Spill Location Research Articles

Study on Oil Spill Risks and Emergency Response Strategy in Xiamen Bay

This paper analyzes the current conditions and development pf oil spill risks existed in Xiamen Bay in aspects of environment-sensitive resources, port throughput and vessel traffic volume etc. and makes investigation into hazards and causes of oil spill incidents. The paper makes stochastic simulation on oil spill incidents that may possibly occur in Xiamen Bay, to predict and get the probability of sensitive resources being polluted surrounding the spill location, and the shortest travel time etc. The result indicates that, oil spill risks in Xiamen Bay varies significantly with season due to influencing factors such as the prevailing wind direction and tidal current, distribution of sensitive resources and seasonal change in tourist areas. On the basis of the predicted result and environmental conditions, strategies to prevent and emergency response to oil spill risks are presented, such as planning to build the emergency response capacity to regional oil spill incidents, establishing shoreline ESI atlas and measure set, making the contingency plan more regionally interactive and targeted, setting up special governmental fund for emergency response to ship pollution incidents.

Detection From Sub-Sea Crude Oil Pipelines

Crude Oil Spills from subsea pipelines are typically detected after thousands of barrels of oil are spilled into the ocean, affecting marine life, reaching nearby shores and polluting land masses. The Underwater Robotic Oil Spill Surveillance (UROSS) system has been designed to provide constant and autonomous spill surveillance for subsea pipelines. M900 embedded Radio Frequency Identification tags and readers are used to identify pipeline section for surveillance. GY-521 gyrometer and XL-MaxSonar-WR1 ultrasound sensor are used for autonomous navigation beside the crude oil pipeline. Subsea crude oil spills are detected using a METS methane sensor. After spill detection, images of the spill site are captured with a L3C-400 Micro Ultras-Miniature Color Camera and spill location is obtained using Global Positioning System. Spill Images and location are transmitted to a remote PC on the nearest off shore platform using an Xbee Pro 900HP wireless Connection. An Ocean Signal rescueME Personal Beacon Locator also transmits a 406 MHz distress signal via satellite to Emergency Services indicating the identification of a spill. Finite Element Method analysis of the system showed its ability to withstand sea pressures at a depth of 2,250 m. Power analysis showed the system’s ability to remain submerged and to provide surveillance for 100 m section of a subsea pipeline once every 24 hours for over a full month, and this can be increased to once every hour for 51 months with some power modifications.

Long-term spatially distributed observations of deep diving marine mammals in the Northern Gulf of Mexico using passive acoustic monitoring

This paper will present the results of processing long-term passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) data collected July through October 2015 in the Northern Gulf of Mexico in the vicinity of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill site to aid in understanding factors driving the distribution of sperm and beaked whales in the Gulf of Mexico. The Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center -Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling Consortium (LADC-GEMM) deployed five bottom-anchored acoustic moorings (LADC EARS buoys) at 10, 25, and 50 nmi distance from the 2010 oil spill location. Autonomous surface vehicles and a glider were simultaneously operated in the area for the additional collection of PAM data. The daily and monthly activity of three species of beaked whales exhibits spatial and seasonal variability, which appear to be correlated with levels of anthropogenic noise at the monitoring sites. Acoustic detection data are used to estimate abundances at three sites and compare them to the estimates obtained from baseline data collected before (2007) and right after (2010) the oil spill. Long-term abundance trends for both beaked and sperm whales are discussed. [Research supported by GOMRI.]

Multimedia environmental analysis of PCBs fate and transport mechanism through a case study of transformer oil leakage

Transformer oil leakage having large quantity of PCBs is one of the most deplorable incidents resulting in huge negative impacts on the environment. In this paper, two different models, i.e. CHEMCAN and the hydrocarbon spill screening models, were applied to the case study adapted from a real case of PCBs in transformer oil spill in Montreal. The oil migration was examined in three dimensions including site-specific data, soil characteristics and hydrogeological properties. This study aims to investigate the fate, transport and transformation rates of PCB in the soil, the unsaturated and the saturated zones. The proposed modelling concept helps to define the processes to be used in characterization of soil and subsurface environment as a receptor of transformer oil spill. This study includes the simulation techniques for assessing the effect of PCBs on groundwater and soil. Results from multimedia environmental model and HSSM model verify with each other, and both show that 92.7 % of PCBs were found in soil as compared to groundwater. Considering decay and sorption processes at spill location, concentration of PCBs in soil was >50 mg/kg. This study can serve as a basis for further analysis and assist in selection of remediation technique.

Comparison of Response Systems and Education Courses against HNS Spill Incidents between Land and Sea in Korea

As the type of Hazardous and Noxious Substances(HNS) becomes various and the transport volume of HNS increases, HNS spill incidents occur frequently on land and the sea. In view of various damages to human lives and properties by HNS spills, it is necessary to educate and train professional personnel in preparation for and response to potential HNS spills. This study shows the current state of response systems and education courses against HNS spill incidents on land and the sea to compare those with each other between land and sea in Korea. Incident command system on land are basically similar to that at sea, but leading authority which is responsible for combating HNS spills at sea is changeable depending on the location of HNS spill, as it were, Korea Coast Guard(KCG) is responsible for urgent response to HNS spill at sea, while municipalities are responsible for the response to HNS drifted ashore. Education courses for HNS responders on land are established at National Fire Service Academy(NFSA), National Institute of Chemical Safety(NICS), etc., and are diverse. Education and training courses for HNS responder at sea are established at Korea Coast Guard Academy(KCGA) and Marine Environment Research & Training Institute(MERTI), and are comparatively simple. Education courses for dangerous cargo handlers who work in port where land is linked to the sea are established at Korea Maritime Dangerous Goods Inspection & Research Institute(KOMDI), Korea Port Training Institute(KPTI) and Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology(KIMFT). Through the comparison of education courses for HNS responders between land and sea, some recommendations such as extension of education targets, division of an existing integrated HNS course into two courses composed of operational level and manager level with respective refresh course, on-line cyber course and joint inter-educational institute course in cooperation with other relevant institutes are proposed for the improvement in education courses of KCG and KOEM(Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation) to educate and train professionals for combating HNS spills at sea in Korea.

Inferring spatial distribution of oil spill risks from proxies: Case study in the north of the Persian Gulf

Maps of oil spill probability are important tools in environmental risk assessment and decision making in coastal zone management. This paper describes the development of a spatial predictive model for the probability of oil spills in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. The model estimates the probability of oil spills at a pixel level as function of four proxies, i.e., ship routes, coastlines, oil facilities, oil wells. It uses a generalized linear model (GLM) with a polynomial function that is implemented in the R software environment. For training the model, we used reported oil spill events that represent the location of their occurrences. We trained and tested the model in 100 iterations, using a different subset of data for each. The model evaluations showed mean accuracy of 0.79% (range 0.68%–0.89%), expressed by the area under the curve (AUC). In the northern part of the Persian Gulf, the largest probability of oil spills was predicted in areas where actual oil facilities in combination with high intensity ship traffic are in evidence. The model can predict the probability of oil spills as raster map in a standard R data format. It can be used in environmental risk assessment as well as an input for more detailed oil spill simulation models. The advantages of the model include its’ high spatial resolution, accounting for uncertainty in oil spill locations, and the possibility of sharing as an open-source R script with other users.

Mid-depth oil concentration due to vertical oil dispersion in a regular wave field

An experimental program is organized to investigate the vertical oil dispersion of surface oil spills in a regular wave field. Various waves characteristics and different volumes of oil spills are tested to assess the oil concentration variations at two sampling stations. It is found that the oil concentration due to vertical oil dispersion follows an ascending diagram to reach a maximum and then decreases while oil slick passes the location. The maximum mid-depth oil concentration (Cmax) at the farther sampling station is 30–50 % less than the concentration at the closer sampling station to the spill location. A 50 % increase in oil spill volume causes 30–60 % growth in oil concentrations. The relations between oil concentration and important parameters such as wave characteristics, amount of spilled oil and the distance of sampling stations from the spill location are indicated and also oil concentration variations are quantified. Two equations are derived through statistical analysis of the obtained experimental data, which estimate the magnitude and time of maximum oil concentration.

Tar Balls Collector for Mechanical Recovery in Combating Oil Spill on the Marine Environment

The impacts of oil spill on water pollution are more fatal than on the mainland because the spread of pollutants is larger and more massive. Various techniques are available for dealing with oil spill in the sea. However they turn out to be less effective in combating oil spill in the form of tar balls. Meanwhile, currents, tides and wind can carry tar balls far from the spill location. Therefore, emergency response must be deployed right away. Tar balls are finally collected manually by empowering fishermen in a short time which is quite difficult to be done. This paper discussed a tar balls collector that was designed based on net fishing tool and that it will be simply mounted on the side vessel or combating ship. Tar balls collector consists of several components including the clamp, long support, pulley, rings, frame of the net and net. Structure analysis of the long support of this tool was carried to determine force reaction and stress resultant. This equipment was designed to collect faster and more tar balls, hence reducing the impact of pollution on the marine environment.

Modeling of oil spill beaching along the coast of the Bohai Sea, China

On June 4 and 17, 2011, two separate oil spill accidents occurred at platforms B and C of the Penglai 19-3 oilfield located in the Bohai Sea, China. Based on the initial oil spill locations detected from the first available Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image acquired on June 11, 2011, we performed a numerical experiment to simulate the potential oil spill beaching area with the General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) model. The model was driven by ocean surface currents from an operational ocean model (Navy Coastal Ocean Model) and surface winds from operational scatterometer measurements (the Advanced Scatterometer). Under the forcing of wind and ocean currents, some of the oil spills reached land along the coast of Qinhuangdao within 12 days. The results also demonstrate that the ocean currents are likely to carry the remaining oil spills along the Bohai coast towards the northeast. The predicted oil spill beaching area was verified by reported in-situ measurements and former studies based on MODIS observations.

STakeholder-Objective Risk Model (STORM): Determining the aggregated risk of multiple contaminant hazards in groundwater well catchments

Risk is often defined as the product of probability, vulnerability and value. Drinking water supply from groundwater abstraction is often at risk due to multiple hazardous land use activities in the well catchment. Each hazard might or might not introduce contaminants into the subsurface at any point in time, which then affects the pumped quality upon transport through the aquifer. In such situations, estimating the overall risk is not trivial, and three key questions emerge: (1) How to aggregate the impacts from different contaminants and spill locations to an overall, cumulative impact on the value at risk? (2) How to properly account for the stochastic nature of spill events when converting the aggregated impact to a risk estimate? (3) How will the overall risk and subsequent decision making depend on stakeholder objectives, where stakeholder objectives refer to the values at risk, risk attitudes and risk metrics that can vary between stakeholders. In this study, we provide a STakeholder-Objective Risk Model (STORM) for assessing the total aggregated risk. Or concept is a quantitative, probabilistic and modular framework for simulation-based risk estimation. It rests on the source-pathway-receptor concept, mass-discharge-based aggregation of stochastically occuring spill events, accounts for uncertainties in the involved flow and transport models through Monte Carlo simulation, and can address different stakeholder objectives. We illustrate the application of STORM in a numerical test case inspired by a German drinking water catchment. As one may expect, the results depend strongly on the chosen stakeholder objectives, but they are equally sensitive to different approaches for risk aggregation across different hazards, contaminant types, and over time.

Risk assessment of oil spill accidents

<div> <p>The objective of this study is to present an integrated stochastic approach for quantifying the risk of oil spill in marine waters and adjacent coasts. This was achieved via the effective cooperation between the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the Bogazici University (BU) within the framework of a bilateral joint research project. The proposed methodology integrates four models: (1) a physics-based hydrodynamic model (HYM) which computes the spatial distribution of surface water currents as the main driving force for oil transport, (2) an expert-based accident assessment model (<st1:stockticker w:st="on">AAM</st1:stockticker>) to compute the frequency, location and characteristics of expected oil spills, (3) a physics-based oil spill model (<st1:stockticker w:st="on">OSM</st1:stockticker>) which computes the propagation and fate of the oil slick, and (4) an expert-based impact assessment model (IAM) to compute the distribution of coastal impact due to oil contamination. The model is applied to two pilot areas: the Saronicos Gulf, Greece and Izmir Bay, Turkey. The flow fields in these areas were determined by the HYM for a large number of wind scenarios, based on which the transport and weathering of an oil slick were computed by the <st1:stockticker w:st="on">OSM</st1:stockticker>. The most probable oil spill locations were identified by <st1:stockticker w:st="on">AAM</st1:stockticker> based on the bathymetry, the maritime traffic and the currents. Finally, the IAM was applied to draw Coastal Oil Impact Maps in the regions of interest. Emphasis was placed on the presentation of the risk of oil reaching the coastline. Environmental sensitivity and economic importance were taken into account by assigning index values to all coastal cells. </p> </div> <p> </p>

Integrating Google Maps/Earth Into an Automated Oil Spill Forecast System

AbstractAn automated method for visualizing oil spill forecasts using Google Maps and Google Earth has been integrated into a Hydrodynamic and Oil Spill Python (HyosPy) modeling system. HyosPy downloads wind and tide observations and forecasts, runs a hydrodynamic model (the Semi-Implicit Eulerian Lagrangian Finite Element), links to an oil spill model (General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment), and visualizes the predicted spill trajectories. Using object-oriented approaches with Python code, HyosPy can run multiple instances of the hydrodynamic and oil spill models to provide a set of multiple predicted spill tracks controlled by different wind and tide forecasts. Automation of HyosPy allows the hydrodynamic model to be continuously running on a server so that hydrodynamic forecasts are immediately available in the event of a spill. Once the size, location, and time of the oil spill are provided to the system, no further human intervention is necessary. Google Maps/Earth visualization methods employ JavaScript tools and Keyhole Markup Language files to provide rapid display and animation in Web browsers of Java-capable devices. HyosPy is designed with a loosely coupled architecture to permit easy update and adaptation to different models and data sources.

Assessing the performance and cost of oil spill remediation technologies

Abstract Oil spills are an especially challenging chemical contamination event to remediate. Predicting the fate and effects of spilled oil is a formidable task, complicated by its complex chemical composition and the potential for catastrophically large discharge volumes. The proper choice of cleanup technique is equally complex, and depends on a host of factors, including oil type, spill location, spill size, weather, and local regulations and standards. This paper aims to provide a broad review of the current technologies used to remediate oil spills, and the context in which they operate. The chemical characteristics of an oil spill are discussed, including implications for transport modeling, and impacts that arise from short-term and chronic toxicity. The most common remediation technologies (mechanical recovery, dispersants, and in-situ burning) are reviewed, as are emerging technologies (hydrophobic meshes). A comparative analysis is performed on these methods by calculating a maximum oil encounter rate for each device, which is a performance characteristic critical to planning a response effort. Finally, a review of cleanup cost estimation techniques is used to assess the cost-effectiveness of remediation methods. Analysis shows that waiving the legal penalty for recovered oil can result in significant cost savings for the liable party, and may drive improvements in recovery-focused technologies. The authors suggest continued research into improving oil spill recovery methods and understanding the fate of individual compounds in the spilled oil. This will both minimize potential environmental damages, and reduce the uncertainty of their impacts.

Development of an oil spill hazard scenarios database for risk assessment

den Boer, S., Azevedo, A., Vaz, L., Costa, R., Fortunato, A.B., Oliveira, A., Tomas, L.M., Dias, J.M., Rodrigues, M., 2014. Development of an oil spill hazard scenarios database for risk assessment. In: Green, A.N. and Cooper, J.A.G. (eds.), Proceedings 13 th International Coastal Symposium (Durban, South Africa), Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 70, pp. 539-544, ISSN 0749-0208. The occurrence of oil spills in coastal regions may have catastrophic consequences on the environment and severe socio-economic impacts. This work presents a new methodology to evaluate the risk associated with oil spills in coastal zones and estuaries, and illustrates its application in a coastal lagoon (Ria de Aveiro, Portugal). A ranked list of the hydrodynamic scenarios under which oil spills are most likely generated through the analysis of 33 years of wave and wind data, retrieved from the ERA-INTERIM project database, and from the analysis of oil spills that occurred in the Atlantic Iberian shelf. Considering six spill locations and a single oil type spill inside the Aveiro harbor, the database resulted in approximately 3500 simulations. Hydrodynamic simulations were made with the MORSYS2D modeling system, a soft coupling of the hydrodynamic model ELCIRC and the wave model SWAN. The high-accuracy, unstructured grid, oil fate model VOILS was used in 2D mode to simulate the transport and the oil weathering processes at the surface and in the intertidal areas. The hazard assessment analysis included the determination of the trajectory of the plumes, the shoreline retention areas affected by the oil and their oil exposure time. Time evolution of the oil properties, such as the oil evaporation rate and emulsification processes of the mixture, are provided to support clean-up operations, as well as robustness controls such as oil mass balance.

Simulation Study of Evacuation Routes and Traffic Management Strategies in Short-Notice Emergency Evacuation

Emergency evacuation traffic is simulated in response to an assumed chlorine gas spill incident in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. The best evacuation corridors are identified, and possible effective traffic management strategies are compared to increase the cumulative number of vehicles evacuated out of the protective action zone and to decrease the average travel times for evacuees. To relieve the heavy traffic congestion around the spill location caused by the sudden increase in demand, traffic management strategies (law enforcement for traffic control, contraflow operations, and variable message signs) are tested on the three major arterial streets in the protective action zone to improve evacuation performance over a baseline traffic management strategy. A multiway analysis of variance was conducted for the simulation results to numerically assess the effect of each factor that might contribute to the performance of the short-notice evacuation. Results of a comparison of evacuation scenarios used to determine evacuation effectiveness and statistical analysis indicated that ( a) selection of a best contraflow operation route depends on interference from intersecting links and the cost of deploying traffic management and ( b) the use of both contraflow and variable message signs could improve evacuation performance over using neither or only one of the two strategies.

Propagation of impacts after oil spills at sea: Categorization and quantification of local vs regional and immediate vs delayed impacts

The propagation of the water quality impacts after oil spills at sea were analyzed and quantified in relation to transformation and transport characteristics of oil over time as the impact radius expands depending on the characteristics of the spill. The potential impacts were categorized in time domain as immediate and delayed impacts and in spatial domain as local and regional impacts. Transformation and transport characteristics of the oil were analyzed based on the interactions between different media (air, water, sediments) over time. Knowledge based scoring system was used for the impact intensity and duration of impacts based on the interactions between different media. The potential impacts were quantified over time in relation to spill characteristics (i.e., oil type, spill size, spill location). The methodology was demonstrated to compare the potential impacts after a gasoline spill and a crude oil spill of similar quantities at the same location. The impact scoring methodology can be used for planning and resource allocation and planning purposes for developing oil spill response as well as assessing and communicating mitigation needs in time and geographical scales.

Spatio-temporal overlap of oil spills and early life stages of fish

Abstract Coupling an oil drift and fates model (Oscar) in an offline environment with an individual-based model (IBM) for Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua) eggs and larvae enables us to quantify the exposure of eggs and larvae to oil from various oil spill scenarios. Oscar describes the spatio-temporal dispersal and fate of hydrocarbons, whereas the egg and larval IBM integrates the exposure of each individual. We can thus evaluate the effects of the time and location of an oil spill on the degree of exposure for individuals from different spawning grounds (SGs). In addition, we quantify how this effect is modified by the dynamic vertical positioning of eggs and the vertical behaviour of larvae. The principal findings of the study indicate that the mean egg and larval exposures for individuals from different SGs are highly dependent on the time and location of the spill and the vertical distribution of the offspring. Approximately 9.9, 4.7, 3.5, and 0.4% of the offspring would experience total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (TPAH) concentrations above 1 µg l−1 (parts per billion, ppb) for oil spill scenarios situated at Haltenbanken, Lofoten, and Vesterålen near the coast and near the shelf edge, respectively, based on the maximum TPAH concentrations in the water column along the individual offspring trajectories.

Satellite observations and modeling of oil spill trajectories in the Bohai Sea

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.

Comparison Operator Edge Detection Based on Remote Sensing of Marine Oil Spill

In recent years, marine oil spill is frequent and seriously threats to the sustainable development of coastal areas and marine environment. Large Marine oil spill is difficult to clean up and pollution range is large, lasting for a long time, for the biological and ecological environment destruction, particularly serious. It is very important to take corresponding measures that how to quickly master the location of the oil spill when this event occurs. Satellite remote sensing has advantages of large, multi-temporal, all-weather, real-time, quick and economic and has become an important means of monitoring marine oil spill, playing an important role in the monitoring of marine oil spill treatment. This paper illustrates by Penglai 19-3 oil spill accident, using MODIS remote sensing data, the use of the Robert operator, Sobel operator, Laplacian operator and LOG operator to extract the oil spill edge, and extraction accuracy of the comparison and analysis.

Modelling of naphthalene sorption in shallow beach aquifers

The effect of tide-induced water table fluctuations on the sorption of naphthalene in beach aquifers is investigated. In particular, the cases of equilibrium and rate-limited sorption of naphthalene to aquifer solids are studied by examining the partition coefficient and rate of mass transfer from mobile to immobile regions. Results showed that the tidal effect on contaminant concentrations was not only dependent on the spill location but also on the partition coefficient and the rate of mass transfer. A difference of 13% of the initial spilled concentration was observed between the transient- and steady-head boundaries when the sorption partition coefficient between the contaminant and the sorbent was small (1 × 10−4 m3/kg). However, when the partition coefficient increased to 5 × 10−3 m3/kg, these differences became negligible. This suggests that for contaminants with higher hydrophobicity, a steady head may be used to simulate a seaward boundary, thereby reducing the extensive computations associated with the transient-head boundary. Likewise, small rates of mass transfer from mobile to immobile regions have produced different plume sizes in cases of transient- and steady-head boundaries. These differences in plume size disappeared upon an increase in mass transfer rate.