bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Environmental Effects of In Situ Burning in Inland and Upland Environments
Authors: Zengel Scott A. , Dahlin Jeffrey A. , Headley Carrie , Michel Jacqueline , Fritz David E. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
In situ burning of inland and upland habitats is an alternative oil spill cleanup technique that, when used appropriately, may be more environmentally acceptable than intrusive manual, mechanical, and chemical treatments. There have been few published reports documenting the environmental effects of in situ burning in inland and upland habitats. Thus, this study, sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, used two approaches to increase the knowledge base and improve the appropriate use of in situ burning: (1) detailed review of published and unpublished in situ burn case histories for inland and upland spills; and (2) summaries of fire effects and other information from the literature on fire ecology and prescribed burning. Thirty-one case histories were summarized to identify the state of the practice concerning the reasons for burning, favorable conditions for burning, and evaluations of burn effects. The fire ecology and effects summaries included background information from the extensive knowledge base surrounding wildfire and prescribed burning (without oil) as a natural resource management tool, as well as fire tolerance and burning considerations for dominant vegetation types of the United States. Results from these two approaches should improve the application of in situ burning for inland and upland spills.
A New Planning Approach to the Protection and Monitoring of Sensitive Resources: A Case Study-Thailand
Authors: Tyler Andrew , Moore Jon , Chongprasith Pornsook 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
An integrated Environmental Recovery Plan has been developed to assist in decision making during the response to sensitive resources impacted by a marine oil spill. The Plan is contained in a field handbook with six clearly defined stages. Implementation of the Plan commences with a definition of the impacted area, supported by use of oil spill models. The overall priority of the region, followed by the priority of individual resources is then assessed with supporting data provided by a detailed GIS. This permits individual resources to be assessed through sensitivity summaries, key consideration summaries, priority decision trees, response guidelines, and finally, guidelines for monitoring and assessment. The Plan has been specifically designed to provide rapid advice to response teams during emergency incidents ensuring that sensitive resources receive the optimum response to minimise damage and enhance recovery.
Effect of Dispersants on Oil Biodegradation Under Simulated Marine Conditions
Authors: Swannell Richard P. J. , Daniel Fabien 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
A study was undertaken on the dispersion, microbial colonisation and biodegradation of chemically-dispersed weathered Forties crude oil under simulated marine conditions in laboratory microcosms. The measurements of droplet size, number and microbial colonisation were made using new techniques developed by the project team. Rapid growth of indigenous micro-organisms capable of degrading both crude oil and dispersants was observed in the presence of chemically-dispersed oil. These organisms colonised the dispersed oil and biodegraded the aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. These processes was stimulated by the addition of inorganic nutrients. Some colonised droplets agglomerated into neutrally-buoyant “clusters” (100 µm- 2 mm diameter) consisting of oil, bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes. After substantial hydrocarbon biodegradation these clusters sank to the bottom of the microcosms. No biodegradation or cluster formation was noted in “killed” controls in which biological activity had been inhibited. Different dispersants promoted microbial growth to differing extents. These results suggest that the addition of dispersants can increase the rate of oil biodegradation under natural conditions by promoting the growth of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, as well as increasing the surface area of oil available for microbial colonisation.
Identification and Differentiation of Light- and Middle-Distillate Petroleum for NRDA Using Chemical Forensics
Authors: Uhler Allen D. , Stout Scott A. , McCarthy Kevin J. , Seavey Julie A. , Uhler Richard M. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
The need for identification, delineation, and differentiation of petroleum-derived contaminants in support of NRDA investigations of chronic or catastrophic release of petroleum is paramount for the equitable settlement of damages related to the incidents. Significant advances have been made over the last decade with regard to these issues for crude oil and heavy residual fuels, but less emphasis has been place on the forensic chemistry of light- and middle-distillates. Historically, identification and differentiation among similar light-distillates by standard EPA methods have been hampered by analytical limitations. In this paper the authors suggest analysis of light-distillate products begin with a chromatographic profile obtained using a modified EPA 8015 GC/FID. Subsequently, the detailed chemical composition of the distillate products is accomplished via a modified version of EPA Method 8260, examining a targeted list of diagnostic petroleum compounds in the C5 to C12 range that represent five important categories of hydrocarbons: Paraffins, Isoparaffins, Aromatics, Naphthenes, and Olefins. Detailed analysis of over 50 2–6 ring PAH and related heteroatomics from a modified EPA 8270 GC/MS analysis can be used to compliment the data set. The analysis of the full suite of hydrocarbons across a broad molecular weight range provides much of the information necessary to identify and distinguish among light- and middle-distillate products.
Total Indonesie Contingency Planning in the Mahakam Delta
Authors: Grandprat Michel , Dwistiadi Dyan , Widiarso Didik , Tiercelin Claudine , Menot Lénaïck 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
TOTAL Indonesie has been active for 25 years in the Mahakam delta, an area with high ecological and socio-economic sensitivity. The last decade was characterised by an outstanding development of aquaculture activities closely overlapping the oil and gas operations, themselves expanding throughout the delta. To avoid potential conflicts arising from divergent interests and to ensure a harmonious coexistence between the different delta users, TOTAL Indonesie has developed a sound environmental management including a quick and effective Tier 1 spill response system based on a permanent brigade of skilled operators fitted with a large set of spill control equipment, and supported by risk assessment computerized tools allowing the optimisation in real time of the counter-measures to be applied. Additional resources can be made available at local, national and international levels thanks to the vertical integration of TOTAL Indonesie's spill response system into the vast national Oil Spill Response Network.
Identification of the Source(s) of Unknown Spilled Oils
Authors: Wang Zhendi , Fingas Mervin F. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
The ability to unambiguously identify spilled oils and petroleum products in complex contaminated environmental samples and to link them to the known sources is extremely important in settling questions of environmental impacts and liability. This paper will briefly review advanced chemical fingerprinting and data interpreting techniques used to identify sources of spilled oils. The chemical fingerprinting techniques discussed include pattern recognition evaluation of target petroleum hydrocarbon distributions; determination of major oil components and hydrocarbon groups; determination of diagnostic ratios of source-specific marker compounds such as PAHs and biomarkers; target PAH isomer analysis; and carbon isotopic ratio analysis. Methods for distinguishing biogenic and pyrogenic hydrocarbons from petrogenic hydrocarbons are also addressed. Several examples are presented to illustrate approaches to identifying and allocating multiple sources of hydrocarbons in complex hydrocarbon mixtures using these advanced chemical fingerprinting techniques.
Two-Component Model for Crude Oil Evaporation and its Application to Weathering Prediction
Authors: Tasaki Ryo , Ogawa Akihiro 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
The model approximates a crude oil as a mixture of an evaporating and non-evaporating component of which the physico-chemical properties are calculated by their composing fractions. The ordinary differential equation with separated variables derived from the model yields a concept of the evaporation time constant TQ that is defined by the initial oil properties and thickness, and the ambient temperature and wind speed. The evaporation ratios Q measured in flume tests on six types of Middle East crude oils are analyzed for the elapsed time non-dimensionalized by TQ. The measured values collapse well to a single straight line Q-log(t/TQ) for each type of oil, independently of emulsification and wave disturbance. A single line common to all the six types of oils is enough for rough estimation. A method using the common line or, more accurately, a line derived from the distillation test of each type of oil is proposed for evaporation prediction.
Further analyses of the test results reveal the one-to-one correspondence between evaporation and properties (viscosity and density) of evaporated residual water-free oil. Formulae using the correspondence are suggested for estimating the properties of residual oil.
The influences of substrates and thickness of an oil slick on evaporation and oil properties were examined in a small-scale laboratory. The laboratory tests are discussed as a useful procedure for obtaining basic prediction data.
Best Achievable Response—Integration of Policy, Science, and Law
Authors: Champ Michael A. , Ornitz Barbara E. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
In today's era of regulation and legislation, good contingency planning requires an understanding of the role and responsibility of all involved in the prevention, response, and cleanup of an oil spill. Environmental crimes, environmental damages, and implementation of the ISM Code mandate a safety culture in policy and technological prevention and response for oil spills. Just as an appreciation of the shift in policy and law is necessary for good planning, so too is a more scientifically and technologically based response. “Best Achievable Response” involves a multi-disciplinary approach to spill cleanup. “Window s-of-Opportunity” is a highly useful planning tool to achieve the optimum response in the event of a spill.
Deepwater Blowouts: Modeling for Oil Spill Contingency Planning, Monitoring, and Response
Authors: Reed Mark , Johansen Øistein , Rye Henrik , Ekrol Narve , Singsaas Ivar , Daling Per S. , Brandvik Per Johan 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
This paper describes work in progress in the Environmental Engineering Division of SINTEF's Applied Chemistry Institute in Trondheim, Norway. The modeling work relies heavily on past and planned future field and laboratory work for calibration and verification data. Because these data remain incomplete, the results presented are tentative. The deepwater blowout model DeepBlow includes hydrate formation, gas dissolution, and separation of bubbles and oil droplets from the oil-gas-water plume as key processes which have been ignored in previous models, and which appear extremely important in determining the dynamics of the blowout plume. Time-variable vertical current profiles and the vertical density profile affect the depth of penetration of the plume. The oil droplet distribution in the blowout plume, combined with the above factors, determines to a large extent the time-varying footprint of the oil on the sea surface. Oil Spill Contingency And Response (OSCAR) model simulations demonstrate that mechanical response may be reasonably effective, or not, depending on the eventual correct values of key underlying parameters. Future field trials will be critical in establishing such values. The results demonstrate the usefulness of these models as tools for guidance of environmental monitoring and response activities during an actual blowout event.
Can Post-Oil Spill Patterns of Change be Used to Infer Recovery?
Authors: Kimura Scott , Steinbeck John 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
Assessing recovery from oil spills in areas not previously studied must be based on comparisons of changes in affected areas to changes in unaffected areas. The present study on impacts and recovery in intertidal biological communities affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, began after the spill. The study was designed to contrast recovery processes of two types of oiled stations: (1) stations that were treated with hot water delivered at high pressure to remove oil from the shorelines, and (2) untreated stations. Natural variation in species composition and abundance was concurrently monitored at unoiled stations. Correspondence analyses of data collected at rocky mid-intertidal stations from 1989 to 1997 show that unoiled algal assemblages remained relatively unchanged. Algal assemblages at treated and untreated oiled stations returned to patterns of species composition and abundance similar to those at unoiled stations. The convergence of patterns provides evidence of recovery. In contrast, changes in invertebrate abundances were characterized by high year-to-year variation that exceeded within year differences among oiled and unoiled stations. Convergence of patterns was not clearly evident in the analysis, and any recovery in the invertebrates can only be based on the fact that variations observed at the oiled stations appeared as great as natural variation. These results indicate that recovery for some species can be assessed when post-spill monitoring occurs for a sufficient length of time, but is also dependent on characteristics of the study design.
Innovative International Protection Efforts in Washington and British Columbia Waters
Authors: McCreery Scott L. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
In recognition of the value of the marine resources throughout Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and its approaches along the Washington coast and the outer coast of British Columbia, several recent international collaborations have been undertaken which provide important information regarding vessel tracking through these sensitive areas.
The first endeavor, undertaken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS), involves the utilization of a desktop Geographic Information System (GIS) to analyze and display vessel track data collected by the Canadian Coast Guard from their radar-based Cooperative Vessel Traffic Management System (CVTMS) located at Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The OCNMS system has allowed Sanctuary managers to verify compliance by mariners with guidance regarding the Area To Be Avoided (ATBA) within and proximal to the OCNMS.
A second undertaking, enacted by an international coalition of marine shipping industry interests, involves the near real-time tracking of tugboat assets within the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and the Strait of Georgia. The International Tug of Opportunity System (ITOS) involves the use of a Differential Geographic Positioning System (DGPS) and radio modem-based Automated Information System (AIS) whereby the positions of participating tugboats are tracked in near real-time, displayed on an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), and integrated with a database containing critical information about tugboat capabilities. ITOS watchstanders can identify the nearest available participating resources to any vessel requiring assistance and provide the U.S. or Canadian Coast Guard or the vessel master with time-critical emergency contact information.
The Analysis of Escort Requirements for Tank Vessels in Prince William Sound
Authors: Harraid John R. , Merrick Jason , Mazzuchi Thomas A. , Dorp J. Rene Van 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
The Prince William Sound Risk Assessment was a joint project of Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and The George Washington University (GWU). The aim of the project was to assess the baseline risk of the system and then to test the effect of proposed risk interventions on the system risk. DNV used a fault tree approach to assess the accident risk, while GWU used a combination of a discrete-event simulation and expert judgment techniques. However, neither of these approaches was found to be sufficient to assess the effect of alternative escort schemes on the system risk. In this paper, three alternative escort schemes are considered for outbound laden tankers in the PWS oil transportation system: continuous escort with two escort vessels, standby coverage, and a combination of a single continuous escort and standby vessels. The approach used takes propulsion and steering failure events sampled from the GWU system simulation and simulates the drift path of the tanker. The drift model incorporates the effect of the dynamically simulated wind, the momentum of the tanker and the current. The advantages and disadvantages of each escort scheme are compared.
Spill Response Strategies for Rivers in a Remote Deltaic Environment
Authors: Owens Edward H. , Douglas Lance 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
A development project in Alaska is in progress that will connect a remote producing oil field in the Colville River delta to the North Slope gathering line system and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The delta has a complex distributary channel system and a short (3-month) open-water season. During winter months the region is frozen and access is not a constraint for spill response operations. By contrast in the open-water season, east-west access between sites is made difficult by the north-south trending channel system and by the shallow water depths in many of the channels during non-flood stages. The generation of a summer spill response strategy for this production project initially identified the potential sources from which oil could enter this delta system and then upon the likely pathways for the spreading of spilled oil during the open-water season. A series of individual response strategies associated with each scenario was developed.
The objectives of the summer response strategies are either to (1) minimize the spread of spilled oil downstream and towards the Arctic Ocean, or (2) protect sensitive habitats, such as tapped lakes that connect to the delta channels. Effective spill response actions in this remote environment are possible by adopting strategies based upon pre-deployed or pre-staged equipment. With this concept, seasonal controls for containing the spread of oil would be in place at a number of locations, and, for other sites, the initial response would require only the deployment of personnel to effect control of the spilled oil, as equipment would be already located and ready for on-site deployment.
Protecting Fur Seals During Spill Response: Lessons from the San Jorge (Uruguay) Oil Spill
Authors: Mearns Alan J. , Levine Ed , Yender Ruth , Helton Douglas , Loughlin Thomas 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
Nearly 5,000 2- to 3-month old South American fur seal pups were oiled and/or died as a result of a February 1997, 5,000-metric ton crude oil spill near Punta del Este, Uruguay. After consultation with international experts, the Uruguayan government commissioned small teams (three to five people) of trained military technicians (totaling 30–45 people) who cleaned most of the heavily oiled areas manually using buckets, shovels, small hand tools, specially-treated peat moss, and small driftwood fires. Waste materials were bagged and transported to a mainland facility for treatment. Dead pups were placed into well-marked rocky cemeteries and treated with quicklime. Despite the mortality, the low-technology response was a success because it added no additional injury to the affected populations. Lessons from this international experience are being used to develop cleanup and protection plans for other fur seal rookery areas, including Alaska's ?ribilof Islands.
The Effect of Bioremediation on Microbial Populations in an Oil-Contaminated Coastal Wetland
Authors: Townsend Richard T. , Bonner James S. , Autenrieth Robin l. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
A series of controlled crude oil applications was carried out in a Texas coastal wetland to determine the effectiveness of bioremediation in these sensitive areas. The first application, conducted in 1996, was performed to assess the use of diammonium phosphate and diammonium phosphate plus a potential electron acceptor (nitrate) to stimulate microbial growth and subsequent hydrocarbon degradation. The second application, conducted in 1997, was performed to determine the potential of two commercial bioaugmentation products to enhance hydrocarbon biodegradation. Diammonium phosphate was also re-evaluated during this phase as a bio stimulation treatment. For both applications, sediment samples from all oiled test plots showed exponential increases in the numbers of aliphatic hydrocarbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading microorganisms. Average numbers of aliphatic-degrading and PAH-degrading microorganisms were slightly higher (though not significantly higher) than populations on oiled control plots on most sample days. The bioaugmentation products and diammonium phosphate treatment examined during the second application did not significantly increase the numbers of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms (aliphatic-degraders or PAH-degraders). Overall, the microbial populations from both phases of research illustrated a well-documented response to a petroleum hydrocarbon input. Although the bioremediation treatments did not appear to significantly increase these populations, this data will be evaluated with nutrient and petroleum hydrocarbon data to determine the effectiveness of bioremediation in wetland areas.
Optimum Nitrogen Concentration Supporting Maximum Crude Oil Biodegradation in Microcosms
Authors: Du Xiaoming , Reeser Paul , Suidan Makram T. , Huang Tiehong , Moteleb Moustafa , Boufadel Michel C. , Venosa Albert D. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to determine the minimum nitrogen concentration needed by microorganisms to biodegrade crude oil hydrocarbons attached to sand particles in a microcosm simulating a low energy marine beach. The experimental approach involved mixing clean sand with weathered Alaska North Slope crude oil and monitoring biodegradation in continuous-flow beach microcosms over a 40-day time period. Two experiments were conducted with different nitrate-N concentrations in the feed (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 mg/L in the first experiment and 2.5, 5.0, 10, 25, and 50 mg/L in the second). Experimental results indicated that nitrate concentrations below approximately 10 mg/L limited the rate of crude oil biodegradation. This conclusion was supported by oxygen uptake, CO2 production, nitrate consumption, and biomass growth data.