capability at least on a pre-operational basis, (3) acquire improved and expanded ancillary datasets, (4) reduce the number of false positives (analyzed oil that is not actually oil), (5) acquire the ability to reliably differentiate, at least in general qualitative terms, thick oil (“recoverable oil”) from oil sheens, and (6) join our Canadian counterparts (the Integrated Satellite Tracking of Pollution group in Environment Canada) to create a joint North American center for oil spill response.
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2013-01-01
Oil biodegradation by native bacteria is one of the most important natural processes that can attenuate the environmental impacts of marine oil spills. Existing models for oil biodegradation kinetics are mostly for dissolved oil. This work developed a new mathematical model for the biodegradation of oil droplets and applied the model to estimate the time scale for oil biodegradation under conditions relevant to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In the model, oil is composed of droplets of various sizes following the gamma function distribution. Each oil droplet shrinks during the microbe-mediated degradation at the oil-water interface. Using our developed model, we find that the degradation of oil droplets typically goes through two stages. The first stage is characterized by microbial activity unlimited by oil-water interface with higher biodegradation rates than that of the dissolved oil. The second stage is governed by the availability of the oil-water interface, which results in much slower rates than that of soluble oil. As a result, compared to that of the dissolved oil, the degradation of oil droplets typically starts faster and then quickly slows down, ultimately reaching a smaller percentage of degraded oil in longer time. The availability of the water-oil interface plays a key role in determining the rates and extent of degradation. We find that several parameters control biodegradation rates, including size distribution of oil droplets, initial microbial concentrations, initial oil concentration and composition. Under conditions relevant to the Deepwater Horizon spill, we find that the size distribution of oil droplets (mean and coefficient of variance) is the most important parameter because it determines the availability of the oil-water interface. Smaller oil droplets with larger variance leads to faster and larger extent of degradation. The developed model will be useful for evaluating transport and fate of spilled oil, different remediation strategies, and risk assessment. PMID:24138161
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Burgherr, Peter
2007-02-09
This study gives a global overview of accidental oil spills from all sources (> or =700t) for the period 1970-2004, followed by a detailed examination of trends in accidental tanker spills. The present analysis of the number and volume of tanker spills includes temporal and spatial spill trends, aspects of spill size distribution as well as trends of key factors (i.e., flag state, hull type, tanker age, accident cause and sensitivity of location). Results show that the total number and volume of tanker spills have significantly decreased since the 1970s, which is in contrast to increases in maritime transport of oil and to popular perceptions following recent catastrophic events. However, many spills still occur in ecologically sensitive locations because the major maritime transport routes often cross the boundaries of the Large Marine Ecosystems, but the substantially lower total spill volume is an important contribution to potentially reduce overall ecosystem impacts. In summary, the improvements achieved in the past decades have been the result of a set of initiatives and regulations implemented by governments, international organizations and the shipping industry.
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Indicators used to monitor subsurface oil during the Deepwater Horizon Event
The Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest accidental marine spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The spill was also unprecedented due to the extreme depth of the wellhead leak within the ocean, posing unique challenges to the monitoring efforts, w...
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Science-based decision-making on the use of dispersants in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Prior to the DWH incident, most (if not all) existing oil spill response knowledgewas based on surface spills and surface applications of dispersant. The behavior ofdispersants subsea was (and still is) less understood, and previous research had notfocused on the duration or quan...
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Determining Which Dispersants Will Be Effective In Future Deepwater Oil Spills
Deepwater spills result in oil distributed from deep in the water column to the water surface. The objective of this study was to test eight of the available dispersants (including Corexit 9500A, which was used extensively on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Spill) on South Louisiana C...
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30 CFR 254.24 - What information must I include in the “Equipment inventory” appendix?
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
..., REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL-SPILL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities... inventory appendix” must include: (a) An inventory of spill-response materials and supplies, services...