FRESHWATER OIL SPILL CONSIDERATIONS: PROTECTION AND CLEANUP

1985 ◽  
Vol 1985 (1) ◽  
pp. 385-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart J. Baca ◽  
Charles D. Getter
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Retention Time ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Natural State ◽  
Natural Revegetation ◽  
Cape Fear

ABSTRACT Oil spills occurring in freshwater (and upper estuarine) environments produce different effects than similar spills in marine environments, and thus require different considerations in protection and cleanup. Freshwater spills are primarily land- or river-based, and retention time of the oil in the environment takes one of two extremes, either very brief or very long. As in the marine environment, spills in marshes (predominantly grasses and sedges) are generally most destructive, especially when marshes have little or no flushing. The return of the marsh to a natural state is dependent upon the amount and type of oil, the amount of flushing, the type of vegetation, the type of cleanup, and the potential for natural revegetation (recovery). Spills in swamps (predominantly shrubs and trees) are influenced by similar factors and by the amount and type of understory vegetation. Spills occurring in marsh and swamp habitats in rivers are much less destructive and frequently result in oiling of the outer fringing vegetation rather than pooling or oiling of interior vegetation. Case studies of spills on the Cape Fear (North Carolina), Columbia (Washington), and St. Lawrence (New York) Rivers and in southern swamps (Louisiana and Texas) are given as examples of some points concerning freshwater spills. International examples are given by considering Nigeria and other countries. Suggestions for protection and cleanup are developed from these case studies.

scholarly journals OIL SPILL INCIDENTS AND DISPERSANT APPLICATIONS IN KUWAIT

1987 ◽  
Vol 1987 (1) ◽  
pp. 247-253
Author(s):  
Salah M. Al-Mazidi ◽  
Omar Samhan
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Petroleum Hydrocarbons ◽  
Petroleum Hydrocarbon ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Petroleum Products ◽  
Coastal Environment ◽  
Industrial Activities ◽  
Oil Refineries ◽  
North And South

ABSTRACT Since the discovery of oil in Kuwait, most oil-related activities have been located along the coastline 50 km south of Kuwait City. Other related industrial activities have been developed in this area apart from oil and petroleum products export in order to diversify the national sources of income. For these reasons, the potential for large oil spills in Kuwait's marine environment is highest along the south coast, where oil refineries and exporting facilities are located. An average of 219 barrels of oil were spilled annually between 1979 and 1985, and 2,100 gallons of dispersants were used in cleanup operations. The majority of incidents involved less than 5 barrels of oil and 500 gallons of dispersants. Incidents involving more than 100 barrels of oil and 5,000 gallons of dispersants were confined to the Sea Island and Mina Al-Ahmadi North and South Piers. This distribution undoubtedly affects the concentration of petroleum residues in various components of the marine environment, resulting in an increase in tar ball density along this coast, reaching a maximum at Ras Az-Zor, and significantly higher levels of vanadium and petroleum hydrocarbons in sediments and oysters collected south of Mina Al-Ahmadi. The objective of this paper is to report on the number, volume, and frequency distribution of oil spill incidents in Kuwait and the usage of dispersants in cleanup operations. Vanadium and petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations also are described as is the sensitivity of the southern coastal environment to oil spills. Recommendations have been made on how to conduct cleanup operations for any future oil spill incidents along the southern shoreline of Kuwait.

Safe Containers for Dangerous Memories

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
Sarah Pharaon ◽  
Sally Roesch Wagner ◽  
Barbara Lau ◽  
María José Bolaña Caballero
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
House Museums ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Historic House Museums ◽  
Historic House

Since 1999, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience has worked with historic house museums around the world who assist their visitors in connecting past and present, use dialogue as a central strategy in addressing needs in their immediate community, and encourage visitors to become active in the social issues their sites raise. Featuring case studies from Coalition members Centro Cultural y Museo de la Memoria (Montevideo, Uruguay), Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation (Fayetteville, New York), and the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice (Durham, North Carolina), this article reviews the revolutionary approaches Sites of Conscience take toward addressing challenging histories and their contemporary legacies.

The Exxon Valdez Oil-spill: Ecological and Social Consequences

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Shaw
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Exxon Valdez

Major oil-spills, such as occurred following the grounding of the tanker Exxon Valdez in March 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, account for only a small fraction of the total anthropogenic input of petroleum to the marine environment. Yet major spills can result in significant and even acute impacts, trigger ecological changes requiring decades for recovery, and command considerable public attention. Thus catastrophic oil-spills in general, and the Exxon Valdez spill in particular, differ from other chronic human alterations of coastal marine systems.Estimates of the fate of the 38,000 metric tons of crude oil lost by the Exxon Valdez are imprecise, but perhaps 30–40% evaporated, 10–25% was recovered, and the rest remains in the marine environment. Roughly 1,500 km of coastline were oiled in varying degrees. Much of this coastline consists of gravel beaches into which oil penetrated to depths as great as 1 m.The ecological effects of the spill on the marine environments of Prince William Sound and adjacent coastal areas of the Gulf of Alaska were extensive, but natural recovery, aided by clean-up efforts, is expected. Judging by the consequences of other oil-spills affecting rocky shorelines, as well as previous natural and anthropogenic disturbances to Prince William Sound, it appears likely that most affected biotic communities and ecosystems will recover to approximately their pre-spill functional and structural characteristic within from five to twenty-five years.This oil-spill had major social effects. Many individuals, whether personally present or viewing the spill around the world on television, were saddened by the environmental damage, and felt that an important public trust had been broken. These feelings, together with dissatisfaction with the results of early clean-up efforts, gave rise to popular sentiment in favour of every possible clean-up and mitigation effort — regardless of cost, effectiveness, or possible negative consequences.The response to the Exxon Valdez oil-spill by government and the oil industry revealed serious inadequacies in the plans and institutions for dealing with major marine oilspills in the United States. Attempts to recover spilled oil, and to respond to the spill's environmental consequences, were hampered by a low level of preparedness and lack of clear agreement about the goals of response efforts. Attempts are under way to improve oil-spill prevention and response capabilities in Alaska and the rest of the United States. However, these efforts are not yet complete, and it remains to be seen whether an improved response will be made to the next major oil-spill.

Reducing the oil spill threat to the marine environment (Foreword)

Baltica ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (special) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Victor Klemas ◽  
Nerijus Blažauskas
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Project Development ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Kaliningrad Oblast ◽  
Response Capacity ◽  
Eastern Baltic

Presented in this special issue studies aims to contribute in order to limit the damage from oil spills and to facilitate containment and cleanup efforts; to optimize the response to oil spills as well as facilitate the preparation of comprehensive maps of most valuable assets as well as prepare joint response plans between neighbouring Kaliningrad Oblast of Russian Federation and Lithuania. The results of common Lithuanian-Russian project “Development of solutions for effective oil spill management in the South-Eastern Baltic” takes an attempt to operationally harmonize and scientifically ground a response capacity for this commonly used area

TERRORISM, OIL SPILLS AND CRIMINAL SANCTIONS: THE HAMMER AND THE ANVIL

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 949-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard H. Hobbie ◽  
Andrew J. Garger
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Criminal Sanctions ◽  
National Newspaper

ABSTRACT The Water Quality Insurance Syndicate has offices in lower Manhattan in New York City, and the events of September 11th remain vivid. However, in its aftermath it was difficult to envision the broad reaching ripple effects resulting from the event. Among the effects is the clash of two major issues: the increasing use of criminal sanctions in reaction to spills of oil and hazardous substances, and the practical and emotional consequences of both possible and actual terrorist events. For the past several years, the responsible party and its insurer have faced the use of criminal sanctions when a spill occurs. Criminal sanctions are typically used to combat intentional environmental misconduct. In the realm of oil spills, common actions may include the deliberate dumping of oil and negligence or unintentional conduct leading to a spill. In the post 9–11 United States, the first question presented at an oil spill is not how much oil has been spilled, but rather was the spill caused by an act of terrorism?. Government officials may treat the location of an oil spill as a crime scene, which will transform and complicate a pollution event. A recent explosion on a gasoline barge at an oil and gas storage facility in Staten Island, New York illustrates the point. A leading national newspaper devoted the first five paragraphs of its lead story on the explosion to a discussion of whether or not there was a terrorist attack Was the clean up of that spill hampered because of the terrorism investigation? We will probably never know, because the gasoline that escaped from the barge quickly evaporated so the cleanup was minimal. The next spill, however, might be a crude oil spill where every minute in response time counts. While the shipowner is trying to minimize the spill, the F.B.I, might have already taken control of the spill scene to conduct an investigation and effectively locked out the spill responders and their equipment, greatly increasing the cost and complexity of the cleanup, the environmental damage that is done, and the possibility that the shipowner's actions are found to be insufficient, increasing the possibility of criminal sanctions. The threat of terrorism is real. But we must now work to integrate our response to the terrorism threat to our existing spill response infrastructure that has been developed under OPA, and not unnecessarily increase a shipowner's exposure to criminal liability.

The best way to the protection of the marine environment from oil spills impacts is the strengthening of available oil spill liability and compensation regimes or the funding of oil spill preparedness and strengthening of oil spill combat capabilities

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 2017108
Author(s):  
A J M Gunasekara
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Civil Liability ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
The Past ◽  
Funding Mechanism ◽  
Coastal And Marine Environment

The total volume of oil spilled and the number of spills has declined significantly over the past forty years. However, oil spills are no longer considered as an unavoidable. The ship source oil pollution still remains a potentially important risk to the local economies and the marine environment which can cause major economic loss and severe damages to the coastal and marine environment. The international regulatory framework to deal with liability and compensation in the event of ship source oil pollution has evolved over the past three decades. The available international legal regime for oil pollution liability and compensation is playing a great role in governing a discharge of oil into the sea by ensuring liability for polluters and compensation for victims of pollution. Despite the fact that the total cost of the oil spill cannot be compensated through the available international civil liability regime and entire damages caused to the marine environment cannot be compensated or recovered. This paper examined the application and limitations of available liability and compensation mechanism for the protection marine pollution and compare the benefit of the establishment of a funding mechanism for the strengthening of the level of oil spill preparedness and the civil liability regime for the protection of the coastal and marine environment. In addition, this paper reviews the funding mechanism adopted by the countries to the strengthening the level of oil spill preparedness taken into account the polluter pays principle without a putting extra burden for the general taxpayers. The establishment of a system for the funding of oil spill preparedness using the polluter pay principle has immensely helped to improve the oil spill response capabilities and protection of the marine environment of coastal states which adopted a unique funding mechanism by applying the polluter pay principle. This paper recommends the among other thing review the available compensation and liability regime for the protection of the marine environment and recommend to adopt and apply a uniform funding mechanism for the strengthening of the level of oil spill preparedness taken into account the polluter pay principle for the protection of the marine environment and improve the status quo.

scholarly journals Some engineering estimations of oil spill parameters in the marine environment

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. N. Zatsepa ◽  
A. A. Ivchenko ◽  
V. V. Solbakov ◽  
V. V. Stanovoy
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Equations Of Motion ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Oil Flow ◽  
Ice Field ◽  
Drifting Ice ◽  
Similar Solutions

Estimation of the oil spill size at continuous spills on the moving sea surface or on the drifting ice field is the actual practical problem. Engineering estimation means the reduction of the hydrodynamic equations system to the balance of only two main forces that cause movement and resistance of the oil flow. From the simplified problem statement some practical relations were obtained for estimating the size of spill, including continuous oil spill with surface water currents presence, for spill onto porous snow-ice cover and onto the drifting ice cover. The obtained estimations can be used in more complicated models of oil spill transformation in the marine environment, primarily in the Arctic zone, and give basis for development of adequate responses on oil spills. The comparison of the obtained estimates with the self-similar solutions of the corresponding equations of motion of the spreading substance shows a satisfactory fit.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES FOR A PERMIT-WIDE DRILLING PROGRAM IN A SENSITIVE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 750
Author(s):  
Barry Smith ◽  
Julie Martine ◽  
Graeme D. Hubbert
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Surface Current ◽  
Environmental Studies ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Specific Work ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
North West ◽  
Response Planning

An integrated program of environmental studies was undertaken in support of an application to conduct permit-wide exploratory drilling in a shallow, sensitive marine environment. The program comprised permit and well site specific work which was carried out in parallel with a corporate due diligence program established by the permit Operator.Scientific studies undertaken for permit area EP 341 off the north west coast of Western Australia comprised underwater surveys, aerial video reconnaissance, surface current tracking surveys and oil spill trajectory modelling to characterise the local environment and identify sensitive resources at risk of impact from oil spills. Survey data were used to prepare an environmental impact assessment report and an oil spill contingency plan, which provide a set of site-specific environmental management guidelines for use by field and office personnel involved with the drilling program. A 3D oil spill trajectory model successfully predicted current flows in the complex hydrodynamic environment of the permit areas, demonstrating its usefulness as a real time tool for oil spill response planning.

OIL SPILL DETECTION WITH REMOTE SENSORS

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Pilžis ◽  
Vaidotas Vaišis
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Surface Properties ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Optical Remote Sensing ◽  
Oil Spill Detection ◽  
Remote Sensors ◽  
Microwave Sensors

Accurate detection and forecasting of oil spills and their trajectories is beneficial for monitoring and conservation of the marine environment. The most common techniques of oil spill tracking are remote sensing from an aircraft and satellites. Remote sensors work by detecting sea surface properties and the most effective of them are laser fluorosensors, optical remote sensing (visible, infrared, ultraviolet) and microwave sensors. Possibilities and advantages of their use are reviewed in this article.

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