Environmental Science › Pollution

Oil Spill Detection and Mitigation

Works Count: 28480

Wikipedia

Description

This cluster of papers focuses on the detection, tracking, and environmental impact of oil spills, with a particular emphasis on the Deepwater Horizon incident. It covers topics such as remote sensing techniques, use of dispersants, biodegradation, health effects, and modeling of oil spill trajectories. The research aims to advance the understanding and management of marine pollution caused by oil spills.

Keywords

Oil Spill Detection; Remote Sensing; Deepwater Horizon; Environmental Impact; Dispersants; Marine Pollution; SAR Imaging; Biodegradation; Oil Spill Modeling; Health Effects

The Spread of Oil Slicks on a Calm Sea

1969-01-01

James A. Fay

Oil spill problems and sustainable response strategies through new technologies

2015-01-01

И. Б. Ившина , Maria S. Kuyukina , Anastasiya V. Krivoruchko +6 more

Crude oil and petroleum products are widespread water and soil pollutants resulting from marine and terrestrial spillages. Crude oil and petroleum products are widespread water and soil pollutants resulting from marine and terrestrial spillages.

View PDF Chat

Effectiveness of bioremediation for the Exxon Valdez oil spill

1994-03-01

James R. Bragg , Roger C. Prince , E. James Harner +1 more

Oil spill detection by satellite remote sensing

2005-01-27

Camilla Brekke , Anne H. Schistad Solberg

Tracking Hydrocarbon Plume Transport and Biodegradation at Deepwater Horizon

2010-08-20

Richard Camilli , Christopher M. Reddy , D. Yoerger +6 more

The Deepwater Horizon blowout is the largest offshore oil spill in history. We present results from a subsurface hydrocarbon survey using an autonomous underwater vehicle and a ship-cabled sampler. Our … The Deepwater Horizon blowout is the largest offshore oil spill in history. We present results from a subsurface hydrocarbon survey using an autonomous underwater vehicle and a ship-cabled sampler. Our findings indicate the presence of a continuous plume of oil, more than 35 kilometers in length, at approximately 1100 meters depth that persisted for months without substantial biodegradation. Samples collected from within the plume reveal monoaromatic petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in excess of 50 micrograms per liter. These data indicate that monoaromatic input to this plume was at least 5500 kilograms per day, which is more than double the total source rate of all natural seeps of the monoaromatic petroleum hydrocarbons in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Dissolved oxygen concentrations suggest that microbial respiration rates within the plume were not appreciably more than 1 micromolar oxygen per day.

View PDF Chat

An Exposition of the AHP in Reply to the Paper “Remarks on the Analytic Hierarchy Process”

1990-03-01

Thomas L. Saaty

Impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a deep-water coral community in the Gulf of Mexico

2012-03-27

Helen K. White , Pen‐Yuan Hsing , Walter Cho +7 more

To assess the potential impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on offshore ecosystems, 11 sites hosting deep-water coral communities were examined 3 to 4 mo after the well was … To assess the potential impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on offshore ecosystems, 11 sites hosting deep-water coral communities were examined 3 to 4 mo after the well was capped. Healthy coral communities were observed at all sites >20 km from the Macondo well, including seven sites previously visited in September 2009, where the corals and communities appeared unchanged. However, at one site 11 km southwest of the Macondo well, coral colonies presented widespread signs of stress, including varying degrees of tissue loss, sclerite enlargement, excess mucous production, bleached commensal ophiuroids, and covering by brown flocculent material (floc). On the basis of these criteria the level of impact to individual colonies was ranked from 0 (least impact) to 4 (greatest impact). Of the 43 corals imaged at that site, 46% exhibited evidence of impact on more than half of the colony, whereas nearly a quarter of all of the corals showed impact to >90% of the colony. Additionally, 53% of these corals' ophiuroid associates displayed abnormal color and/or attachment posture. Analysis of hopanoid petroleum biomarkers isolated from the floc provides strong evidence that this material contained oil from the Macondo well. The presence of recently damaged and deceased corals beneath the path of a previously documented plume emanating from the Macondo well provides compelling evidence that the oil impacted deep-water ecosystems. Our findings underscore the unprecedented nature of the spill in terms of its magnitude, release at depth, and impact to deep-water ecosystems.

View PDF Chat

Review of flow rate estimates of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

2011-12-20

Marcia McNutt , R. Camilli , T. J. Crone +5 more

The unprecedented nature of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill required the application of research methods to estimate the rate at which oil was escaping from the well in the deep … The unprecedented nature of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill required the application of research methods to estimate the rate at which oil was escaping from the well in the deep sea, its disposition after it entered the ocean, and total reservoir depletion. Here, we review what advances were made in scientific understanding of quantification of flow rates during deep sea oil well blowouts. We assess the degree to which a consensus was reached on the flow rate of the well by comparing in situ observations of the leaking well with a time-dependent flow rate model derived from pressure readings taken after the Macondo well was shut in for the well integrity test. Model simulations also proved valuable for predicting the effect of partial deployment of the blowout preventer rams on flow rate. Taken together, the scientific analyses support flow rates in the range of ∼50,000-70,000 barrels/d, perhaps modestly decreasing over the duration of the oil spill, for a total release of ∼5.0 million barrels of oil, not accounting for BP's collection effort. By quantifying the amount of oil at different locations (wellhead, ocean surface, and atmosphere), we conclude that just over 2 million barrels of oil (after accounting for containment) and all of the released methane remained in the deep sea. By better understanding the fate of the hydrocarbons, the total discharge can be partitioned into separate components that pose threats to deep sea vs. coastal ecosystems, allowing responders in future events to scale their actions accordingly.

View PDF Chat

Review of oil spill remote sensing

2014-04-20

Merv Fingas , Carl E. Brown

A review of oil, dispersed oil and sediment interactions in the aquatic environment: Influence on the fate, transport and remediation of oil spills

2014-01-02

Yanyan Gong , Xiao Zhao , Zhengqing Cai +3 more

Natural sorbents in oil spill cleanup

1992-04-01

Hyung‐Min Choi , Rinn M. Cloud

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTNatural sorbents in oil spill cleanupHyung Min Choi and Rinn M. CloudCite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 1992, 26, 4, 772–776Publication Date (Print):April 1, 1992Publication History Published online1 … ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTNatural sorbents in oil spill cleanupHyung Min Choi and Rinn M. CloudCite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 1992, 26, 4, 772–776Publication Date (Print):April 1, 1992Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 April 1992https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es00028a016https://doi.org/10.1021/es00028a016research-articleACS PublicationsRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views3677Altmetric-Citations467LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-Alertsclose Get e-Alerts

Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Bioavailable Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Gulf of Mexico Coastal Waters

2012-02-09

Sarah Allan , Brian Smith , Kim A. Anderson

An estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil and 2.1 million gallons of dispersants were released into the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. There is a continued … An estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil and 2.1 million gallons of dispersants were released into the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. There is a continued need for information about the impacts and long-term effects of the disaster on the Gulf of Mexico. The objectives of this study were to assess bioavailable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the coastal waters of four Gulf Coast states that were impacted by the spill. For over a year, beginning in May 2010, passive sampling devices were used to monitor the bioavailable concentration of PAHs. Prior to shoreline oiling, baseline data were obtained at all the study sites, allowing for direct before and after comparisons of PAH contamination. Significant increases in bioavailable PAHs were seen following the oil spill, however, preoiling levels were observed at all sites by March 2011. A return to elevated PAH concentrations, accompanied by a chemical fingerprint similar to that observed while the site was being impacted by the spill, was observed in Alabama in summer 2011. Chemical forensic modeling demonstrated that elevated PAH concentrations are associated with distinctive chemical profiles.

View PDF Chat

Oil Spill Cleanup from Sea Water by Sorbent Materials

2005-11-29

Ahmad Bayat , Seyed Foad Aghamiri , Ahmad Moheb +1 more

Abstract Three sorbents were compared in order to determine their potential for oil spill cleanup. Polypropylene nonwoven web, rice hull, and bagasse with two different particle sizes were evaluated in … Abstract Three sorbents were compared in order to determine their potential for oil spill cleanup. Polypropylene nonwoven web, rice hull, and bagasse with two different particle sizes were evaluated in terms of oil sorption capacities and oil recovery efficiencies. Polypropylene can sorb almost 7 to 9 times its weight from different oils. Bagasse, 18 to 45 mesh size, follows polypropylene as the second sorbent in oil spill cleanup. Bagasse, 14 to 18 mesh size, and rice hull have comparable oil sorption capacities, which are lower than those of the two former sorbents. It was found that oil viscosity plays an important role in oil sorption by sorbents. All adsorbents used in this work could remove the oil from the surface of the water preferentially.

The Significance of Oil Spill Dispersants

2000-02-01

R. R. Lessard , G. DeMarco

Long-Term Ecosystem Response to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

2003-12-18

Charles H. Peterson , Stanley D. Rice , Jeffrey W. Short +4 more

The ecosystem response to the 1989 spill of oil from the Exxon Valdez into Prince William Sound, Alaska, shows that current practices for assessing ecological risks of oil in the … The ecosystem response to the 1989 spill of oil from the Exxon Valdez into Prince William Sound, Alaska, shows that current practices for assessing ecological risks of oil in the oceans and, by extension, other toxic sources should be changed. Previously, it was assumed that impacts to populations derive almost exclusively from acute mortality. However, in the Alaskan coastal ecosystem, unexpected persistence of toxic subsurface oil and chronic exposures, even at sublethal levels, have continued to affect wildlife. Delayed population reductions and cascades of indirect effects postponed recovery. Development of ecosystem-based toxicology is required to understand and ultimately predict chronic, delayed, and indirect long-term risks and impacts.

Investigation of the effectiveness of absorbent materials in oil spills clean up

2001-11-01

C. Teas , S. Kalligeros , F. Zanikos +3 more

Natural dispersion of oil

1988-01-01

G.A.L. Delvigne , C.E. Sweeney

Magnitude of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak

2010-09-24

T. J. Crone , M. Tolstoy

Modeling videos suggest that around 4.4 million barrels of oil escaped from the broken Deepwater Horizon well. Modeling videos suggest that around 4.4 million barrels of oil escaped from the broken Deepwater Horizon well.

View PDF Chat

Measurement of the Roughness of the Sea Surface from Photographs of the Sun’s Glitter

1954-11-01

Charles L. Cox , Walter Munk

A method is developed for interpreting the statistics of the sun's glitter on the sea surface in terms of the statistics of the slope distribution. The method consists of two … A method is developed for interpreting the statistics of the sun's glitter on the sea surface in terms of the statistics of the slope distribution. The method consists of two principal phases: (1) of identifying, from geometric considerations, any point on the surface with the particular slope required for the reflection of the" sun's rays toward the observer; and (2) of interpreting the average brightness of the sea surface in the vicinity of this point in terms of the frequency with which this particular slope occurs. The computation of the probability of large (and infrequent) slopes is limited by the disappearance of the glitter into a background consisting of (1) the sunlight scattered from particles beneath the sea surface, and (2) the skylight reflected by the sea surface.The method has been applied to aerial photographs taken under carefully chosen conditions in the Hawaiian area. Winds were measured from a vessel at the time and place of the aerial photographs, and cover a range from 1 to 14 m sec−1. The effect of surface slicks, laid by the vessel, are included in the study. A two-dimensional Gram-Charlier series is fitted to the data. As a first approximation the distribution is Gaussian and isotropic with respect to direction. The mean square slope (regardless of direction) increases linearly with the wind speed, reaching a value of (tan16°)2 for a wind speed of 14 m sec−1. The ratio of the up/ downwind to the crosswind component of mean square slope varies from 1.0 to 1.9. There is some up/downwind skewness which increases with increasing wind speed. As a result the most probable slope at high winds is not zero but a few degrees, with the azimuth of ascent pointing downwind. The measured peakedness which is barely above the limit of observational error, is such as to make the probability of very large and very small slopes greater than Gaussian. The effect of oil slicks covering an area of one-quarter square mile is to reduce the mean square slopes by a factor of two or three, to eliminate skewness, but to leave peakedness unchanged.

Review of technologies for oil and gas produced water treatment

2009-05-20

A. Fakhru’l‐Razi , Alireza Pendashteh , Luqman Chuah Abdullah +3 more

View PDF Chat

Blue Hazes in the Atmosphere

1960-08-01

F. W. Went

Improved Mechanical Oil Spill Recovery Using an Optimized Geometry for the Skimmer Surface

2006-10-26

Victoria Broje , Arturo A. Keller

The primary objective of this research was to improve the efficiency of mechanical oil spill response equipment by optimizing the geometry of the oleophilic skimmer recovery surface. Another objective of … The primary objective of this research was to improve the efficiency of mechanical oil spill response equipment by optimizing the geometry of the oleophilic skimmer recovery surface. Another objective of this work was to study the relation between the operational variables and the oil spill recovery efficiency in a full-scale oil spill recovery test, comparing novel and conventional oleophilic drum skimmer configurations. The study showed that using the new surface pattern in the recovery unit can increase the skimmer oil recovery efficiency up to three times. The improved surface pattern was found to be efficient on oils with a wide range of viscosities, including diesel oil, which is a challenging liquid to recover due to its low viscosity. The effect of the surface pattern dimensions on the recovery efficiency was explored. Guidelines for the design of a more efficient surface geometry tailored to the properties of the recovered oil were developed.

Oil Spill Detection by SAR Images: Dark Formation Detection, Feature Extraction and Classification Algorithms

2008-10-22

Konstantinos Topouzelis

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar images (SAR) for detection of illegal discharges from ships. It summarizes the current state of the art, … This paper provides a comprehensive review of the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar images (SAR) for detection of illegal discharges from ships. It summarizes the current state of the art, covering operational and research aspects of the application. Oil spills are seriously affecting the marine ecosystem and cause political and scientific concern since they seriously effect fragile marine and coastal ecosystem. The amount of pollutant discharges and associated effects on the marine environment are important parameters in evaluating sea water quality. Satellite images can improve the possibilities for the detection of oil spills as they cover large areas and offer an economical and easier way of continuous coast areas patrolling. SAR images have been widely used for oil spill detection. The present paper gives an overview of the methodologies used to detect oil spills on the radar images. In particular we concentrate on the use of the manual and automatic approaches to distinguish oil spills from other natural phenomena. We discuss the most common techniques to detect dark formations on the SAR images, the features which are extracted from the detected dark formations and the most used classifiers. Finally we conclude with discussion of suggestions for further research. The references throughout the review can serve as starting point for more intensive studies on the subject.

View PDF Chat

Characteristics of dispersions and water-soluble extracts of crude and refined oils and their toxicity to estuarine crustaceans and fish

1974-01-01

Jack W. Anderson , Jerry M. Neff , B. A. Cox +2 more

PHYSICAL PROCESSES IN THE SPREAD OF OIL ON A WATER SURFACE

1971-06-01

James A. Fay

ABSTRACT Formulae are recommended for calculating the extent of the spread of oil slicks on water as a function of time. They are based on empirical measurements of spreading rates … ABSTRACT Formulae are recommended for calculating the extent of the spread of oil slicks on water as a function of time. They are based on empirical measurements of spreading rates and analytical and theoretical studies of the physical processes which accelerate or retard the spread of a film Both one-dimensional and two-dimensional (axisymmetric) slicks are treated. Comparisons of the recommended formulae are made with the limited number of field observations, both for the rate of spread and the maximum slick size.

A sustainable approach to controlling oil spills

2012-10-02

Abdulaziz Al-Majed , Abdulrauf R. Adebayo , M. Enamul Hossain

Oil Spill Detection in Radarsat and Envisat SAR Images

2007-03-01

Anne H. Schistad Solberg , Camilla Brekke , Per Ove Husoy

We present algorithms for automatic detection of oil spills in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The algorithms consist of three main parts, namely: 1) detection of dark spots; 2) feature … We present algorithms for automatic detection of oil spills in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The algorithms consist of three main parts, namely: 1) detection of dark spots; 2) feature extraction from the dark spot candidates; and 3) classification of dark spots as oil spills or look-alikes. The algorithms have been trained on a large number of Radarsat and Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images. The performance of the algorithm is compared to manual and semiautomatic approaches in a benchmark study using 59 Radarsat and Envisat images. The algorithms can be considered to be a good alternative to manual inspection when large ocean areas are to be inspected

Experimental investigation of various vegetable fibers as sorbent materials for oil spills

2005-06-10

T.R. Annunciado , T. H. D. Sydenstricker , Sandro Campos Amico

Composition and fate of gas and oil released to the water column during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

2011-07-18

Christopher M. Reddy , J. Samuel Arey , Jeffrey S. Seewald +7 more

Quantitative information regarding the endmember composition of the gas and oil that flowed from the Macondo well during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is essential for determining the oil flow … Quantitative information regarding the endmember composition of the gas and oil that flowed from the Macondo well during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is essential for determining the oil flow rate, total oil volume released, and trajectories and fates of hydrocarbon components in the marine environment. Using isobaric gas-tight samplers, we collected discrete samples directly above the Macondo well on June 21, 2010, and analyzed the gas and oil. We found that the fluids flowing from the Macondo well had a gas-to-oil ratio of 1,600 standard cubic feet per petroleum barrel. Based on the measured endmember gas-to-oil ratio and the Federally estimated net liquid oil release of 4.1 million barrels, the total amount of C 1 -C 5 hydrocarbons released to the water column was 1.7 × 10 11 g. The endmember gas and oil compositions then enabled us to study the fractionation of petroleum hydrocarbons in discrete water samples collected in June 2010 within a southwest trending hydrocarbon-enriched plume of neutrally buoyant water at a water depth of 1,100 m. The most abundant petroleum hydrocarbons larger than C 1 -C 5 were benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and total xylenes at concentrations up to 78 μg L -1 . Comparison of the endmember gas and oil composition with the composition of water column samples showed that the plume was preferentially enriched with water-soluble components, indicating that aqueous dissolution played a major role in plume formation, whereas the fates of relatively insoluble petroleum components were initially controlled by other processes.

View PDF Chat

Automatic detection of oil spills in ERS SAR images

1999-07-01

Anne H. Schistad Solberg , Geir Storvik , R. Solberg +1 more

The authors present algorithms for the automatic detection of oil spills in SAR images. The developed framework consists of first detecting dark spots in the image, then computing a set … The authors present algorithms for the automatic detection of oil spills in SAR images. The developed framework consists of first detecting dark spots in the image, then computing a set of features for each dark spot, before the spot is classified as either an oil slick or a "lookalike" (other oceanographic phenomena which resemble oil slicks). The classification rule is constructed by combining statistical modeling with a rule-based approach. Prior knowledge about the higher probability for the presence of oil slicks around ships and oil platforms is incorporated into the model. In addition, knowledge about the external conditions like wind level and slick surroundings are taken into account. The presented algorithms are tested on 84 SAR images. The algorithm can discriminate between oil slicks and lookalikes with high accuracy, 94% of the oil slicks and 99% of the lookalikes were correctly classified.

Deepwater Horizon crude oil impacts the developing hearts of large predatory pelagic fish

2014-03-24

John P. Incardona , Luke D. Gardner , Tiffany L. Linbo +7 more

Significance The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (MC252) disaster in the northern Gulf of Mexico released more than 4 million barrels of crude oil. Oil rose from the ocean floor to the … Significance The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (MC252) disaster in the northern Gulf of Mexico released more than 4 million barrels of crude oil. Oil rose from the ocean floor to the surface where many large pelagic fish spawn. Here we describe the impacts of field-collected oil samples on the rapidly developing embryos of warm-water predators, including bluefin and yellowfin tunas and an amberjack. For each species, environmentally relevant MC252 oil exposures caused serious defects in heart development. Moreover, abnormalities in cardiac function were highly consistent, indicating a broadly conserved developmental crude oil cardiotoxicity. Losses of early life stages were therefore likely for Gulf populations of tunas, amberjack, swordfish, billfish, and other large predators that spawned in oiled surface habitats.

View PDF Chat

Oil sands development contributes polycyclic aromatic compounds to the Athabasca River and its tributaries

2009-12-08

Erin N. Kelly , Jeffrey W. Short , David W. Schindler +4 more

For over a decade, the contribution of oil sands mining and processing to the pollution of the Athabasca River has been controversial. We show that the oil sands development is … For over a decade, the contribution of oil sands mining and processing to the pollution of the Athabasca River has been controversial. We show that the oil sands development is a greater source of contamination than previously realized. In 2008, within 50 km of oil sands upgrading facilities, the loading to the snowpack of airborne particulates was 11,400 T over 4 months and included 391 kg of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC), equivalent to 600 T of bitumen, while 168 kg of dissolved PAC was also deposited. Dissolved PAC concentrations in tributaries to the Athabasca increased from 0.009 microg/L upstream of oil sands development to 0.023 microg/L in winter and to 0.202 microg/L in summer downstream. In the Athabasca, dissolved PAC concentrations were mostly <0.025 microg/L in winter and 0.030 microg/L in summer, except near oil sands upgrading facilities and tailings ponds in winter (0.031-0.083 microg/L) and downstream of new development in summer (0.063-0.135 microg/L). In the Athabasca and its tributaries, development within the past 2 years was related to elevated dissolved PAC concentrations that were likely toxic to fish embryos. In melted snow, dissolved PAC concentrations were up to 4.8 microg/L, thus, spring snowmelt and washout during rain events are important unknowns. These results indicate that major changes are needed to the way that environmental impacts of oil sands development are monitored and managed.

View PDF Chat

Neural networks for oil spill detection using ERS-SAR data

2000-01-01

Fabio Del Frate , Andrea Petrocchi , J. Lichtenegger +1 more

A neural network approach for semi-automatic detection of oil spills in European remote sensing satellite-synthetic aperture radar (ERS-SAR) imagery is presented.The network input is a vector containing the values of … A neural network approach for semi-automatic detection of oil spills in European remote sensing satellite-synthetic aperture radar (ERS-SAR) imagery is presented.The network input is a vector containing the values of a set of features characterizing an oil spill candidate.The classification performance of the algorithm has been evaluated on a data set containing verified examples of oil spill and look-alike.A direct analysis of the information content of the calculated features has been also carried out through an extended pruning procedure of the net.

View PDF Chat

Fate of Dispersants Associated with the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

2011-01-26

Elizabeth B. Kujawinski , Melissa C. Kido Soule , David L. Valentine +3 more

Response actions to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill included the injection of ∼771,000 gallons (2,900,000 L) of chemical dispersant into the flow of oil near the seafloor. Prior to this … Response actions to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill included the injection of ∼771,000 gallons (2,900,000 L) of chemical dispersant into the flow of oil near the seafloor. Prior to this incident, no deepwater applications of dispersant had been conducted, and thus no data exist on the environmental fate of dispersants in deepwater. We used ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) to identify and quantify one key ingredient of the dispersant, the anionic surfactant DOSS (dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate), in the Gulf of Mexico deepwater during active flow and again after flow had ceased. Here we show that DOSS was sequestered in deepwater hydrocarbon plumes at 1000−1200 m water depth and did not intermingle with surface dispersant applications. Further, its concentration distribution was consistent with conservative transport and dilution at depth and it persisted up to 300 km from the well, 64 days after deepwater dispersant applications ceased. We conclude that DOSS was selectively associated with the oil and gas phases in the deepwater plume, yet underwent negligible, or slow, rates of biodegradation in the affected waters. These results provide important constraints on accurate modeling of the deepwater plume and critical geochemical contexts for future toxicological studies.

View PDF Chat

Natural gas and temperature structured a microbial community response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

2011-10-03

Molly C. Redmond , David L. Valentine

Microbial communities present in the Gulf of Mexico rapidly responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In deep water plumes, these communities were initially dominated by members of Oceanospirillales, Colwellia, … Microbial communities present in the Gulf of Mexico rapidly responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In deep water plumes, these communities were initially dominated by members of Oceanospirillales, Colwellia, and Cycloclasticus . None of these groups were abundant in surface oil slick samples, and Colwellia was much more abundant in oil-degrading enrichment cultures incubated at 4 °C than at room temperature, suggesting that the colder temperatures at plume depth favored the development of these communities. These groups decreased in abundance after the well was capped in July, but the addition of hydrocarbons in laboratory incubations of deep waters from the Gulf of Mexico stimulated Colwellia's growth. Colwellia was the primary organism that incorporated 13 C from ethane and propane in stable isotope probing experiments, and given its abundance in environmental samples at the time that ethane and propane oxidation rates were high, it is likely that Colwellia was active in ethane and propane oxidation in situ. Colwellia also incorporated 13 C benzene, and Colwellia 's abundance in crude oil enrichments without natural gas suggests that it has the ability to consume a wide range of hydrocarbon compounds or their degradation products. However, the fact that ethane and propane alone were capable of stimulating the growth of Colwellia , and to a lesser extent, Oceanospirillales , suggests that high natural gas content of this spill may have provided an advantage to these organisms.

View PDF Chat

Extent and Degree of Shoreline Oiling: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico, USA

2013-06-12

Jacqueline Michel , Edward H. Owens , Scott Zengel +7 more

The oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico was documented by shoreline assessment teams as stranding on 1,773 km of shoreline. Beaches comprised 50.8%, marshes … The oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico was documented by shoreline assessment teams as stranding on 1,773 km of shoreline. Beaches comprised 50.8%, marshes 44.9%, and other shoreline types 4.3% of the oiled shoreline. Shoreline cleanup activities were authorized on 660 km, or 73.3% of oiled beaches and up to 71 km, or 8.9% of oiled marshes and associated habitats. One year after the spill began, oil remained on 847 km; two years later, oil remained on 687 km, though at much lesser degrees of oiling. For example, shorelines characterized as heavily oiled went from a maximum of 360 km, to 22.4 km one year later, and to 6.4 km two years later. Shoreline cleanup has been conducted to meet habitat-specific cleanup endpoints and will continue until all oiled shoreline segments meet endpoints. The entire shoreline cleanup program has been managed under the Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) Program, which is a systematic, objective, and inclusive process to collect data on shoreline oiling conditions and support decision making on appropriate cleanup methods and endpoints. It was a particularly valuable and effective process during such a complex spill.

View PDF Chat

Oil Impacts on Coastal Wetlands: Implications for the Mississippi River Delta Ecosystem after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

2012-06-01

Irving A. Mendelssohn , Gary L. Andersen , Donald M. Baltz +7 more

On 20 April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, which released a US government—estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, was responsible for the death of … On 20 April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon explosion, which released a US government—estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, was responsible for the death of 11 oil workers and, possibly, for an environmental disaster unparalleled in US history. For 87 consecutive days, the Macondo well continuously released crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Many kilometers of shoreline in the northern Gulf of Mexico were affected, including the fragile and ecologically important wetlands of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta ecosystem. These wetlands are responsible for a third of the nation's fish production and, ironically, help to protect an energy infrastructure that provides a third of the nation's oil and gas supply. Here, we provide a basic overview of the chemistry and biology of oil spills in coastal wetlands and an assessment of the potential and realized effects on the ecological condition of the Mississippi River Delta and its associated flora and fauna.

View PDF Chat

State of the art satellite and airborne marine oil spill remote sensing: Application to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill

2012-06-12

Ira Leifer , William J. Lehr , Debra Simecek-Beatty +7 more

View PDF Chat

Oil Spill Modeling towards the Close of the 20th Century: Overview of the State of the Art

1999-04-01

Mark Reed , Øistein Johansen , Per Johan Brandvik +5 more

Review on the effects of exposure to spilled oils on human health

2010-04-14

Francisco Aguilera Benavente , Josefina Méndez , Eduardo Pásaro +1 more

Abstract Harmful effects of oil spills on diverse flora and fauna species have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, only a few studies have been compiled in the literature dealing with the … Abstract Harmful effects of oil spills on diverse flora and fauna species have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, only a few studies have been compiled in the literature dealing with the repercussions of oil exposure on human health; most of them have focused on acute effects and psychological symptoms. The objective of this work was to gather all these studies and to analyze the possible consequences of this kind of complex exposure in the different aspects of human health. Studies found on this topic were related to the disasters of the Exxon Valdez , Braer , Sea Empress , Nakhodka , Erika , Prestige and Tasman Spirit oil tankers. The majority of them were cross‐sectional; many did not include control groups. Acute effects were evaluated taking into account vegetative‐nervous symptoms, skin and mucous irritations, and also psychological effects. Genotoxic damage and endocrine alterations were assessed only in individuals exposed to oil from Prestige . The results of the reviewed articles clearly support the need for biomonitoring human populations exposed to spilled oils, especially those individuals involved in the cleanup, in order to evaluate not only the possible immediate consequences for their health but also the medium‐ and long‐term effects, and the effectiveness of the protective devices used. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Immediate Impact of the 'Exxon Valdez' Oil Spill on Marine Birds

1990-04-01

John F. Piatt , Calvin J. Lensink , William E. Butler +1 more

On 24 March 1989, the oil tanker 'Exxon Valdez' spilled 260,000 barrels of crude oil in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Oil eventually drifted over $30,000\ {\rm km}^{2}$ of coastal and … On 24 March 1989, the oil tanker 'Exxon Valdez' spilled 260,000 barrels of crude oil in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Oil eventually drifted over $30,000\ {\rm km}^{2}$ of coastal and offshore waters occupied by approximately one million marine birds. More than 30,000 dead birds of 90 species were retrieved from polluted areas by 1 August 1989. Of those identified, murres (74%), other alcids (7.0%), and sea ducks (5.3%) suffered the highest mortality from oil, and most (88%) birds were killed outside of Prince William Sound. A colony of 129,000 murres at the Barren Islands was probably devastated. Another 7,000 birds were retrieved between 1 August and 13 October, but most of those birds appeared to have died from natural causes. This later die-off was composed largely of shearwaters and other procellariids (51%), gulls (22%), and puffins (14%). Based on aerial and ship-based surveys for populations at risk, and extrapolating from the number of dead birds recovered, we estimate that the total kill from oil pollution was from 100,000 to 300,000 birds.

View PDF Chat

Succession of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

2013-08-12

Eric A. Dubinsky , Mark E. Conrad , Romy Chakraborty +7 more

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill produced large subsurface plumes of dispersed oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico that stimulated growth of psychrophilic, hydrocarbon degrading bacteria. We tracked succession … The Deepwater Horizon oil spill produced large subsurface plumes of dispersed oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico that stimulated growth of psychrophilic, hydrocarbon degrading bacteria. We tracked succession of plume bacteria before, during and after the 83-day spill to determine the microbial response and biodegradation potential throughout the incident. Dominant bacteria shifted substantially over time and were dependent on relative quantities of different hydrocarbon fractions. Unmitigated flow from the wellhead early in the spill resulted in the highest proportions of n-alkanes and cycloalkanes at depth and corresponded with dominance by Oceanospirillaceae and Pseudomonas. Once partial capture of oil and gas began 43 days into the spill, petroleum hydrocarbons decreased, the fraction of aromatic hydrocarbons increased, and Colwellia, Cycloclasticus, and Pseudoalteromonas increased in dominance. Enrichment of Methylomonas coincided with positive shifts in the δ(13)C values of methane in the plume and indicated significant methane oxidation occurred earlier than previously reported. Anomalous oxygen depressions persisted at plume depths for over six weeks after well shut-in and were likely caused by common marine heterotrophs associated with degradation of high-molecular-weight organic matter, including Methylophaga. Multiple hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria operated simultaneously throughout the spill, but their relative importance was controlled by changes in hydrocarbon supply.

Environmental effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: A review

2016-06-19

Jonny Beyer , Hilde Cecilie Trannum , T. Bakke +2 more

View PDF Chat

A Review of Oil Spill Remote Sensing

2017-12-30

Merv Fingas , Carl E. Brown

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 … 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.

View PDF Chat

Nomenclature of pyroxenes

1988-01-01

Nobuo Morimoto

La Sous-Commission Pyroxènes créée par la Commission Nouveaux Minéraux et Noms de Minéraux (C.N.M.M.N.) de l'Association Minéralogique Internationale (I.M.A.) présente son rapport final sur la nomenclature des pyroxènes. Les recommandations … La Sous-Commission Pyroxènes créée par la Commission Nouveaux Minéraux et Noms de Minéraux (C.N.M.M.N.) de l'Association Minéralogique Internationale (I.M.A.) présente son rapport final sur la nomenclature des pyroxènes. Les recommandations de la Sous-Commission proposées dans ce rapport ont été officiellement acceptées par la Commission. Des noms acceptés et largement utilisés ont été définis chimiquement, combinant des méthodes nouvelles et conventionnelles, de façon à être en accord dans la mesure du possible avec l'usage actuel généralement admis. Vingt noms ont été officiellement acceptés, parmi eux treize sont employés pour représenter des pôles purs de composition chimique bien déterminée. Dans les solutions solides binaires ordinaires, les noms d'espèces sont donnés par les termes extrêmes suivant la "règle des 50%". Des adjectifs modificatifs sont ajoutés aux noms des pyroxènes pour indiquer des quantités exceptionnelles de constituants chimiques. Ce rapport inclut une liste de 105 noms de pyroxène utilisés précédemment, qui ont été rejetés officiellement par la Commission.

Acid Rain

1979-10-01

Gene E. Likens , Richard F. Wright , James N. Galloway +1 more

Atmospheric data analysis

1995-01-01

Roger Daley

Dédiée aux sciences de l'atmosphère, au climat et à d'autres domaines connexes, tels que l'océanographie ou la glaciologie, La Météorologie, révisée par des pairs et publiée en français, s'adresse aux … Dédiée aux sciences de l'atmosphère, au climat et à d'autres domaines connexes, tels que l'océanographie ou la glaciologie, La Météorologie, révisée par des pairs et publiée en français, s'adresse aux professionnels de la météo et du climat, aux enseignants, aux étudiants, aux amateurs et aux utilisateurs. La Météorologie a succédé en 1925 à l'Annuaire de la Société météorologique de France (1852-1924) qui avait lui-même succédé à l'Annuaire météorologique de la France (1849-1851).

View PDF Chat

A comparative study of fully automatic and semi-automatic methods for oil spill detection using Sentinel-1 data

2025-06-26

Muhammad Iqbal Habibie , Hariyanto Hariyanto , Robby Arifandri +7 more | Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Measuring sea spray spume droplets using a hydrophone

2025-06-24

Joey Voermans , Andrew Hewitt , Bruce A. Llewellyn +1 more | Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology

Abstract Sea spray spume droplets modulate the exchanges of heat, mass and momentum between the ocean and atmosphere during extreme marine weather conditions. However, large uncertainty remains in the sea … Abstract Sea spray spume droplets modulate the exchanges of heat, mass and momentum between the ocean and atmosphere during extreme marine weather conditions. However, large uncertainty remains in the sea spray generation function, the number of droplets generated at the ocean surface, during such conditions as field observations are largely missing. In this study we present an acoustic method to measure the horizontal sea spray spume droplet number flux. We do so by measuring the impact acoustics of spray droplets colliding with a hydrophone positioned in the air. We show through laboratory experiments that the spray volume flux can be estimated directly from the spectral power level at the resonance frequency of the hydrophone. By identifying the characteristic acoustic signal of a hydrophone to droplet impact, the droplet number flux can be reconstructed by identifying the impact signals within the hydrophone recording. Specifically, we find that droplet number flux for the experiments compares well to the droplet number flux independently estimated using a stroboscopic imaging system for droplets with diameter larger than 400 µm. As such, the method proposed here provides significant opportunities in estimating the sea spray spume droplets in-situ and close to the ocean surface during extreme marine weather conditions.

Correction to: A contribution to 3D tracking of deformable bubbles in swarms using temporal information

2025-06-23

Lantian Wang , Tian Ma , Dirk Lucas +2 more | Experiments in Fluids

Enhancing marine oil spill detection through dynamic adaptive knowledge distillation with spectral mask superpixel

2025-06-21

Shuang Dong , Ying Li , Ming Xie +2 more | Marine Pollution Bulletin

Fa YOLO: fog-aware instance segmentation of ships with feature refinement in foggy scenes

2025-06-21

Ming Yuan , Hao Meng , Tianhao Yan +1 more | Multimedia Systems

Automated oil spill detection using deep learning and SAR satellite data for the northern entrance of the Suez Canal

2025-06-20

Mohamed Zakzouk , Abdulaziz M. Abdulaziz , Islam Abou El-Magd +2 more | Scientific Reports

Abstract Oil spills threaten marine ecosystems, demanding swift detection and response. The northern entrance of the Suez Canal, a critical maritime route, is increasingly at risk of frequent oil spill … Abstract Oil spills threaten marine ecosystems, demanding swift detection and response. The northern entrance of the Suez Canal, a critical maritime route, is increasingly at risk of frequent oil spill incidents. This study employs the DeepLabv3 + deep learning model to automatically detect oil spills in the study area based on Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery provided by the European Space Agency. The model was trained separately on two datasets: the European Maritime Safety Agency CleanSeaNet (EMSA-CSN) dataset, comprising 1100 oil spill incidents, and a localized dataset containing 1500 oil spill incidents that occurred at the Egyptian territorial waters. A comparative analysis between the two models was conducted using 30 oil spill test cases located within the study area. The model trained on Egyptian data outperformed the EMSA-CSN-data- trained model, achieving a loss of 0.0516, an accuracy of 98.14%, a mean Intersection over Union (MIoU) of 0.7872, and a significantly higher ROC area of 0.91, compared to a loss of 0.1152, an accuracy of 96.45%, a MIoU of 0.7161, and a ROC area of 0.76 for the EMSA-CSN model. In addition, the area prediction analysis confirmed the superior performance of the Egyptian-data-trained model, which estimated a total affected area of 421.20 km 2 , closely aligning with the ground truth of 425.20 km 2 , whereas the EMSA-CSN-data-trained model underestimated oil spills of around 323.98 km 2 . These results highlight the benefits of region-specific training in improving segmentation quality and reducing errors. This study emphasizes the potential of AI-driven models for real-time oil spill monitoring, with applications in environmental protection and emergency response.

Early Perspectives on the Planned Brazilian Program to Address Ship-Sourced Pollution

2025-06-20

Daniel Constantino Zacharias , Angelo Teixeira Lemos | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

A new integrated multi-user monitoring system for Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters (BJW), developed by Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) with participation from leading universities and research centers in Brazil, proposes … A new integrated multi-user monitoring system for Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters (BJW), developed by Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) with participation from leading universities and research centers in Brazil, proposes a national approach to address oil spills in the South Atlantic. The system incorporates a range of technologies, such as satellite data, AI algorithms, autonomous sensors, and high-resolution modeling, to detect and respond to oil spills and maritime threats. This initiative not only aims to strengthen Brazil’s readiness to address the oil spills but also contribute to the protection of BJW resources and ecosystems. This opinion paper presents third-party viewpoints on SisMOM, analyzing both the positive and negative aspects of the project. It also explores some expectations for SisMOM, including some main and alternative methodologies. This article only reflects the authors’ perspectives, interpretations, points of view, opinions, and discussions about SisMOM’s propositions. This paper does NOT represent an official communication of the program, nor its methodologies and developments.

History of Oil Spills in Nigeria

2025-06-19

Abosede Omowumi Babatunde | Environmental History

History of oil spills focuses on the study of the scale, trend, pattern, nature, causes, dynamics, and impacts of oil spillages that accompanied the oil exploration, extraction and production activities … History of oil spills focuses on the study of the scale, trend, pattern, nature, causes, dynamics, and impacts of oil spillages that accompanied the oil exploration, extraction and production activities of transnational and domestic oil corporations in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The study of the history of oil spills covers both the historical and current realities of the broader and specific ecological, social, economic, and political issues that arise from oil spillages. This encompasses the fields of natural science including geography (and its subfields such as historical and human geography and political ecology), geology and microbiology; social sciences, humanities, agricultural science, law, and environmental engineering. These fields have applied intersectional lens involving class, gender, and identity in the analysis of the environmental, social, and political impacts of oil spills. The study of the history of oil spills emerges since the 1970s through the works of various scholars, although it has deep antecedents in the disciplines of historical and human geography, political ecology, and political science. Most of the works on the history of oil spills are from geographers, political ecologists who have extensively explored the society, environment, and human relations from diverse perspectives.

Emissions Reduction Visual Presentation R04: Achieving consistent methane emissions quantification across varied oil and gas assets in the Asia–Pacific region using in situ drone-conveyed sensors

2025-06-19

David R. Turner | Australian Energy Producers journal.

Emissions Reduction Visual Presentation R04 The quantification of methane emissions in the oil and gas industry is critical for environmental monitoring and regulatory compliance. As quantification efforts expand, comprehensive and … Emissions Reduction Visual Presentation R04 The quantification of methane emissions in the oil and gas industry is critical for environmental monitoring and regulatory compliance. As quantification efforts expand, comprehensive and consistent measurements are needed across all types of facilities. This paper explores the use of in situ methane sensors conveyed by drones to localise and quantify emissions in diverse operational environments. Drones equipped with advanced sensors offer a flexible and efficient solution for emissions data collection. The mobility of drones and efficient survey methods allow surveys to be quickly completed and enable accurate and consistent quantification. The use of in situ sensors overcomes the limitations of other remote methods (such as manned aircraft reflectivity or light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-based systems, satellites and fixed sensors), including operating effectively over water, localising sources laterally and vertically, quantifying to the equipment level and eliminating false positive/false negative results. Carefully developed operational practices and a robust analysis methodology mean that the results are comparable and repeatable across asset types and environments. This paper is based on examples from the Asia–Pacific region, describing the deployment of the technology in various oil and gas settings including offshore platforms, floating production assets, tankers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities and onshore surveys. Examples are included for difficult low wind environments, which are common in parts of the region. The paper shares examples of what has been achieved with this type of technology to support the development of methane emissions measurement programs, facilitating transparent reporting under programs such as the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 and European Union importation regulations, and supporting robust methane abatement plans. To access the Visual Presentation click on the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

Impact of oil spills on mangrove ecosystem degradation in the Niger Delta using remote sensing and machine learning

2025-06-17

Erebi Lisa Jonathan , Okes Imoni , Prince Chukwuemeka +1 more | Journal of Geography and Cartography

Mangrove forests are vital to coastal protection, biodiversity support, and climate regulation. In the Niger Delta, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by oil spill incidents linked to intensive petroleum activities. … Mangrove forests are vital to coastal protection, biodiversity support, and climate regulation. In the Niger Delta, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by oil spill incidents linked to intensive petroleum activities. This study investigates the extent of mangrove degradation between 1986 and 2022 in the lower Niger Delta, specifically the region between the San Bartolomeo and Imo Rivers, using remote sensing and machine learning. Landsat 5 TM (1986) and Landsat 8 OLI (2022) imagery were classified using the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm. Classification accuracy was high, with overall accuracies of 98% (1986) and 99% (2022) and Kappa coefficients of 0.97 and 0.98. Healthy mangrove cover declined from 2804.37 km2 (58%) to 2509.18 km2 (52%), while degraded mangroves increased from 72.03 km2 (1%) to 327.35 km2 (7%), reflecting a 354.46% rise. Water bodies expanded by 101.17 km2 (5.61%), potentially due to dredging, erosion, and sea-level rise. Built-up areas declined from 131.85 km2 to 61.14 km2, possibly reflecting socio-environmental displacement. Statistical analyses, including Chi-square (χ2 = 1091.33, p < 0.001) and Kendall’s Tau (τ = 1, p < 0.001), showed strong correlations between oil spills and mangrove degradation. From 2012 to 2022, over 21,914 barrels of oil were spilled, with only 38% recovered. Although paired t-tests and ANOVA results indicated no statistically significant changes at broad scales, localized ecological shifts remain severe. These findings highlight the urgent need for integrated environmental policies and restoration efforts to mitigate mangrove loss and enhance sustainability in the Niger Delta.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Object Detection Model for Monitoring Oil Spills on the Sea Surface: Experiments Using Hyperspectral and Synthetic Aperture Radar Images

2025-06-16

Ming Xie , Ying Li , Lingxiao Cheng | Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing

Oil Film Detection for Marine Radar Image Using SBR Feature and Adaptive Threshold

2025-06-16

Yulong Yang , Yan Jin , Jin Xu +7 more | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

Marine oil spills pose a serious and persistent threat to marine ecosystems, coastal resources, and global environmental health. These incidents not only disrupt ecological balance by damaging marine flora and … Marine oil spills pose a serious and persistent threat to marine ecosystems, coastal resources, and global environmental health. These incidents not only disrupt ecological balance by damaging marine flora and fauna but also lead to long-term economic consequences for fisheries, tourism, and maritime industries. Owing to their rapid spread and often unpredictable occurrence, timely and accurate detection is essential for effective containment and mitigation. An efficient detection system can significantly enhance the responsiveness of emergency teams, enabling targeted interventions that minimize ecological damage and economic loss. This paper proposes a marine radar-based oil spill detection method that combines the Significance-to-Boundary Ratio (SBR) feature with an improved Sauvola adaptive thresholding algorithm. The raw radar data was firstly preprocessed through mean and median filtering, grayscale correction, and contrast enhancement. SBR features were then employed to extract coarse oil spill regions, which were further refined using an improved Sauvola thresholding algorithm followed by a denoising step to obtain fine-grained segmentation. Comparative experiments using different threshold values demonstrate that the proposed method achieves superior segmentation performance by better preserving oil spill boundaries and reducing background noise. Overall, the approach provides a robust and efficient solution for marine oil spill detection and monitoring.

Oil Spilling Detection at Marine Environment using Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Satellite Datasets

2025-06-12

Abbas Alı , Shafiqur Rehman , A Ilyas +1 more | International jounal of information technology and computer engineering.

Oil spills in marine environments pose serious threats to ecosystems, public health, and maritime economies. This paper presents a dual-layered automated detection framework that integrates Automatic Identification System (AIS) data … Oil spills in marine environments pose serious threats to ecosystems, public health, and maritime economies. This paper presents a dual-layered automated detection framework that integrates Automatic Identification System (AIS) data with satellite remote sensing to enable early detection and reporting of oil spills. The system uses Isolation Forest for unsupervised detection of vessel anomalies and a Support Vector Machine (SVM) model for classifying potential spills from satellite imagery. This combined approach enhances the speed and accuracy of detection while supporting real-time monitoring through a user-friendly web interface.

LRA-UNet: A Lightweight Residual Attention Network for SAR Marine Oil Spill Detection

2025-06-12

Yu Cai , Jingjing Su , Jun Song +3 more | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

Oil spills represent a serious threat to marine ecosystems. Remote sensing monitoring, especially based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR), have been extensively employed in marine environments due to its unique … Oil spills represent a serious threat to marine ecosystems. Remote sensing monitoring, especially based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR), have been extensively employed in marine environments due to its unique advantages. However, SAR images of marine oil spills exhibit challenges of weak boundaries, confusion with look-alike phenomena, and the difficulty of detecting small-scale targets. To address these issues, we propose LRA-UNet, a Lightweight Residual Attention UNet for semantic segmentation in SAR images. Our model integrates depthwise separable convolutions to reduce feature redundancy and computational cost, while adopting a residual encoder enhanced with the Simple Attention Module (SimAM) to improve the precise extraction of target features. Additionally, we design a joint loss function that incorporates Sobel-based edge information, emphasizing boundary features during training to enhance edge sharpness. Experimental results show that LRA-UNet achieves superior segmentation results, with a mIoU of 67.36%, surpassing the original UNet by 4.41%, and a 5.17% improvement in IoU for the oil spill category. These results confirm the effectiveness of our approach in accurately extracting oil spill regions from complex SAR imagery.

GSSNet: Gated selective scan network for port oil spill pollution detection

2025-06-01

Shen Guo , Ying Li , Junlong Shang +1 more | Measurement

Ensemble Machine Learning Model Prediction and Metaheuristic Optimisation of Oil Spills Using Organic Absorbents: Supporting Sustainable Maritime

2025-06-01

Dung Quang Le , Duc Minh Pham , Thi Anh Em Bui +3 more | Polish Maritime Research

Abstract The study discusses the urgent necessity of environmentally friendly remedies to tackle the increasing frequency of oil spills. Conventional remedial oil leak techniques, such as mechanical recovery and chemical … Abstract The study discusses the urgent necessity of environmentally friendly remedies to tackle the increasing frequency of oil spills. Conventional remedial oil leak techniques, such as mechanical recovery and chemical dispersants, may cause environmental damage and suffer from low effectiveness. Organic absorbents are environment-friendly and low-cost substitutes; however, their acceptance is hampered by inadequate performance and optimisation studies. To close this gap, our work combines metaheuristic algorithms with ensemble machine learning and suggests a hybrid technique for the precise prediction and improvement of oil removal efficiency. Using Random Forest (RF) and XGBoost models, high R² values (RF: 0.9517–0.9559; XGBoost: 0.9760), minimal errors, and strong generalisation were obtained by predictive modelling. Operating conditions were optimised using Grey Wolf Optimisation (GWO), showing an optimal percentage of oil removed (POR) of 93.59%. Combining metaheuristics with machine learning ensures accuracy and practical results, tackling the complexity of oil spill control. By concentrating on organic absorbents, the study fits with worldwide sustainability initiatives and provides a useful foundation for actual implementation.

Investigation of the Dynamics and Influencing Factors of Deepwater Condensate Field Leakage

2025-06-01

Qiuyan Wang , Xiaoying Zang , Xiaoming Luo +2 more | Process Safety and Environmental Protection

Comprehensive Prediction Method for the Entire Migration Trajectories of Subsea Oil and Gas Leakage Underwater and on the Sea Surface

2025-06-01

Xiaoming Luo , Baojing Yue , Haiyuan Yao +2 more | Process Safety and Environmental Protection

ASSESING COMPOUND FLOODING HAZARD IN ESTUARIES BY INTEGRATING A CLIMATE EMULATOR AND A HYBRID METAMODEL

2025-05-29

Paula Camus , Jared Ortiz-Angulo , Fernando J. Méndez +4 more | Coastal Engineering Proceedings

Many coastal settlements are located in estuaries where flooding can result from oceanographic sources (e.g. tides, storm surges and waves), but also from river discharge (fluvial) and direct surface runoff … Many coastal settlements are located in estuaries where flooding can result from oceanographic sources (e.g. tides, storm surges and waves), but also from river discharge (fluvial) and direct surface runoff (pluvial). These drivers are typically causally linked through associated storms, and may therefore occur simultaneously or in close succession, exacerbating the impact of flooding. Historical observations of these multivariate drivers causing compound flooding represent only a small fraction of the possible range of conditions capable of causing adverse flooding consequences. Therefore, a joint probability method is needed to generate many synthetic extreme multivariate events (tides, storm surge, precipitation and river discharge) capable of producing new combinations of oceanographic and fluvial forcing conditions. On the other hand, a numerical model is required to simulate the compounding effects of spatially distributed interactions between river discharge and downstream sea level in tidal channels and estuaries. However, these models are typically too computationally expensive to dynamically simulate the new full parameter space of oceanographic and pluvial/fluvial conditions that can cause compound flooding.

The effect of wind parametrizations in MEDSLIK-II oil spill simulations: A case study of the FPU P-53 incident in Brazilian waters

2025-05-29

Eduardo José Araújo Correia Lima , S L Queiroz , Mana Ishimaru +6 more | Marine Pollution Bulletin

Combining convolutional neural network with transformer to improve YOLOv7 for gas plume detection and segmentation in multibeam water column images

2025-05-29

Wenguang Chen , Xiao Wang , Junjie Chen +2 more | PeerJ Computer Science

Multibeam bathymetry has become an effective underwater target detection method by using echo signals to generate a high-resolution water column image (WCI). However, the gas plume in the image is … Multibeam bathymetry has become an effective underwater target detection method by using echo signals to generate a high-resolution water column image (WCI). However, the gas plume in the image is often affected by the seafloor environment and exhibits sparse texture and changing motion, making traditional detection and segmentation methods more time-consuming and labor-intensive. The emergence of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) alleviates this problem, but the local feature extraction of the convolutional operations, while capturing detailed information well, cannot adapt to the elongated morphology of the gas plume target, limiting the improvement of the detection and segmentation accuracy. Inspired by the transformer’s ability to achieve global modeling through self-attention, we combine CNN with the transformer to improve the existing YOLOv7 (You Only Look Once version 7) model. First, we sequentially reduce the ELAN (Efficient Layer Aggregation Networks) structure in the backbone network and verify that using the enhanced feature extraction module only in the deep network is more effective in recognising the gas plume targets. Then, the C-BiFormer module is proposed, which can achieve effective collaboration between local feature extraction and global semantic modeling while reducing computing resources, and enhance the multi-scale feature extraction capability of the model. Finally, two different depths of networks are designed by stacking C-BiFormer modules with different numbers of layers. This improves the receptive field so that the model’s detection and segmentation accuracy achieve different levels of improvement. Experimental results show that the improved model is smaller in size and more accurate compared to the baseline.

10 M PR. YEAR OF DUNE FACE RETREAT RATES AT DANISH COASTLINE UNDULATIONS

2025-05-29

Nikolai Heath Sørensen , Christina Kaersgaard , Per Soelberg Sørensen | Coastal Engineering Proceedings

On sandy coasts exposed to waves from an almost shore- parallel angle, coast undulations can be present. At Tversted beach in the northwestern part of Denmark the dune face has … On sandy coasts exposed to waves from an almost shore- parallel angle, coast undulations can be present. At Tversted beach in the northwestern part of Denmark the dune face has migrated more than 100 m seawards between 1945 and 2010. From 2010 the dune face has started moving landwards with a rate of +10 m/y for consecutive years. From 2010 to 2022 the dune face has in total migrated nearly 100 m landwards. This narrows the dune width in certain areas, making these areas prone to erosion and flooding which worries the local community. The community which has moved closer to the sea during the period of seaward migration. This study will focus on analyzing if there is a cyclicity at the coast which will cause a seaward migration of the dune face again.

A Novel Approach in Oil Spill Detection, Identification, and Classification via Multisource Technologies and Artificial Intelligence

2025-05-28

Tom Avikasis Cohen , Dror L. Angel , Anna Brook | The international archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences/International archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences

Abstract. The Mediterranean Sea has a substantial volume of maritime traffic, including many tankers ferrying oil from eastern sources to western refineries. This critical maritime front, vital for trade and … Abstract. The Mediterranean Sea has a substantial volume of maritime traffic, including many tankers ferrying oil from eastern sources to western refineries. This critical maritime front, vital for trade and connectivity, also poses a significant risk of oil spills due to these busy shipping routes. The conventional methods for early oil spill detection have encountered numerous challenges, primarily due to the complex and variable nature of spill events. This study promotes an anomaly-based approach, treating oil spills as environmental outliers, and utilizes baseline water parameter comparisons to detect and monitor sea oil spills effectively. This approach leverages satellite data, employing a combination of remote sensing techniques and advanced machine learning technologies. The end goal is providing a platform for monitoring and detecting oil spills, to empower users worldwide to conduct regular assessments, contributing to the proactive prevention of future environmental damage.

Analysis of Emergency Cooperative Strategies in Marine Oil Spill Response: A Stochastic Evolutionary Game Approach

2025-05-27

Feifan He , Yuanyuan Xu , Pengjun Zheng +2 more

Marine oil spills significantly adversely affect the socio-economic environment and marine ecosystems. Establishing an efficient emergency cooperation mechanism that enables swift and coordinated responses from all stakeholders is crucial to … Marine oil spills significantly adversely affect the socio-economic environment and marine ecosystems. Establishing an efficient emergency cooperation mechanism that enables swift and coordinated responses from all stakeholders is crucial to mitigate the harmful consequences of such spills and protect regional security. This study uses stochastic evolutionary game theory to develop an emergency cooperation model, focusing on the strategic interactions and dynamic evolution between three main parties: the local government, port enterprises, and specialized oil spill cleanup units. The findings indicate the following: (1) The strategy choice of the local government plays a dominant role in the three-party game and has a significant guiding effect on the behavioral decisions of port enterprises and specialized oil spill cleanup units. (2) The strength of the government’s reward and punishment mechanism directly affects the cooperation tendency of the port enterprises and specialized oil spill cleanup units. (3) When the emergency response is more efficient and the cooperation effect is significant, the cleanup units may choose negative cooperation based on payoff maximization in order to prolong the cleaning time. (4) In the process of system evolution, the strategies of local governments and port enterprises are more stable and less affected by random perturbations, while the strategy fluctuations of cleanup units are more sensitive. The findings enrich the theoretical framework for handling marine oil spill emergencies and provide valuable insights for developing efficient collaborative mechanisms and formulating well-grounded regulatory incentive policies.

An evaluation of the climate effect of selected oil spill response technologies based on their aerial emissions

2025-05-26

Per Johan Brandvik , Liv-Guri Faksness , Ragnhild Daae +3 more

Oil spill response (OSR) techniques are traditionally evaluated based on their ability to remove oil from the environment and to reduce the environmental consequences of the released oil. The objective … Oil spill response (OSR) techniques are traditionally evaluated based on their ability to remove oil from the environment and to reduce the environmental consequences of the released oil. The objective of this study was to quantify the climate effect of different OSR techniques so this can be included in the evaluation of the different techniques. The climate effect based on aerial emissions from OSR operations during a four-day subsea blow-out of 4000 m3/day was quantified. This was done using data from the oil spill model OSCAR simulating fate of the oil, OSR-effectiveness, hours of operation, and operational information for vessels and airplanes like fuel consumption, post operational cleaning of equipment and destruction of recovered emulsion. A comparison of the total aerial emissions showed that in-situ burning (ISB) had 9-30 times higher emissions than the other modelled OSR methods; dispersants (vessels and aerial), mechanical recovery and subsea dispersant injection. The soot created during ISB was the dominant contributor to the high climate effect of ISB. However, the climate impact represents only one of multiple contributions to the total environmental effect. In some scenarios a response method with high climate impact might be preferred due to reduced impacts on, for example, sensitive ice fauna or high densities of sea birds in a threatened area. This can be evaluated using a net environmental benefit analysis, as a part of oil spill response analysis. In practice, a combination of response options is often used to minimize environmental impacts.

Monitoring oil spill thickness and weathering using UAV-borne hyperspectral sensing

2025-05-23

Rebecca Del’Papa Moreira Scafutto , Guillaume Lassalle , Marcos Nopper Alves +3 more

Different Emergency Response Strategies to Oil Spills in Rivers Lead to Divergent Contamination Compositions and Microbial Community Response Characteristics

2025-05-23

Xin Wen , Fan An , Jinsong Wang +3 more

Oil spills in inland rivers pose a significant threat to the surrounding environment, and the emergency response differs greatly from that in ocean or coastal areas. In this study, we … Oil spills in inland rivers pose a significant threat to the surrounding environment, and the emergency response differs greatly from that in ocean or coastal areas. In this study, we focused on several commonly used emergency water treatment strategies in China’s inland oil spills, as well as the spilled washing oil in a serious accident case. We investigated the changes in oil-related chemical components before and after water treatment using GCxGC-TOF MS (Comprehensive Two-dimensional Gas Chromatography Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer). We tracked the shifts of microbial communities in the microcosms incubated with clean river water, simulated oil-contaminated water, and the treatment effluent. The results revealed that typical components, especially nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, had different removal efficiencies among treatments. The diversity, composition, and potential functions of microbial communities responded differently to the treatments, and could be related to various substances, including PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and heterocyclic compounds. A few genera, such as SC-I-84, exhibited a high correlation with washing oil-related components and could serve as an indicator in such an oil spill emergency response. Our findings indicated that simply using petroleum oil or PAHs to evaluate oil spills was likely to underestimate the ecological impact, especially when the spilled substances were coal chemical products widely used in China. This will provide an important scientific basis for decision-making and strategy evaluation in emergency responses to inland oil spills.

Marine environmental risk assessment based on cloud model and projection pursuit: a case study of the Milan ship typhoon accident in the South China Sea

2025-05-22

Yaoshuai Luo , Mei Hong , Longxia Qian +1 more

Automated Classification of Oil Spill Events in Satellite Imagery Using Deep Learning and Spectral Decomposition

2025-05-22

Hugo Rolando Sánchez Quispe | Journal of Information Systems Engineering & Management

Oil spills represent a major environmental challenge, the devastating effects of which on marine ecosystems require early detection and classification to mitigate their consequences. In this study, an innovative methodology … Oil spills represent a major environmental challenge, the devastating effects of which on marine ecosystems require early detection and classification to mitigate their consequences. In this study, an innovative methodology based on deep learning and spectral decomposition techniques is proposed for the automatic classification of spill events in multispectral satellite images. A convolutional neural network architecture (CNN) is implemented combined with dimensional reduction techniques by spectral decomposition (PCA and SVD), optimizing the recognition of spectral patterns characteristic of hydrocarbons. The results show a high accuracy (>95%) in the classification of spills against other surface anomalies such as algae or solar reflections, validating the usefulness of this approach for automated environmental monitoring.

The 2024 revision of the Australian Energy Producers Method for estimating the cost of oil spill response

2025-05-22

Tom Sullivan , D. Horn , Jason Medd

In 2014, GHD and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), now named Australian Energy Producers Ltd, developed a standard method to estimate the level of financial assurance necessary … In 2014, GHD and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), now named Australian Energy Producers Ltd, developed a standard method to estimate the level of financial assurance necessary to meet the requirements of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006. That method was further reviewed and updated in 2018 (the 2018 APPEA Method). In 2024, following a review of the 2018 APPEA Method’s suitability for estimating costs in the current market, GHD and the Australian Energy Producers produced the Australian Energy Producers 2024 Method for Estimating Levels of Financial Assurance (the 2024 FA Method). The 2024 FA Method was endorsed by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) in October 2024. The 2024 FA Method contains two parts – the General 2024 FA Method and the Vessel-based Activities (VBA) 2024 FA Method. Both methods were validated against an extensive set of contemporary case studies from the Australian oil and gas industry. This paper details the methodology undertaken to develop the 2024 FA Method, and the validation assessments undertaken. It provides additional context to support the cost relationships of the methods.

A 3D Reconstruction of Gas Cloud Leakage Based on Multi-Spectral Imaging Systems

2025-05-20

Lei Zhang , Liang Xu

Remote sensing imaging technology is one of the safest and most effective tools for gas leakage monitoring in chemical parks, as it enables fast and accurate access to detailed information … Remote sensing imaging technology is one of the safest and most effective tools for gas leakage monitoring in chemical parks, as it enables fast and accurate access to detailed information about the gas cloud (e.g., volume, distribution, diffusion, and location) in the case of gas leakage. While multi-spectral imaging systems are commonly used for hazardous gas leakage detection, efforts to realize the three-dimensional reconstruction of gas clouds through data obtained from multi-spectral imaging systems remain scarce. In this study, we propose a method for realizing the three-dimensional reconstruction of gas clouds with only two multi-spectral imaging systems; in particular, the two multi-spectral imaging systems are used to simultaneously observe the three-dimensional space with gas leakage and reconstruct gas cloud images in real time. A geometric method is used for the localization in the monitoring space and the construction of a three-dimensional spatial grid. The non-axisymmetric inverse Abel transform (IAT) is then applied to the extracted gas absorbance images in order to realize the reconstruction of each layer, and these are then stacked to form a 3D gas cloud. Through the above measurement, identification, and reconstruction processes, a 3D gas cloud with geometric information and concentration distribution characteristics is generated. The results of simulation experiments and external field tests prove that gas clouds can be localized under the premise that they are completely covered by the field of view of both scanning systems, and the 3D distribution of the leakage gas cloud can be reconstructed quickly and accurately with the proposed system.

Fuzzy-Based Evaluation of the Air Bubble Barrier as an Alternative Oil Spill Response Equipment

2025-05-20

Canberk HAZAR , Mahmut Mollaoğlu , Ali Cemal Töz

Transforming Environmental Protection (TEP): ESRGAN and deep learning models for oil spill detection

2025-05-20

Shiva Shankar Reddy , Gadiraju Mahesh , D. Sowjanya +3 more

Generalized theoretical framework for spatial attenuation rates of gravity waves in a stepwise-stratified fluid system with multiple layers of arbitrary depths

2025-05-19

L. Suswanth , Girish Kumar Rajan

Numerical environmental impact assessment of accidental release of ammonia during bunkering in the Singapore Strait

2025-05-19

Zunya Wang , Pavel Tkalich , Bryan Low +3 more

Ammonia is a promising maritime fuel for decarbonization, but its impact on marine environments is less understood. This study uses a high-resolution numerical model to examine the short-term (from hours … Ammonia is a promising maritime fuel for decarbonization, but its impact on marine environments is less understood. This study uses a high-resolution numerical model to examine the short-term (from hours to days) effects of ammonia releases during bunkering in Singapore - one of the world's busiest ports. Results show that nearshore shallow-water jetties experience more localized but longer-lasting impacts than open seas due to limited mixing. High discharge volumes exacerbate toxicity, highlighting the need for rapid containment; multi-hose systems with low flow rates are recommended. A dimensionless number and a regression model are developed to estimate the extent and duration of lethal ammonia plumes across varying discharge volumes. The study also highlights the role of tidal dynamics: spring tides enhance rapid but widespread dispersion, while ebb-flood cycles dictate the directional transport of ammonia. Beyond toxicity, ammonia contributes to the local nitrogen cycle, stimulating algal growth in semi-enclosed waters but posing lower risks in open seas due to stronger mixing. The presence of sensitive marine species, such as coral reefs, should be considered in bunkering strategies. These findings provide scientific ground for safer ammonia bunkering practices and support the development of effective emergency response frameworks in coastal port environments.

Designing a Bayesian Urgency Assessment Tool for Search and Rescue in the Canadian Arctic

2025-05-17

Joshua Peters , John Quigley , Archie Rudman +4 more

Effective urgency assessment is critical for search and rescue (SAR) operations, particularly in remote regions such as the Canadian Arctic. Vast distances, severe weather, and limited resources present significant challenges … Effective urgency assessment is critical for search and rescue (SAR) operations, particularly in remote regions such as the Canadian Arctic. Vast distances, severe weather, and limited resources present significant challenges in Nunavut and Nunavik. Existing urgency assessment frameworks, while effective in other contexts, are often unsuitable for Arctic ground SAR. This paper reviews existing urgency assessment frameworks, including SAR-specific systems and Bayesian network (BN) approaches, assessing their applicability to the Arctic context. It further explores the potential for developing a BN-based urgency assessment tool tailored to ground SAR in Nunavut and Nunavik.We discuss key factors that such a model might incorporate—such as environmental conditions, shelter availability, and local knowledge—and highlight the benefits of probabilistic reasoning in supporting decision-making and optimising resource allocation. While a fully realised prototype is not yet presented, this research outlines the conceptual groundwork for future development. The ultimate aim is to improve decision support for SAR coordinators, risk communication, and the overall effectiveness of Arctic SAR efforts.

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) aerogel immobilized microalgae: A new way for marine oil spills remediation

2025-05-16

Xudong Wang , Zhuorong Du , Zhao Song +5 more