Shoreline Bioremediation Model (SBM) - A Graphical User Interface for Simulating the Biodegradation of Beached Oil
ABSTRACT We developed a user-friendly numerical model, Shoreline Bioremediation Model (SBM), to simulate the biodegradation and bioremediation of oil entrapped within shorelines. The model takes oil properties and environmental conditions as input and produces variation of oil concentration with time, up to several years from the time of the spill. SBM is equipped with a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). The accessibility and easy-to-use interface allow the user to quickly produce several biodegradation and bioremediation scenarios before they are implemented at the contaminated shoreline. The model has been calibrated to predict the biodegradation rate of saturates and aromatics, but it can be also used to predict the biodegradation rates of individual oil components and to decide on bioremediation studies in shorelines based on the enhancement due to biostimulation (addition of nutrients) or bioaugmentation (addition of hydrocarbon degrading organisms). The GUI provides the oil concentration with time along with best case and worst case scenarios, which is commonly needed for decision making.