HAZMAT MODELING

PRODUCTS

HAZMAT MODELING

PRODUCTS

for

Spill Response and Planning

N OAA Ocean Service • OR&R

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • NOAA Ocean Service • Office of Response and Restoration

HAZMAT • Hazardous Materials Response Division

7600 Sand Point Way N.E. • Seattle, Washington 98115

Phone: 206-526-6317 • fax: 206-526-6329 • http://response.restoration.noaa.gov

November 2002
Contents

1 Introduction........................................................................................................1 

2 Initial Oil Spill Response Products....................................................................2 

3 Computer Modeling Products for Spills ............................................................7 

4 On-scene Oil Spill Tracking ..............................................................................9 

5 SAR and Other Trajectory Modeling Products................................................11 

6 Oil Spill Drill Products ....................................................................................14 

7 Oil Spill Planning ......................................................................................... 17 

8 GNOME Files ..................................................................................................24 

9 Dispersed Oil Modeling...................................................................................26 

10 Chemical Spill Response .................................................................................29 

11 Availability of NOAA/HAZMAT Software....................................................35 

Figures 

1 Example of a weather forecast...........................................................................3 

2 Tidal current prediction for Golden Gate, San Francisco Bay, California ........4 

3 Tidal height prediction for Golden Gate, San Francisco Bay, California..........4 

4 Example of ADIOS2 oil fate table.....................................................................5 

5 Verbal trajectory analysis ..................................................................................6 

6 Trajectory analysis.............................................................................................8 

7 HAZMAT Overflight map...............................................................................10 

8 Example of TWA 800 SAR map .....................................................................12 

9 Example of receptor mode run for mystery slick.............................................13 

10 Benzene concentration table for drill control...................................................16 

11 Statistical wind tables used to help plan for the Ehime Maru recovery 

effort off Honolulu...........................................................................................18 
Figures, cont. 

12 An example of what was generated for the U.S. Navy to assess the risk of 

an oil spill from the Ehime Maru that could occur during the 7-day 

forecasted weather. ..........................................................................................19 

13 Example of area planning run for spill originating from James River 

Reserve Fleet....................................................................................................20 

14 Receptor mode contours for Waikiki beach planning......................................21 

15 Example of TAP output for San Francisco Bay showing where spills can 

 go......................................................................................................................23 

16 GNOME output window for San Diego, California ........................................25 

17 Dispersed and un-dispersed oil foot prints for Chesapeake Bay scenario.......27 

18 Time-series plot of oil concentrations..............................................................28 

19 Response Information Data Sheets (RIDS) .....................................................32 

20 ALOHA footprint.............................................................................................33 

21 ALOHA footprint on MARPLOT map............................................................34 

Appendix 

I Drill Request Form. .........................................................................................36 

II Area Planning Request Form...........................................................................40 
1 Introduction 

The Hazardous Materials Response Division (HAZMAT) of the NOAA Ocean Service has a 

mission to develop and use programs that provide scientific information to help the 

professional responders as well as the general public understand, plan for, and respond to oil 

and chemical spills. The organization is based in Seattle and consists of numerous teams that 

work on spill response and research. The purpose of this report is to show the products from

one of these teams, the Modeling and Simulations Studies (MASS) Team. For more 

information see our website at http://response.restoration.noaa.gov

1
2 Initial Oil Spill Response Products (the first hour) 

This information is usually conveyed initially verbally via a phone call, then followed up in 

the second hour with faxed and emailed products to all concerned parties. 

Weather forecast

The HAZMAT modeling team is responsible for obtaining and sending out the forecast. This 

ensures that the forecast used for trajectories and field operations are consistent. Typically, 

twice-daily forecasts are obtained from the National Weather Service Forecast Office 

responsible for the spill area. The forecast is geared for trajectory information, field 

operations, and long term planning for the spill. The forecast will typically include 

information such as sunrise/sunset times, surface wind, waves, visibility, temperature 

extremes, river rise and fall information, and a longer-range, extended forecast. See Figure 1 

for an example. 

Tide forecast

Forecast of tide heights and currents are generated from our in-house tide model, Shio, which 

is based on the NOS tide tables. Tide current information is important for transport analysis 

as well as for operational planning. Tide heights will often dictate whether beached oil will 

refloat or remain high and dry. See Figures 2 and 3 for tide prediction examples. 

Oil fate information

Model predictions of the fate of the oil will come from our ADIOS2TM model. This is 

augmented by our estimates of the beach and water impacts one can expect from the type and 

amount of oil that has been spilled. This is based on published reports and decades of 

experience dealing with oil spills of varying sizes and types. See Figure 4 for an example of

ADIOS table output. 

An initial trajectory report

After the above information is gathered, we will estimate the time scale and length scale of 

the problem. This will give us an idea of how long the oil will be a problem, how far we can 

expect it to move, and which areas are threatened downcurrent and downwind. This initial 

trajectory information is passed on verbally with a phone call and followed up with a written 

report. See Figure 5 for an example.

2
CHAMPION TRADER INCIDENT 

1100 CST, Friday October 30 1998 

Sunrise (10/30): 0600 

Sunset (10/30): 1705 

Sunrise (10/31): 0601 

Sunset (10/31): 1704 

36 HOUR FORECAST: 

Winds: 

Tonight, the winds are expected to be from the east at 5-10 knots. Saturday through Saturday 

night, east winds at 10 knots are predicted. 

Waves: 

Tonight, the seas are forecast to be 1 foot. Saturday through Saturday night, 2 foot seas are 

expected. 

Precipitation: 

Tonight through Saturday night, no precipitation is expected. 

Ceiling/Visibility: 

Tonight, patchy fog is predicted. Saturday, morning fog is forecast. Visibility is expected to 

be less than one mile lifting to be 5-7 miles by the afternoon hours. 

Temperature: 

The temperatures are predicted to range from highs in the 80's to lows in the 60's. 

Extended Forecast: 

Sunday, the winds are expected to be from the SE at 10-15 knots shifting to be from the 

south at 10-15 knots by the late afternoon hours. Seas 2-3 feet. Scattered showers and 

isolated thunderstorms are predicted. Monday, south winds at 10 knots are predicted to shift 

and be from the north at 10 knots by the late evening hours. Seas 2 feet. Showers and 

isolated thunderstorms are forecast. 

Tropical Outlook: 

Hurricane Mitch is not forecast to affect the spill region during the next five days. No major 

weather disturbance is predicted to affect the spill area during the next five days. 

Figure 1. Example of a weather forecast. 

3
-3.0

-2.0

-1.0

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

Speed (kt)

midnight

10/12

Fri

6:00am noon 6:00pm midnight

10/13

Sat

Local Daylight Savings Time

Fld Dir: 070° Ebb Dir: 256°

0:37am -2.9 ebb

4:23am

7:37am 3.1 fld

10:48am

1:28pm -1.7 ebb

4:43pm

7:33pm 2.2 fld

10:13pm

orth

Figure 2. Tidal current prediction for Golden Gate, San Francisco Bay, California. 

-1.0

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

Height (ft)

midnight

10/12

Fri

6:00am noon 6:00pm midnight

10/13

Sat

Local Daylight Savings Time

2:02am -0.1

9:28am 5.2

2:33pm 2.5

8:29pm 5.7

Tidal Heights at Golden Gate, San Francisco Bay

Figure 3. Tidal height prediction for Golden Gate, San Francisco Bay, California. 

4
Oil Name = DIESEL/HEATING OIL NO.2, CHEVRON 

API = 33.5 Pour Point = 5 deg F 

Wind Speed = constant at 15 mph Wave Height = computed from winds 

Water Temperature = 65 deg F 

Time of Initial Release = February 26, 0900 hours 

Total Amount of Oil Released = 5,000 bbl 

______________________________________________________________________ 

Hours Into Released Evaporated Dispersed Remaining 

 Spill bbl percent percent percent 

 1 5,000 - 0 - 0 - 100 

 2 5,000 0 1 99 

 4 5,000 - 1 - 2 - 97 

 6 5,000 2 7 91 

 8 5,000 - 4 - 15 - 81 

 10 5,000 6 27 67 

 12 5,000 - 8 - 40 - 52 

 18 5,000 12 69 19 

 

Figure 4. Example of ADIOS2 oil fate table. 

5
Date: June 21, 1998, 2115 PDT 

 To: NOAA SSC Brad Benggio 

 

FROM: NOAA/Hazardous Materials Response Division 

 Modeling and Simulation Studies 

 Seattle, WA 98115 

 

SUBJECT: M/T Kapitan Egora 6502 

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Jerry Galt, 

MODELING AND SIMULATION STUDIES, NOAA, SEATTLE, WA 98115. 

PHONE (206) 526-6317. 

________________________________________________________ 

Per your request, we have looked at trajectory implications of a potential release of Fuel Oil #6. These notes 

are based on the following information:

On June 21, 1998 we received notification that the vessel M/T Kapitan Egora was aground off of Bahia De 

Guayanilla at 17-57.7N 66-45.96W in the vicinity of buoy #1. On board was 298,000 gal. of #6. At this time, 

the vessel is not leaking product. If any of this initial information is incorrect or if more information becomes 

available, please let us know ASAP as it would affect any trajectory implications. 

_______________________________________________________ _________________________________

1) WEATHER 

Present winds in the vicinity of the grounding are reported to be from the east at 25 to 30 knots. Seas may be to

8 feet with the dominant swell moving from east to west. There are also reports of scattered showers and 

thundershowers. Forecasts are for weather to return to the dominant trade wind pattern with 10-20 knot winds 

from the E-ESE. 

2) TRAJECTORY ANALYSIS 

If a significant amount of product is lost the reef front to the northwest of the grounding site will be threatened 

as well as the Punta Verraco area. On the flood tide oil could be carried into the western arm of Bahia De 

Guayanilla and threaten the mangrove area in the back reaches of the bay. Beyond the immediate vicinity of 

the grounding the dominant strong easterly winds and forecasted persistent trades will tend to move any spilled 

oil west along the coast where it could cause scattered or patchy shoreline impacts along the entire southwest

coast of Puerto Rico. 

Heavy refined products, such as Fuel Oil #6, tend to weather very slowly. This type of oil may not spread into

a very thin film and often simply breaks up into smaller patches and eventually tar balls. Because this type of 

oil may not form a sheen, the resulting tar ball field may be difficult to observe using visual and remote sensing 

techniques. This, combined with the persistence of the tar balls, makes these types of spills quite likely to result 

in long-range and, occasionally, unexpected beach impacts. 

3) OIL WEATHERING 

Given the forecast winds, we would expect that less than ten percent of the oil will evaporate or disperse into 

the water column during the first twenty-four hours. There may be some scavenging of the slick from

suspended sediment, particularly in the nearshore or surf areas. We do not expect emulsification to occur. 

Figure 5. Verbal trajectory analysis. 

6
3 Computer Modeling Products for Spills (hours 2-4) 

If the initial trajectory report described above indicates that the oil will be a threat to 

resources over a time span of 24 hours or more, then a computer trajectory model is set up 

and run. For most coastal U.S. areas, this will take about 2 to 3 hours from start to finish. 

For areas that we have not worked before it may take 4 to 6 hours before a model run is 

complete. 

Model output consists of a set of maps with a series of contours showing heavy, medium, and 

light distributions of oil bounded by an uncertainty line. At the bottom of the page is a scale 

bar with pictures indicating what heavy and light contours represent. The maps are 

generated daily and typically forecast 24-48 hours into the future. A set of maps will consist 

of 2 to 4 maps showing the distribution of oil for the next morning and late the next 

afternoon. These times are usually selected to coincide with overflight times. 

The contours represent our best guess as to where the oil would be at the indicated times. 

The uncertainty lines represent the uncertainty in the inputs to the model run. These include 

uncertainty in the weather predictions, and water current estimates. 

The maps are usually faxed to the command post, and sent out via email as bitmap or JPEG 

images. They can also be saved as a set of files in a MOSS file format for import into a 

geographic information system. A separate manual (Digital Distribution Standard of NOAA 

Trajectory Analysis Information) documents the MOSS format. Translators are available for 

the asking. 

See Figure 6 for an example of what is sent out. 

7
Figure 6. Trajectory analysis.

8
4 On-scene Oil Spill Tracking (day 2 to end of spill) 

If a spill warrants it, an Away Team member goes on-scene to provide vital observational 

data for modeling calibration , response operations, and to help interpret MASS trajectory 

analysis for response personnel. Typical duties for Away Team personnel include flying 

reconnaissance over the spill area and mapping the pollutant's distribution, locating 

important oceanographic features that may affect the trajectory, deploying instruments to 

measure winds and currents, deploying satellite-tracked drifters, and assisting with the 

interpretation of remote sensing data. Away Team members also serve as on-site experts for 

spill trajectory and behavior that can be queried by the spill incident commanders. 

The overflight maps are distributed on-scene at the command post and to other interested 

parties via fax or email from HAZMAT central in Seattle. 

The interaction between the on-scene Away Team and the Home Team back in Seattle doing 

the model predictions are key to the success of the trajectory predictions. With daily reports 

from the Away Team guiding the calibration of the model parameters, the accuracy of the 

model will typically increase from about 60% to 70% initially to about 80% to 90% after a 

few days. 

See Figure 7 for an example of a NOAA/HAZMAT-generated overflight map. 

9
Figure 7. HAZMAT Overflight map.

10
5 SAR and Other Trajectory Modeling Products 

The HAZMAT modeling team has been involved with modeling more than oil spills over the 

years. Search and rescue (SAR) cases have involved searches for missing people, missing 

boats, and flotsam from several highly publicized plane crashes. We have also been involved 

with locating the source of mystery tarballs, garbage and, on rare occasions, bodies that have 

come ashore. 

Our modeling tools can be run in both forward and backward modes. The forward runs will 

predict where things will end up, and the backward mode will predict where things came 

from. The typical output will be a map that with a 90 or 95% probability contour that 

indicates where things can go to or come from. 

See Figures 8 and 9 for examples of SAR and mystery slick source runs. 

11
Figure 8. Example of TWA 800 SAR map. 

12
Figure 9. Example of receptor mode(backwards) run for mystery slick. 

13
6 Oil Spill Drill Products 

The modeling team has been providing free oil spill drill products for about 20 to 30 drills 

each year for government agencies and private companies. The materials generated for a 

drill are identical to what would be generated for a real spill. This helps the local spill 

community become familiar with the HAZMAT products that would be used during an 

actual spill. We also prepare a few additional products to help plan a drill scenario and direct 

the activities on drill day. 

Products used to plan a drill

We often set up the model for a given area and help run several scenarios with different wind 

conditions and start times to help drill planners pick a scenario that will meet their goals. We

recommend that you work with your local HAZMAT Scientific Support Coordinator when 

seeking help with developing a scenario. They are experienced in running our General 

NOAA Oil Modeling Environment (GNOME) spill model in drill mode to help select a 

scenario. See Section 8 for a description and example of GNOME. 

Products used to control a drill

Once the spill scenario and environmental conditions are selected for a drill, we will produce 

a QuickTime or AVI formatted movie showing the movement of the oil. The movie frames 

allow drill control personnel to run the drill in detail. The movie frames can be generated at 

user specified time intervals and can be printed by the user. This is a drill control product 

only. During actual spills we do not send out movies. 

For drills that involve products that would generate hazardous air plumes such as gasoline 

and volatile chemicals, we would work with our HAZMAT chemists and health and safety 

officers to produce concentration versus distance tables or maps for the drill control people. 

See Figure 10 for an example. 

Products for drill players to use

All of the actual spill products mentioned previously are available for drill players to use. 

These include the initial spill response products, trajectory model output products, and 

onscene overflight maps. The goal in making these products available is to familiarize local 

responders to the HAZMAT modeling products they would see during an actual spill event. 

See Figures 1 through 7 for examples. 

14
How to request drill products

We recommend that you work with the Scientific Support Coordinator responsible for your 

area. You will be asked to fill in a HAZMAT drill request form that will make our lives 

easier. The completed drill form should get back to us at least two weeks in advance of when 

you need our products. Occasionally, we are asked to participate in a real-time drill, often 

unannounced. When this happens we will not generate a full set of products. With the 20 to 

30 drills and over 100 spill calls a year, we are often reluctant to drop what we are doing to 

respond to an unannounced drill. 

See Appendix I for a copy of the drill request form. 

15
ALOHA Modeled Pyrolysis Gas 

Plume Lengths 

FOR SONS 

DRILL .

Distance (in miles) 

Time downwind crosswind width crosswind meander

0700 to 0730 - initial release 

1 ppm 4 to 8 1.0 3.0 

10 ppm (blue haze) 4 to 7 0.6 2.0 

100 ppm 1.9 0.4 0.6

150 ppm 1.2 0.3 0.4

1000 ppm 0.5 0.0 0.2

0800 to 0830 - transition 

1 ppm 12.0 0.8 2.7 

10 ppm (blue haze) 7.0 0.5 1.3 

100 ppm 1.3 0.3 0.4

150 ppm 0.8 0.2 0.3

1000 ppm 0.3 0.1 0.2

0830 to 1830 - continious release 

1 ppm 7.0 0.6 2.4

10 ppm (blue haze) 2.0 0.3 0.6 

100 ppm 0.6 0.1 0.2

150 ppm 0.5 0.1 0.2

1000 ppm 0.2 0.1 0.2

Figure 10. Benzene concentration table for drill control. 

16
7 Oil-Spill Planning 

To model a spill that hasn’t happened yet requires a different type of analysis, because 

neither the environmental parameters nor the scenario for a spill in the future is known. The 

inputs have to be dealt with statistically, and the outputs have to be presented as 

probabilities. Over the last 20 years, we have developed several statistical products that have 

been used to evaluate everything from the short-term risk from a grounded or sunken vessel 

to the long-term risk of having a spill from a facility or within a port area. 

Statistical wind tables are some of the most useful planning products that we produce. These 

are generated from 10 years or more of hourly wind data collected and archived by either the 

National Data Buoy Center or the National Climatic Data Center. These tables are used to 

assess the probability of wind blowing oil ashore. See Figure 11 for an example. 

For long term oil spill planning where no forecast for the weather or currents are possible, we 

have developed several different products. The first two methods discussed below are what 

is available now. While the latest program, the Trajectory Analysis Planner, TAP, is a work 

in progress but a few locations have been analyzed and are available for the asking. 

Planning for a fixed source 

When developing a risk analysis from a specific source site, such as refinery, pipeline 

lightering site, or a sunken vessel, the model is run in a forward mode using statistical wind 

tables, long term (10 – 20 years) hourly wind records, or an extended forecast. The model is 

run with several thousand particles and each particle is released under a different wind and 

tide condition. The output will consist of contours that will encompass the area where you 

would expect oil to be 90% to 95% of the time. Figure 12 is an example that uses an 

extended 7 day forecast, and Figure 13 is an example using a 20 year hourly wind record. 

Planning for a specific receptor site

When planning for a specific stretch of beach such as Waikiki to Diamond Head, the model 

is run backwards from the beach. Once again, the model is run with statistical wind tables or 

10-20 year, hourly wind records. Several thousand particles are released with their own 

unique wind and current history and the results are contours at specific times. The results tell 

you where oil could be spilled to impact your stretch of beach. You also get an idea of how 

long it would take the oil to impact the receptor beach. This type of information is typically 

used to plan for locating shipping lanes and lightering areas. See Figure 14 for example. 

17
Honolulu Airport Statistical Wind Table for August 

| SPEED (KNOTS) |TOTAL|MEAN 

16 PT.| 1 - 3| 4 - 6| 7-10| 11-16| 17-21| 22-27| 28-33| 34-40| 41-47| 48-55| >=56|PERCNT|WIND 

DIR. | | | | | | | | | | | | |SPEED 

 N 0.2 1.0 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.7 6.2 

 NNE 0.1 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5 8.6 

 NE 0.2 2.0 9.5 12.3 1.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 25.1 11.0 

 ENE 0.2 4.5 20.0 25.1 2.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 52.5 11.1 

 E 0.1 1.7 4.4 3.6 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 10.1 9.8 

 ESE 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 9.3 

 SE 0.0 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.9 10.1 

 SSE 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 10.1 

 S 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 8.4 

 SSW 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 7.1 

 SW 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 6.8 

 WSW 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 5.7 

 W 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 4.3 

 WNW 0.2 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 4.3 

 NW 0.3 1.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 4.5 

 NNW 0.2 0.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 4.6 

 VAR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

 CLM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.5 0 

 ALL 1.7 13.1 36.7 42.8 4.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 10.3 

Honolulu Airport Statistical wind table for October 

| SPEED (KNOTS) |TOTAL|MEAN 

16 PT.| 1 - 3| 4 - 6| 7-10| 11-16| 17-21| 22-27| 28-33| 34-40| 41-47| 48-55| >=56|PERCNT|WIND 

DIR. | | | | | | | | | | | | |SPEED 

 N 0.4 1.9 0.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.2 5.8 

 NNE 0.1 1.2 1.1 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.8 7.4 

 NE 0.3 3.1 5.7 6.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 16.2 9.9 

 ENE 0.5 5.1 14.2 13.9 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 34.4 10.0 

 E 0.3 2.9 5.3 4.1 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 12.9 9.3 

 ESE 0.3 1.0 1.1 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.7 7.1 

 SE 0.0 0.3 1.1 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.3 9.4 

 SSE 0.0 0.3 1.3 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.2 9.2 

 S 0.1 0.9 2.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.3 7.8 

 SSW 0.1 0.7 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.4 6.1 

 SW 0.1 0.8 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.6 6.6 

 WSW 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 5.8 

 W 0.3 1.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.6 4.4 

 WNW 0.3 2.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5 4.6 

 NW 0.7 4.0 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.3 5.0 

 NNW 0.3 2.3 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.1 5.4 

 VAR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

 CLM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.1 0 

 ALL 3.8 27.9 35.3 27.4 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 8.3 

Figure 11. Statistical wind tables used to plan for the Ehime Maru recovery effort off Honolulu. Note 

that for August, onshore winds with a component from the South occur 2.1% of the time 

while in October they occur 14.1% of the time. 

18
158°10'W 158°0'W 157°50'W

21°0'N

21°5'N

21°10'N

21°15'N

21°20'N

x

Source location:

21° 4' 48" N by 157° 49' 30" W

Probability analysis for a potential 20,000 gallon

diesel spill between Sept 10 - Sept 16 based on

 extended navy forecast received Sept. 10 - AM.

We would expect 90% of the diesel fuel to be 

evaporated or dispersed by hour 12 after

the spill.

There is a 90% probability that 20,000 gallons

of diesel spilled between Sept 10 and Sept. 16

would be within the contours at the indicated

times after the spill.

12 hr

8 hr 4 hr

Hypothetical spill HAZMAT Trajectory Analysis

Estimate for: 

Prepared: 0816, 9/10/01 NOAA/HAZMAT (206) 526-6317

If oil should spill during the forecast period, there is a 90% chance

that the oil would be contained within the contours.

Analysis based on 5000 simulations started randomly during the forecast period.

Figure 12. An example of what was generated for the U.S. Navy to assess the risk of an oil spill from the 

Ehime Maru that could occur during the 7 day forecasted weather. 

19
Figure 13. Example of area planning run for spill originating from James River Reserve Fleet. 

20
Figure 14. Receptor mode contours for Waikiki beach planning. 

21
 TAP ... Trajectory Analysis for Planning

The TAP project is designed to analyze the following issues for an entire port: 

• potential threats from oil spills during different seasons of the year; 

• the probability of spilled oil reaching a receptor site; 

• how long it would take oil to reach a receptor site; 

• how much oil could impact a receptor site; 

• the cost of having an oil spill in terms of dollars or other assets. 

TAP runs off a set of data cubes developed for a particular port. Each cube represents the 

distribution of oil from a particular source site and a particular season. The cubes are 

generated by running the oil spill model thousands of time from each source site and 

accumulating statistics from each run. The runs start at a different time within a 10- to 20-

year record of winds, tides, and river runoff. 

Unlike the first two methods, TAP will generate actual probability ranges and adjust for oil 

types. 

The TAP runs have been time- and labor-intensive efforts. As of the winter of 2002, the 

locations that are publically available are: 

San Francisco Bay; San Diego Bay; Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; Puget Sound, the Straits of Juan 

De Fuca and Rosario Strait, Washington; Calcasieu Shipping Lanes, Louisiana; Inchon 

Harbor, Korea; and the Arabian Gulf. These are available on CD by request. 

Development continues on the project. It is hoped that future versions will be able to allow 

for on-water intervention techniques such as skimming, dispersant application, and burning. 

Check our website (http://response.restoration.noaa.gov) or email to orr.tap@noaa.gov to find 

out what’s available. 

See Figure 15 for an example of TAP output. 

22
122°40'W 122°30'W 122°20'W 122°10'W

37°45'N

37°50'N

37°55'N

TAP IITM - Trajectory Analysis Planner

Mode: Shoreline Impact Analysis

Season: Mar - Aug

Time: 1 day

Oil Type: Fuel Oil #6

Amount Released: 1000 bbl

Level of Concern: 1 bbl

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent Of Spills

Figure 15. Example of TAP output for San Francisco Bay showing which shorelines are most likely to be 

impacted within one day from a spill at the ship location. 

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8 GNOME (General NOAA Oil Modeling Environment) Files 

General NOAA Oil Modeling Environment (GNOME) is an object-oriented application that 

simulates oil movement due to wind, currents, tides and turbulent mixing. It is a publicly 

available, oil-spill trajectory model. GNOME plots the predicted evolution of spill positions 

from relevant oceanographic, atmospheric, and spill information. HAZMAT uses this model 

during spill response to calculate our best guess of the spill's trajectory and the associated 

uncertainty in that trajectory considering the imprecision of input information. 

Regional “location files” are available for different regions of the United States that contain 

preloaded data regarding local shorelines and currents for use with GNOME. These files ask 

you simple questions about the conditions you would like to simulate, and set up the 

GNOME model accordingly. Location files also contain references and Internet data sites to 

help you find more detailed information and observations. These location files are not 

complete enough for use in spill response but are an excellent tool for creating scenarios 

and building intuition regarding oil-spill trajectories at a particular location. The 

number of areas with location files is increasing. 

Get GNOME at response.restoration.noaa.gov/software/gnome/gnomeinfo.html in Macintosh 

and Windows compatible formats. Training is periodically available from HAZMAT. See 

Figure 16 for an example of a GNOME output screen. 

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Figure 16. GNOME output window for San Diego, California. 

25
9 Dispersed Oil Modeling

HAZMAT has developed a model to estimate dispersed oil concentrations in the water 

column. This was done by adding routines to GNOME which allows it to track subsurface 

oil and compute subsurface oil concentrations. There are two output modes available. The 

first shows a bird’s eye view of the special distribution of subsurface oil and floating oil over 

time. See Figure 17 for an example. The second output type allows the user to see how 

dispersed oil concentration varies as a function of time for a fixed area or as you move with 

the plume. The model includes aquatic toxicity information that can be plotted over the oil 

concentration graphs. See Figure 18 for an example. 

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Spill scenario - 

2000 bbls of fuel oil #6

Time - 4/5/02 at 1200 hrs

Patapsco Location - 39.15 N, 76.37 W

 River

 Kent

Island

Chester

 River

Dispersed at 1600 hrs

80% effective

Footprint 48 hrs after spill

(44 hrs after dispersal)

Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake 

 Bay

Patapsco 

 River

Dispersed at 1600 hrs

80% effective

Footprint 24 hrs after spill

(20 hrs after dispersal)

Chester

 River Kent 

Island

Spill scenario - 

2000 bbls of fuel oil #6

Time - 4/5/02 at 1200 hrs

Location - 39.15 N, 76.37 W

Figure 17. Dispersed and un-dispersed oil foot prints for Chesapeake Bay scenario at 24 hours and 48 

hours post-spill. 

27
Chesapeake Bay scenario (A)

Chesapeake Bay scenario (B)

Figure 18. Time-series plot of (a) average and (b) maximum oil concentrations. Note tidal signal in

graphs. 

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10 Chemical Spill Response 

Accidents involving large amounts of chemicals in ship containers, trains, and storage tanks 

at large fixed facilities in or near marine resources have required HAZMAT to design and 

implement several scientific tools that can help responders and planners answer many of the 

questions that arise during a chemical spill. When the call comes in, many of the questions 

concern chemistry issues such as, What chemical are we dealing with? If it is released in 

large quantity how will it behave? Does the material react with water, air, or other 

chemicals? Once the chemical is known, what are the intrinsic hazards associated with it? 

What are the health and safety issues that we need to be concerned with for the workers at 

the site and the general community? Knowledge of the chemical's behavior and resources at 

risk help to define response options. 

HAZMAT's most widely used computer tool for chemical spill response and planning is the 

Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO®) system. CAMEO 

includes a chemical information module with a database; federal regulatory information on 

hazardous chemicals; Mapping Application for Response, PLanning, and Operational Tasks 

(MARPLOT®, a microcomputer-based, rapid mapping program), a map display application 

that allows quick and flexible manipulation of electronic maps derived from U.S. Bureau of 

the Census TIGER/Line digital map files; an air plume model, Areal Locations of Hazardous 

Atmospheres (ALOHA®), for modeling the behavior of releases of chemicals to the 

atmosphere; and the Chemical Reactivity Worksheet, which predicts potential hazardous 

chemical reactions. All modules work interactively to quickly display critical information. 

The Chemical Database module, which contains response information for approximately 

6,000 chemicals, includes 80,000 chemical synonyms and identification numbers that help 

the emergency responder identify unknown substances during an incident. Once a chemical 

is identified, fire fighting, physical property, health hazards, first aid guidance, and spill 

recommendations are provided (Figure 19). The Reactivity database includes all the 

chemicals in CAMEO, and gives specific information about chemical reactivity behavior 

with common materials and mixtures of chemicals, along with case history and anecdotal 

information. Much of the above information is used to assess and prioritize the hazards 

associated with particular chemical constituents in a given scenario. 

The ALOHA® atmospheric dispersion module predicts the downwind dispersion of a 

chemical cloud (Figure 20). Graphical outputs include estimates of the plume footprint, 

29
source strength, and chemical concentration curves. The output from ALOHA can then be 

sent to MARPLOT®, the mapping module, to display the footprint on a digitized map of the 

local area (Figure 21). The map can be enhanced with information concerning the locations 

of other facilities storing hazardous materials and special concern populations such as 

hospitals, daycare centers, and schools. Specific information about these locations, such as 

emergency contacts or sensitive population locations, can be extracted from CAMEO 

information modules to help determine the degree of hazard posed by the incident. 

Health and safety issues are addressed by identifying the chemicals involved. The hazards 

associated with the specific chemicals are prioritized. For example, if a large amount of a 

chemical is spilled and if that chemical is both volatile and toxic, ALOHA may be needed to 

determine the risk to the community. Staff chemists answer questions about sampling and 

analysis. If sampling and analysis is necessary, the Louisiana State University Institute of

Environmental Studies can place state-of-the-art monitoring equipment at the spill site. This 

type of support improves responders’ real-time decision-making. 

Anticipating chemical behavior of materials spilled in water is another important part of

NOAA's response efforts during chemical spills. The event in which a large amount of acid is 

spilled into a waterway may be significant as the pH drops and organisms in the water 

sensitive to pH may be affected. The release of toxic gases from a mixture of spilled 

chemicals may be pH-dependent, and may again determine response options that should be 

adopted during the spill. NOAA chemists and staff scientists address many of these questions 

when they receive the initial call. 

30
31
Figure 19. Response Information Data Sheets (RIDS) 

32
Figure 20. ALOHA footprint 

33
Figure 21. ALOHA footprint on MARPLOT map. 

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11 Availability of NOAA/HAZMAT Software 

The programs that we use to generate our products have all been written and developed inhouse and come in two flavors. The first set is distributed publicly. These are welldocumented and usually come with sample problems and training materials. The second set 

is developed as in-house tools and come with very little or no documentation. 

All the software is available for free. Those developed for public distribution can be 

downloaded from our website for both Windows and Macintosh systems. These include the 

CAMEO programs, GNOME, and ADIOS2. The programs developed for in-house use are 

available for the asking with very little or no documentation, and in some cases are 

Macintosh-only applications. These include SHIO (our in-house tide program), OSSM (our 

old industrial strength oil spill model), CATS (our hydrodynamic program), GNOME 

Analyst (our display program that generates the trajectory graphics), and a host of other 

smaller utility programs. TAP is available for planning for specific areas (orr.tap@noaa.gov ).

It comes packaged with a manual and a CD with all the data. 

About once every other year, we hold an oil spill modeling workshop. The course runs an 

entire week and we discuss and distribute all our modeling tools, including the in-house 

versions. If you are interested in attending the class, you can email us at 

orr.gnome@noaa.gov to get on the list. 

In general, we do not distribute the source code for the applications. There is no 

documentation for any of our code nor is there a system setup for helping with computer 

code questions. 

35
Appendix I 

DRILL REQUEST FORM 

(To be filled out by NOAA SSC) 

Drill request rules: 

A completed drill request form is needed for each drill request submitted. The form should 

be filled in or reviewed by an SSC before being submitted to MASS. The SSC is responsible 

for making sure the request is reasonable and for explaining the output options to the 

requesting party. 

Drill requests are put into the queue when received. They will usually be assigned in the 

order they are received. When they get done will depend upon how complicated the request 

is and how busy we are. If time is an issue, we may move Coast Guard requests to the top of 

the queue and move industry requests to the bottom.

A minimum of two weeks’ advance notice is required. 

We usually run the requested scenario through the model, and send the SSC the preliminary 

results to get confirmation that the trajectory will satisfy the goals of the drill. We will not 

generate any of the requested output until we get confirmation that the trajectory is OK. 

36
GENERAL INFORMATION 

Name: Organization:

Address: Phone Number:

Fax Number:

By when do you want the information?

(2-week minimum lead-time) 

What are the goals of the drill? 

Does it matter where the oil goes 

and when it gets there, or do you 

want to specify winds and let the 

oil go where the winds and 

current take it? * 

Is this a tabletop drill?: 

Will equipment be deployed?: 

Will anything be put into the water to 

simulate the oil? 

Are other trajectory models being 

used?

*Note: 

If you specify winds and the oil does not go where you want it to go, your request for a new 

drill scenario may go to the bottom of the queue. If you choose where and when the oil will 

beach, we will try to adjust the winds and currents so that the model makes this happen. This 

may require unrealistic winds and currents. 

37
DRILL REQUEST FORM 

Accident Location 

Latitude: Longitude:

Geographic Description: 

SPILL SCENARIO 

Start date and time of spill: 

Duration of spill 

(instantaneous or continuing 

over hours or days): 

Is source stationary or moving 

(provide course and speed if 

moving):

THE OIL 

Amount of oil spilled (provide 

leak rate if continuous spill): 

If you select an ADIOS oil, just provide the name. Otherwise, fill in all of the requested 

information below. 

Name of oil: 

API of oil: 

Pour point of oil (supply units): 

Viscosity at ref. temp. (supply 

units for visc. and temp) 

38
DRILL REQUEST FORM 

ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS 

Provide winds for entire duration 

of model run, or specify that 

you want us to make the winds 

up. If we generate winds, we 

need oil destination and arrival 

time.

Provide tidal currents and 

heights for duration of model run 

or specify that we use actual 

tides for the drill dates. 

OUTPUT PARAMETERS 

Number of days to run model: 

(remember to supply winds) 

Products for drill control (check items you want)

Movies (usually 

hourly frames) 

Products for drill players. These are what we normally provide during a spill

Initial written 

trajectory 

GENWEST

overflight maps* 

Daily trajectory 

forecast 

ADIOS tables

Weather reports

Tide data

* To request overflight maps you need to specify the following information 

When the overflight was done (0730 - 0930 Sept. 25th, 1997) 

Who did the overflight(NOAA SSC / Fast Eddie Levine) 

What the platform was (USCG - HH65A) 

The flight path sketched out 

39
Appendix II 

AREA PLANNING REQUEST FORM 

(To be filled out by NOAA SSC) 

Planning request rules:

A completed planning request form is needed for each request submitted. The form should 

be filled in or reviewed by an SSC before being submitted to MASS. The SSC is responsible 

for making sure the request is reasonable and explaining the output options to the requesting 

party. 

Planning requests are put into the queue when received. They will usually be assigned in the 

order they are received. When they get done, will depend upon how complicated the request 

is and how busy we are. Typical request will be processed within a month. 

We suggest that you provide long-term (10 years’ worth) of wind data for us to use or have 

us obtain archived hourly wind data for 10 years to use. If you specify that we obtain the 

long wind records necessary for the analysis, it may take 2 to 3 weeks for the data to arrive 

from the National Climatic Data Center and another 2 to 3 weeks to process the data and do 

the model runs. 

40
GENERAL INFORMATION 

Name: Organization:

Address: Phone Number:

Fax Number:

By when do you want the information?

4 week mininum lead-time 

What are the goals of the study?

How are the results being used?

41
PLANNING REQUEST FORM 

What type of analysis do you want done? 

Statistical Run Deterministic Run

Foward Run Backwards Run 

Accident Locations(foward run) or Receptor sites(backwards run) 

Latitude Longitude

Latitude Longitude

Latitude Longitude

Latitude Longitude

Latitude Longitude

When do you want model run for? 

Start date and time for determistic runs 

OR

Season or months to evalutate for 

statistical runs 

WHAT ARE WE MODELLING? 

If Oil : 

Specify oil type

Amount spilled 

Duration of spill 

If not oil explain: 

How long do you want model run for? 

Specify days or hours 

42
PLANNING REQUEST FORM 

ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS 

Provide winds OR we will obtain 

10 yr wind records from archived 

data. If not available, we will use 

statistical wind tables. It may take 

three weeks to get archived wind 

data and process it. 

Provide currents or specify that 

we use tidal currents from table 

and seasonal coastal currents. 

OUTPUT OPTIONS 

Movies 

(Specify platform) 

for appropriate wind determined 

seasons.

95% Probability Contour

Specify months you want output for, or 

tell us to determine seasonality 

from wind data and do analysis 

43