bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Responding to Oil Spills Under Ice: Alaska Clean Seas' Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) Training Course
Authors: Hall Christopher J. , Zabilansky Leonard 
Published: August 2014

The Alaska North Slope region is a demanding operating environment for oil exploration, production and transportation operations. The Arctic Ocean remains frozen for an average of nine months of the year, with only a limited open-water season in the summer. There are long periods of darkness, extremely harsh weather conditions, remote installations and limited infrastructure. As Arctic oil exploration, production and transportation activities expand, there is growing concern about the ability of public and private sector response organizations to effectively clean up oil spills under ice.
Alaska Clean Seas (ACS) is the Alaska North Slope oil spill response cooperative based in Prudhoe Bay, AK. ACS oversees the training and coordination of the North Slope Spill Response Team (NSSRT), a volunteer-based organization consisting of personnel from the workforce of ACS' Member Companies and their support contractors. Beginning in January 2012, ACS partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, NH, to develop an Advanced Oil Spill Response in Ice Course. Now in its third year, this partnership has combined the unique facilities, capabilities and ice research history of CRREL with the Arctic response expertise and experience of Alaska Clean Seas to deliver realistic, one-of-a-kind training for recovering oil spilled under ice. Participants have included members of the NSSRT, several federal regulatory agencies and representatives from the Global Response Network. ACS provides response equipment from the North Slope and several vendors have demonstrated additional skimming and pumping systems specifically designed for recovery in ice.
Central to the course is CRREL's outdoor saline test basin, a 60′ × 25′ × 7′ refrigerated in-ground tank equipped to grow and maintain a two-foot cover of sea ice. Approximately 600 gallons of Alaska North Slope crude oil are injected under the ice to provide a realistic field scenario to practice response tactics. These tactics include assessment and profiling techniques for safely working on the ice; employing underwater lights and ground penetrating radar for detection of oil under ice; use of augers and chainsaw sleds to cut holes and slots in the ice; deployment of recovery and storage systems to remove oil from an ice environment; and in-situ burning operations in slush and broken ice.
This poster highlights the development of the CRREL Training Course and provides guidelines for course content, length, and special considerations for similar advanced field training courses.
Subsea Source Control Planning Solutions to Prepare Operators for Worse Case Discharge Well Events
Authors: Drieu Michael , Wendell Jameson R. 
Published: August 2014

The development of a Source Control Emergency Response Plan is one of the best ways in which an operator can ensure that the goals of their regional or project-specific Source Control emergency preparedness efforts will be met, if needed.
Procedures for handling emergencies are absolutely essential to ensure the protection of life, property, and the environment.
This Source Control Emergency Response Plan (SCERP) is based on decades of conventional and subsea well control experience to ensure that the planning efforts and to develop Source Control Emergency Response Planning (SCERP) through field deployment of the system in order to cap a subsea well. The aforementioned experience covers many years of source control, well control and intervention operations in conceivable operational settings and in a variety of geographic locations.
The equipment and procedures specified in this SCERP address a “worst case” scenario involving a loss of well control, necessitating the immediate mobilization of intervention equipment and personnel.
The primary objective of the SCERP is to establish a process for responding to and safely managing source-control emergencies using a standard, uniform approach. This process includes the following information:emergency contact information and resourcesresponse managementsource-control operational overview with strategic methodologiesorganizational staffing recommendationscheck list to guide groups and unit leaders andkey resource identification
The SCERP is not intended to replace sound judgment. Modification of the mobilization plan and intervention strategy may be necessary, depending on circumstances.
Subsea source-control events require common sense and professional judgment on the part of the person(s) in charge of operations, and no operation should be undertaken if it involves unreasonable risk to personnel.
Additional, a Logistics Plan must be developed to support operations by identifying mobilization guidelines from the stored location for the capping stack and other support equipment necessary to secure the well. Disembarkation of the equipment clearly offering various options with estimated timelines for transporting the equipment by air, ground and sea should also be outlined to ensure equipment arrives timely and safely. Locating vessels and rigs meeting operational requirements will help ensure well incidents are managed and executed within incident-command and other expectations.
Lessons Learned Developing the Universal Best Management Practices Index for the Deepwater Horizon Endangered Species Act Biological Assessment
Authors: Odell Jessica , Coley Travis 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
In an oil spill emergency situation, how do you simultaneously protect listed species, track important events, and plan for a post-emergency Endangered Species Act Biological Assessment? This was the daunting question faced by hundreds of environmental regulators, field biologists, and technology developers during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Incident Response. With the help of mobile technology, legacy expertise, and a dedicated field presence, they answered with a system of Best Management Practices (BMPs). During the response, factors such as urgency, expansive geography, response duration, and technical experience disparity threatened to compromise the integrity of the BMP datasets. Because of these factors, over one hundred separate BMP lists were issued, and highly accurate field data collection was often sacrificed for after-hours web entry or paper records. For the purposes of the Endangered Species Act Biological Assessment, the Universal BMP (UBMP) Index was created to retroactively track the implementation of these various lists and properly credit responders with conservation efforts. The development of this index yielded lessons from practical BMP implementation and documentation in a response environment to constructing sophisticated database architecture needed for consumption. Here we present the evolution of UBMPs, their role in the Effects Analysis of the Deepwater Horizon Biological Assessment, and a plan for a better way.
CHALLENGES OF AN NCP RESPONSE TO THE TSUNAMI OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA IN 2011
Authors: McKinnon Renee V. , Bannan Agustus J. 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by a powerful earthquake that resulted in tsunami damage. In addition to the destruction within Japan, several ports in northern California were also affected. Two harbors in California suffered major vessel and infrastructure casualties which resulted in large amounts of oil and hazardous substances in the water from various sources. The agencies responding to these harbors found themselves with several challenges: (1) assessing and responding to a rare and enormous event that had the potential to effect the entire west coast; (2) organizing the tactical operations and logistical support for the two most effected locations which were 430-miles apart; and (3) assessing and mitigating unknown safety hazards in the water and then determining an appropriate funding source.
Damage reports from various cities, including Richmond, Fort Bragg and Crescent City, followed over the next few hours. Response teams deployed to mitigate the greatest threats, though some of threats weren't immediately obvious. The response became a two-branch operation, focused on Santa Cruz and Crescent City, each with distinctive problems and separated by a difficult distance, with a central Incident Command Post (ICP) directing the response. The pollution potential and economic significance was far greater in the northern city, leading the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) to create an Area Command. This eventually evolved into a single remote ICP.
While only considered a type-3 event, Federal On-Scene Coordinator Representatives (FOSCRs) were strained to their limits on Advanced ICS knowledge, financial management, and interagency salvage. In this event, the Coast Guard struggled with, but succeeded in dealing with, a catastrophe that no one on the West Coast had dealt with in almost 50 years.
HURRICANE ISAAC DATA MANAGEMENT LESSONS LEARNED AND SUBSEQUENT PLAN DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Jellison LT Kyle , Hannah LCDR Lushan , Huyett JB 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
The 2012 Hurricane Isaac pollution response necessitated identifying, tracking, mitigating, and removing over a thousand potential oil and hazmat containers that were a threat to the public and the environment. A variety of data management challenges arose during the response. Some were related to the difficulties of managing such large volumes of data, and some related to changes in funding to support operations during the course of the response. The Natural Disaster Subcommittee of the New Orleans and Morgan City Area Committees, drawing from data management lessons learned during the Isaac response, drafted a Natural Disaster Response Plan (NDRP) that incorporates a unified strategy for collecting, managing, and disseminating field data during natural disaster responses. The NDRP introduces unique structures to pollution response and is built on a comprehensive and coordinated data management strategy.
Distribution and Biodegradation Potential of Buried Oil on a Coastal Headland Beach
Authors: Pardue John H. , Lemelle Kendall R. , Urbano Marilany , Elango Vijaikrishnah 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
Buried and surface MC252 oil from the intertidal on a coastal headland beach was sampled using a randomized block methodology. Weathering indices contrasting alkylated 3- (phenanthrenes) and 4-ring (chrysene) PAH concentrations were computed based on analyses of these samples. Buried oil was detected at a frequency of 18% and, of those samples, 29% had indices indistinguishable from oil sampled near the wellhead indicating that PAH weathering was not occurring. These samples with persistent PAHs were associated with one or more conditions in the beach profile: located at or near the depth of the water table, nearest to the shoreline, or within a thicker oil mat deposit. Surface oil samples, consisting of oil:sand aggregates recently washed in by the surf, had a higher percentage (81%) of oil with weathering indices indicating persistence. These observations, coupled with measurements of biogeochemical analyses on the beach from other studies, suggest that insufficient oxygen in the nearshore environment of these coastal headlands creates conditions for PAH persistence over time frames of years to decades.
Biodegradation of Dispersed Endicott Oil in Controlled Experiments
Authors: Personna Yves Robert , Boufadel Michel C. , Zhang Shuangyi 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
We investigate aerobic biodegradation of dispersed Endicott oil in seawater at 15±0.5 °C in laboratory flasks. The objectives of the experiments were to (1) compare the biodegradability of chemically dispersed oil by Corexit 9500 with physically dispersed oil, and (2) determine whether the addition of nutrient affects the biodegradation rates of dispersed oil. The seawater samples (~ 6.5 g/L i.e. brackish water) were collected from Prince William Sound, Alaska. The biodegradation of Endicott oil was investigated for a period of 42 days under high nutrient (HN) (addition of 100 mg NO3-N/L and 10 mg PO4-P/L to background brackish water) and low nutrient (LN) (background brackish water) treatments. In the physically dispersed microcosms, oil biodegradation remained negligible for both HN and LN treatments. However, in the chemically dispersed oil microcosms, 24% and 14% of the total oil biodegraded in the HN (initial concentration= 0.304±0.095 g/L) and LN (initial concentration= 0.298±0.041 g/L) treatments within two weeks, respectively. These results demonstrated that the use of chemical dispersants coupled with nutrient addition can accelerate oil biodegradation. These findings can help develop better bioremediation strategies for addressing oil spills in the sea by focusing on simultaneous operations for rapid oil dispersion and stimulation of microbial growth through the availability of nutrients.
COMMUNICATING STUDY RESULTS OF SCIENTIFIC TEAMS IN LARGE SPILLS
Authors: Lehr William 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
A large oil spill is not simply a physical phenomenon. Those communicating scientific information about a major incident need to be keenly aware of the political, media, and legal consequences of any scientific communications, something the author learned while co-leading two expert teams during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to (1) estimate the flow rate by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and (2) determine the early fate of the oil (Oil Budget Calculator or OBC).
Unlike past experience at smaller incidents, reports to the unified command were often transmitted to third parties such as politicians, single-issue lobbies, and various media. Assumptions about the receiver's technical background and neutrality that were valid for unified command were often not applicable to these other groups. This resulted in sound scientific conclusions being sometimes misunderstood, misreported or misused. Resources then had to be dedicated to correcting the misinformation, an often more difficult task than generating the information itself.
Based upon this experience, the following lessons learned are recommended:(1)Carefully pick scientific team members based upon not only expertise but also the ability to function within group constraints and unified command rules. The eccentric scientist can be a valid stereotype but emergency events require each individual to subordinate his/her personal ego to team goals. Special interest groups and media organizations may attempt to enlist individual team members to their cause, causing discord within the group. The PIV team members in particular were subject to media invitations to disclose inner discussions and divisions among the members.(2)Vet results not only with Unified Command but also with team members by written agreement prior to public release. Private squabbling over obscure technical points, typical between academic researchers, will be magnified by the press if made public before the points are resolved.(3)Carefully write scientific conclusions to lessen the risk that individuals and organizations may misinterpret or spin the results to their own interest. Both the PIV and OBC teams suffered some misinterpretation of their results by non-scientists, a consequence that might have been reduced if the result limitations had been more clearly identified and explained in laymen terms.
Dispersant-Related Oil Spill Response Communication Tools: Toward an Enhanced Approach to Conveying Complex Topics in an Approachable Manner
Authors: Coolbaugh Thomas , DeMicco Erik , Kennedy Emily 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
During the response to the Macondo Well release in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, it became evident fairly quickly that there was a potential disconnect between existing scientifically-based information relating to the use of oil spill dispersants and the information that was readily available to the general public, the media, and government officials.
At best, both sets of information were aligned and provided a valuable perspective to those who sought an increased understanding of the workings of oil spill response tools. At worst, there was a large misalignment and the information that was available to the public did not accurately reflect the known science of what dispersants have been designed to achieve. In this latter case, conclusions about dispersant use may have been formed incorrectly, providing a backdrop upon which individuals were not able to develop an informed opinion regarding the use of dispersants.
In the case where incomplete and potentially unbalanced information is used to inform the public, it is possible that negative effects will result, i.e., opinions may be formed based on fear of the unknown, causing a delayed or less than optimal decision making process. While it is recognized that decisions made during a spill response may be challenging and may involve an environmental trade-off, an informed public can be a valuable asset during the stages of an emergency response when the pros and cons of the specific response options are being debated. To assist with an informed dialog, it is important to have materials available that accurately reflect the scientific principles upon which they are based, but without requiring extensive study of their details for a general understanding of their primary assumptions and conclusions.
This paper summarizes recent efforts to develop readily available materials that can provide a better understanding of the use of dispersants during an offshore oil spill response. These efforts have been focused on developing simple yet effective tools which describe dispersants within the framework of an oil spill response tool box and the scenarios in which these tools may be used for the most positive environmental effect.
SHORELINE PLANNING AND RESPONSE IN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: Owens Edward H. 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
Many existing or developing offshore production areas and transportation routes are in the Arctic or in marine areas that have seasonal ice. In many respects, the shoreline types of cold-climate or ice-dominated regions are similar to those of ice-free environments. Our knowledge and understanding of shore zone materials and coastal landforms from warmer regions is applicable to these environments in most respects, with the addition of ice and snow and the presence of arctic tundra, glaciers and ice sheets. Oil behaves differently in cold climates depending on the source of the oil, the oil character, and the presence and character of ice and/or snow. A shoreline would be protected from direct contact by oil when ice is present in the shore zone. Ice is impermeable so that oil deposited on the surface remains there unless there are cracks in the ice, the ice conditions are floes grounded on the shore, or during the formation of shore fast ice. Shoreline cleanup methods are not significantly different and no more difficult that in warmer, ice-free regions, except on ice and low-lying arctic tundra. The key challenges for a shoreline response in ice-dominated environments typically are associated with remoteness, safety and logistics. As a result, the emphasis for shoreline cleanup strategies is on in situ treatment techniques that require minimal equipment and manpower resources and generate little or no waste.
Preventing a Nationally-Significant Oil Spill on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland
Authors: McGrath CDR Gabrielle G. 
Published: August 2014

ABSTRACT
As the Arctic becomes more heavily populated and more open to commercial shipping operations, the threat of an oil spill increases. On the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, both fixed and mobile oil rigs drill for the region's highly lucrative natural oil resources. This region also happens to be one of the most dangerous shipping areas in the world. The cold Labrador Current travels south from the Arctic bringing with it icebergs calved from the glaciers along the Western Greenland coast. As these icebergs travel south, they intersect directly with the transatlantic shipping lanes following the Great Circle route just south of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The cold waters of the Labrador Current interact with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream to create extensive regions of fog with little to no visibility. As the Arctic Ocean becomes more accessible to shipping, vessels will not only transit this region travelling east and west, but also north and south to new production areas in the Arctic. Any vessel entering or exiting the Northwest Passage must transit through this region. An oil spill caused by an explosion on one of the Grand Banks' oil rigs, an allision of an iceberg with one of the rigs, or a collision of a commercial tank vessel with an iceberg are just a few of the possible scenarios that could cause a devastating incident in this region. Pervasive fog limiting aerial and satellite coverage, the diverse seabird, fish, and marine mammal population, and the presence of sea ice and icebergs during more than half of the year would result in one of the most challenging responses in the world. Transport Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers have conducted extensive preparations for an oil spill response in this region. However, a more far-reaching response plan must be created through consultation between government and industry stakeholders, using lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico to prepare for an internationally-significant event. With the opening of the Arctic Ocean and the increase in the shipping and offshore drilling in this area, a comprehensive plan must be developed before an internationally-significant oil spill occurs.