scholarly journals EnviRisk – Automated Environmental Risk Assessment for Ship Traffic in Norwegian Waters

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Odd Willy Brude ◽  
Vivian Jakobsen ◽  
Øyvind Rinaldo ◽  
Harald Bjarne Tvedt ◽  
Anders Rudberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Calculation Model ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Identification System ◽  
Environmental Consequence ◽  
Risk Calculation ◽  
Ship Traffic

ABSTRACT A near real-time environmental calculation of oil spill risk along the entire coast of Norway is developed as the EnviRisk model. Previous risk assessments utilize older decision models and repeated manual calculations that are costly as well as not accounting for the complexity of and changes in, ship traffic. Furthermore, cloud-providers have enabled enough data ingest and processing power to utilize high resolution shore and satellite based AIS data (Automated Identification System), to develop more dynamic and accurate risk calculation models than before. EnviRisk builds upon AISyRisk, an automated risk calculation model for marine traffic developed by the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) and DNV GL. AISyRisk, includes a long-term data collection on probability of ship accidents and consequences for fatalities and oil spills for Norwegian waters (Norwegian Coastal Administration 2020). From AISyRisk, the probabilities for a certain oil spill (location, oil type and volume) is developed further to assess the environmental consequence in the EnviRisk model. As part of EnviRisk, extensive oil spill modelling is being performed in the cloud with the open source OpenDrift model (https://github.com/opendrift/opendrift/wiki) released by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. This, combined with environmental sensitivity for both seabirds, marine mammals, fish and shoreline habitats, makes it feasible to quantify the environmental consequence and risk. Environmental risk is presented on a 10x10 km grid for the previous month of ship traffic and also accumulates statistics for risk over time. This paper presents the automated oil spill modelling and environmental risk calculation in EnviRisk. The method builds upon previous risk assessments for NCA for the Norwegian Coast (Braathen and Brude, 2011), for Svalbard and Jan Mayen (Braathen et. al., 2014) and for Greenland for Defence Command Denmark also in 2014 (Eikeland et. al., 2014). The approach is significantly improved particularly with respect to the oil spill modelling. Updates of AISyRisk and EnviRisk data and calculations are done monthly and the results published on a web portal administered by the Norwegian Coastal Administration where aggregated results are publicly available.

scholarly journals Introduction to the Concepts and Use of ERA Acute

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Cathrine Stephansen ◽  
Anders Bjørgesæter ◽  
Odd Willy Brude ◽  
Ute Brönner ◽  
Tonje Waterloo Rogstad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Input Data ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Management Decision Making ◽  
Norwegian Continental Shelf

AbstractIntroducing the main concepts of ERA Acute, this chapter describes the overall framework and purpose of the methodology. ERA Acute is a recently developed oil spill risk assessment (OSRA) methodology for quantification of oil spill impacts and risk (Environmental Risk Assessment, ERA). It covers four environmental compartments; sea surface (seabirds, turtles, marine mammals), water column (fish eggs/larvae), shoreline and seafloor (species and habitats) using continuous impact functions and introduces the Resource Damage Factor (RDF). The methodology depends on external oil spill modelling and input data related to the presence and vulnerability of Valued Ecosystem Components (VECs). ERA Acute is developed to provide an improvement over the currently used “MIRA” method on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) and is better suited for risk management, decision-making and analyses from screening studies to full environmental risk assessments.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINGENCY MEASURES IN DETERMINING OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT

1981 ◽  
Vol 1981 (1) ◽  
pp. 571-575
Author(s):  
Raymond R. Emerson
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Contingency Planning ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
Production Potential ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Oil spills are one of the major concerns associated with oil and gas development along the outer continental shelf. The U.S. Department of the Interior is presently planning lease sales at the rate of seven per year. Many of these leases are being proposed in areas where the risks associated with oil spills are difficult to assess. The major objective of the decisionmakers in this process is to select a leasing plan from the list of proposed blocks that will offer the maximum production potential within an acceptable level of environmental risk. This objective can be obtained with proper contingency planning which should include site-specific designs. A proposed leasing plan could be limited in its production potential by the habitats more vunerable to a potential oil spill. These areas are identified using a model system developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. In this model, the local meteorology and physical oceanography are coupled to produce trajectories of hypothetical oil spills. These trajectories, along with oil resource estimates, are used to establish overall probabilities of an oil spill contacting specific coastal areas and habitats. Using linear programming techniques, the blocks that can yield the maximum resource recovery within specified limits of environmental risk are identified. Site-specific contingency measures (such as stockpiles of cleanup equipment) concentrated at the more vulnerable habitats will allow the decisionmaker to accept a higher level of environmental risk and significantly increase the number of blocks that are suitable for leasing. A proposed lease sale area for the northeast Gulf of Alaska is used to demonstrate the importance of contingency planning in determining various levels of offshore oil and gas resource development.

scholarly journals Oil Spill Scenarios in the Kotor Bay: Results from High Resolution Numerical Simulations

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Zanier ◽  
Massimiliano Palma ◽  
Andrea Petronio ◽  
Federico Roman ◽  
Vincenzo Armenio
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Surface Current ◽  
Ship Traffic ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Contingency Plans ◽  
Coupling Procedure ◽  
Marine Surface ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Wind Flows

A major threat for marine and coastal environment comes from oil spill accidents. Such events have a great impact on both the ecosystem and on the economy, and the risk increases over time due to increasing ship traffic in many sensitive areas. In recent years, numerical simulation of oil spills has become an affordable tool for the analysis of the risk and for the preparation of contingency plans. However, in coastal areas, the complexity of the bathymetry and of the orography requires an adequate resolution of sea and wind flows. For this reason, we present, to the best of the author’s knowledge, the first study on the subject adopting Large Eddy Simulations for both the low-atmosphere and sea dynamics in order to provide highly-resolved marine surface current and wind stress to the oil slick model, within a one-way coupling procedure. Such approach is applied to the relevant case of Kotor Bay (UNESCO heritage since 1979), in Montenegro, which is a semi-closed basin surrounded by mountains that is subject to an intense ship traffic for touristic purposes. Oil spill spots are tracked along ship paths, in two wind scenarios.

NOAA OFFICE OF RESPONSE AND RESTORATION'S ROLE DURING OIL SPILLS WHERE MARINE MAMMALS ARE INVOLVED

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 (1) ◽  
pp. 991-994
Author(s):  
Troy L. Baker ◽  
Jim Jeansonne ◽  
Charlie Henry ◽  
John Tarpley
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Southeast United States ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Unified Command ◽  
Spilled Oil

ABSTRACT Providing rapid and humane care for distressed or threatened marine mammals is crucial to the ultimate success of such actions. Recently, in the southeast United States, marine mammals were observed in the vicinity of several oil spills. Proper coordination of marine mammal rescue or recovery actions with the Unified Command (UC) is essential for response personnel safety and increased probability of saving the affected animals. In the event of animal mortalities, effective coordination between the marine mammal resource agencies and the UC helps ensure the preservation of causal evidence. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration'S (NOAA'S) Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), generally through the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC), is able to assist the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) and UC in addressing the threat of spilled oil on potentially affected marine mammals. Response actions during recent spills included: documenting the animals’ type and location, notification of the marine mammal agencies and teams responsible for their recovery and care, and coordination between the spill response and the marine mammal response. The actions of responders during recent spills involving marine mammals are summarized and relevant issues discussed, including properly characterizing the threat to marine mammals from spilled oil. The recent oil spill responses involving marine mammals in the southeastern U.S. are applicable to future spills throughout the United States and potentially worldwide. These recent incidents underscore the need to fully understand and plan for high profile wildlife issues during oil spill responses.

AN EVALUATION OF OIL POLLUTION PROBABILITY IN THE LEVANTINE BASIN OFF ISRAEL

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Goldman ◽  
Ron Goldman ◽  
Eliyahu Biton ◽  
Eliyahu Biton ◽  
Isaac Gertman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Nile Delta ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Propagation Model ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
Ship Traffic ◽  
The Impact

Recent gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have led to multiple operations with substantial economic interest, and they are accompanied by the risk of oil spills and their potential environmental impacts. In this this study we compute the probability of an area being polluted by oil. The first stage of this computation is to determine what the likely scenarios for oil spills are, where the areas of higher oil spill probability are and what the expected size of the spill is. This study was performed as part of the RAOP-MED project, which considered ship collision scenarios, other accidental spill from ships and rigs, and accidents that might occur during fueling operations. The results of the project include a map of oil spill probability for the eastern Mediterranean that details different scenarios, as well as a map of the maximal spill size. We use these results to create possible oil spill scenarios and run Monte-Carlo simulations of the oil spill’s fate. The simulations use the MEDSLIK oil spill propagation model, forced by the realistic atmospheric and oceanic conditions that exist off the Israeli coast, as outlined by the SKIRON and SELIPS numerical models. Potential risk sources in the area are the ship traffic that enters and leaves the Suez channel, as well as the offshore platforms on the Nile Delta and in the Israeli exclusive economic zone. We also examine the impact of the alongshore current on the probability and severity of the pollution.

ERA Acute – A Multi-Compartment Quantitative Risk Assessment for Oil Spills

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 2017432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrine Stephansen ◽  
Anders Bjørgesæter ◽  
Odd Willy Brude ◽  
Ute Brönner ◽  
Grethe Kjeilen-Eilertsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Step Potential ◽  
Response Planning

Awareness of environmental risk and the demand for oil spill response planning associated with offshore marine operations has increased during the last decades. Environmental Risk Assessments (ERAs) are a crucial part of planning and execution of oil and gas (O&G) activities offshore. A sound ERA can support the O&G industry in environmental risk management (ERM) of operations. Authorities and Operating companies have requested updated methodology based on more recent research from oil spill events such as the Deep Water Horizon incident, with the possibility to perform more detailed analyses in e.g. sensitive areas. ERA Acute is developed to meet these requirements. It is a transparent method of quantitative analysis for environmental screenings, ERAs and Net Environmental Benefit Analyses (NEBAs) of oil spills in four compartments: Sea surface, shoreline, water column and sea floor. The methodology is grid-cell based and results can therefore be shown in a geographical information system (GIS) for any region globally. The user can identify areas of high risk - for use in decision support and spill response planning - independently of the region. Three levels of detail are defined, depending on availability of VEC data, suitable for screening purposes or more detailed studies. Calculations are carried out in two main steps: First, ERA Acute uses input from an oil spill fate and distribution model of choice to calculate exposure and impact to Valued Ecosystem Components (VECs) in each grid cell and for each simulation. Calculations follow a common methodology framework, applying different mechanisms of impact and recovery for each compartment. Impacts are summarised, and in the second step, potential lag-and/or restitution time and risk are calculated for each VEC. The resulting resource impact factor (RIF) is an index that combines the extent of impact and recovery time. A statistical approach is used, based on numerous oil spill simulations covering each season in order to capture variations in spill drift and fate, species abundance and vulnerability. This paper describes the method. ERA Acute methodology is validated in sensitivity studies, field validations, comparison to relevant ERA methods, and documented in several dissemination steps including a guideline for best industry practice. The ERA Acute project is carried out by a consortium of industry partners (Statoil, Total, Norwegian Oil and Gas Association) and experts in environmental risk analysis (Acona, Akvaplan-niva (project manager), DNV-GL and SINTEF), supported by the Research Council of Norway.

INTEGRATION OF AIRBORNE AIS BRINGS A NEW DIMENSION TO THE DETECTION OF ILLEGAL DISCHARGE OF OIL SPILLS

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Armstrong ◽  
Heike A Schneider ◽  
Olov Fäst ◽  
Angelica H. Abrahamsson
Keyword(s):  
System Integration ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Automatic Identification ◽  
Identification System ◽  
International Convention ◽  
Ship Traffic ◽  
Identity Information ◽  
Quantum Leap ◽  
Surveillance Programs

ABSTRACT The AIS (Automatic Identification System) became a standard under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in December 2001. Using the AIS transponder, the vessel will report its position, identity heading and other information to other ship traffic in the same area. The AIS is a significant contribution to the control and safety of shipping. Transport Canada (TC) is a pioneer internationally in using the AIS (R4A airborne AIS transponder) integrated with the remote sensing system (MSS 6000 from Swedish Space Corporation) on board their aircraft, in order to add the information on ship identity and voyage to the information from other sensors. The AIS integration provides a quantum leap in the effectiveness of the surveillance mission. In the Canadian system integration, detailed vessel information obtained through the AIS system is displayed and correlated with information received from other sensors. All information is also presented together with a high-resolution digital map including nautical chart data. The AIS provides the operators with vessel voyage and identity information. It is very useful for vectoring the aircraft to areas where ships have been reported. The advent of AIS simplifies surveillance procedures and makes each hour of surveillance more productive. During last year TC reported that over 9700 vessels were over flown. It is anticipated that over 20,000 AIS targets will be acquired using AIS in 2007–2008. The experience from Canada also indicates an outstanding VHF range. During missions, vessels have been identified as far away as 200 nautical miles (n.m.) from the aircraft. The AIS information together with other sensor images gives a comprehensive image that will dramatically improve the chance to tie a ship to a detected illegal oil spill. Receiving ship identity information will enable aircrews to conduct covert operations and contact the suspect ship from far standoff distances. This will also act as a deterrent to potential polluters. Integrating AIS within the operational requirements of surveillance programs, dedicated to minimizing the adverse effects of shipping on the marine environment, will make a significant contribution towards improving the effectiveness of surveillance missions.

AN EVALUATION OF OIL POLLUTION PROBABILITY IN THE LEVANTINE BASIN OFF ISRAEL

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Goldman ◽  
Ron Goldman ◽  
Eliyahu Biton ◽  
Eliyahu Biton ◽  
Isaac Gertman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Nile Delta ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Propagation Model ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
Ship Traffic ◽  
The Impact

Recent gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have led to multiple operations with substantial economic interest, and they are accompanied by the risk of oil spills and their potential environmental impacts. In this this study we compute the probability of an area being polluted by oil. The first stage of this computation is to determine what the likely scenarios for oil spills are, where the areas of higher oil spill probability are and what the expected size of the spill is. This study was performed as part of the RAOP-MED project, which considered ship collision scenarios, other accidental spill from ships and rigs, and accidents that might occur during fueling operations. The results of the project include a map of oil spill probability for the eastern Mediterranean that details different scenarios, as well as a map of the maximal spill size. We use these results to create possible oil spill scenarios and run Monte-Carlo simulations of the oil spill’s fate. The simulations use the MEDSLIK oil spill propagation model, forced by the realistic atmospheric and oceanic conditions that exist off the Israeli coast, as outlined by the SKIRON and SELIPS numerical models. Potential risk sources in the area are the ship traffic that enters and leaves the Suez channel, as well as the offshore platforms on the Nile Delta and in the Israeli exclusive economic zone. We also examine the impact of the alongshore current on the probability and severity of the pollution.

scholarly journals Multi-objective entropy evolutionary algorithm for marine oil spill detection using cosmo-skymed satellite data

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1263-1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Marghany
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Algorithm ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Oil Spill Detection ◽  
Sar Data

Abstract. Oil spill pollution has a substantial role in damaging the marine ecosystem. Oil spill that floats on top of water, as well as decreasing the fauna populations, affects the food chain in the ecosystem. In fact, oil spill is reducing the sunlight penetrates the water, limiting the photosynthesis of marine plants and phytoplankton. Moreover, marine mammals for instance, disclosed to oil spills their insulating capacities are reduced, and so making them more vulnerable to temperature variations and much less buoyant in the seawater. This study has demonstrated a design tool for oil spill detection in SAR satellite data using optimization of Entropy based Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (E-MMGA) which based on Pareto optimal solutions. The study also shows that optimization entropy based Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm provides an accurate pattern of oil slick in SAR data. This shown by 85 % for oil spill, 10 % look-alike and 5 % for sea roughness using the receiver-operational characteristics (ROC) curve. The E-MMGA also shows excellent performance in SAR data. In conclusion, E-MMGA can be used as optimization for entropy to perform an automatic detection of oil spill in SAR satellite data.

Improving preparedness for marine mammal oil spill response and assessment in the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 2017228
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Wilkin ◽  
Michael Ziccardi ◽  
Laurie Sullivan ◽  
Lori Schwacke ◽  
Susan Chivers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Current Status ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Oil Spill Response

Several recent oil spills in the United States have had the potential to impact large numbers and multiple populations of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), namely the Macondo-252/Deepwater Horizon oil spill from April 2010, the Texas City Y event in March 2014, and the Refugio Beach oil spill in May 2015. In each of these spills, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and partners have engaged in significant activities during and following the spills, to both respond effectively to minimize impacts and assess the effects of oil spills on marine mammals. Experience gained during these spills has led to improved preparedness for future events with potential involvement of marine mammals. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has developed the “National Pinniped and Cetacean Oil Spill Response Guidelines,” which are available online. These guidelines provide a broad national overview of response activities, a proposed organizational structure, and considerations to identify, recover, treat, and sample oiled and potentially oiled marine mammals. Further development of a response framework includes regional preparedness plans for marine mammals, based on the national guidelines but with regionally appropriate modifications to reflect local considerations, including species likely to be impacted, geographic concerns, and understanding of local cultural practices. Efforts are underway to improve training opportunities through a national exercise plan and to track trained and qualified individuals for potential deployment. For assessment, NMFS and NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) have partnered to develop the “National Marine Mammal Oil Spill Assessment Guidelines” to facilitate early, efficient, and effective assessment of impacts from oil spills on marine mammals as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process. This paper will outline the current status of these products and their role in marine mammal assessment and response in the U.S., raise awareness of marine mammals within oil spills, and identify potential resources for marine mammal response and assessment in other countries.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document