Abstract
In the Mediterranean Sea unique environmental characteristics and sensitive assets coexist with intense maritime traffic that is represented by frequent daily passages of vessels along the main waterways. In order to assess the risk of oil stranding in case of at-sea emergencies and provide key products for environmental agencies or policymakers preparedness, a geographically relocatable, operational numerical system is implemented and tested. The system relies on the application of oceanographic and particle tracking models and is able to provide, on a high-resolution and unstructured computational grid, a 3-days forecast of those variables known as the main drivers of oil slicks at sea. The risk of potential oil stranding is computed through a combination of anthropogenic hazard and shoreline vulnerability. The sources of hazard vary on time and space in relation to local maritime vessel traffic. The shoreline vulnerability is based on the current knowledge of slope, main grain size, geology of rocks, and occurrence of manmade structures at coast. The operational system is enriched by a web graphical user interface and includes automatic and on-demand working modes. Its functionality is demonstrated in the Strait of Bonifacio (western Mediterranean Sea), area with a high potential risk of oil stranding due to an intense maritime traffic. Risk assessment is hence computed for a test year, the 2018. Critical values of risk are found in correspondence of long stretches of littoral while many of them are currently characterized by a low anthropogenic pressure. The results emphasize the geomorphological features of the shorelines as reducing or amplifying factors to any potential impact of oil stranding at coast.
Highlights
At the end of 2019 the European Maritime Safety Agency has published traffic density maps (European Maritime Safety Agency, 2019) which provide an astonishing description of ship movement patterns to both professionals and the public
Far from the entrance of the SoB, the sea current dynamics is dominated by basin scale general circulation structures that start to interact with the morphology of the local coastal boundaries
The scientific community is engaged in the study of the whole set of chemical, physical, biological, social and economic phenomena that can result from marine pollution events and provides continual upgrades of the last innovations in terms of software, infrastructure and indicators
Summary
At the end of 2019 the European Maritime Safety Agency has published traffic density maps (European Maritime Safety Agency, 2019) which provide an astonishing description of ship movement patterns to both professionals and the public. These products raise citizen’s awareness and encourage science and authorities to implement operational risk management systems. Operational System for Oil Stranding Risk Assessment objective is to improve marine traffic planning to enhance ship safety and adequately protect the coastal environment from damaging consequences of potential pollution events. Oil tankers and all kind of vessels populate the sea routes and overcrowd sea straits like the busy Gibraltar and Bosporus straits, the Strait of Sicily and the straits of Messina and Bonifacio
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