Oil spill accidents represent an inherent occupational, environmental, economic, and community health disaster associated with the transformation of petroleum resources into products that help meet our world’s energy need. Dispersants are applied to break the oil spill into sufficiently small droplets and mitigate oil spill impacts by reducing the possibility of shoreline impact, lessening the impact on marine life and significantly increasing the oil-water interfacial area available for remediation processes. Existing dispersants are liquid solutions of surfactant in hydrocarbon solvents. There are several concerns with the existing dispersant systems including the large volume of hydrocarbon solvents introduced into the ecosystem. / Olasehinde Gbenro Owoseni

Taiwan is located in a strategic location in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of maritime shipping. With the passage of some 400 vessels in its coastal waters, the country is regarded as one of the high risk areas of oil spill. In early 2001, the Greek MV Amorgos grounded in Kenting and caused severe damage to the local marine ecosystem. However, the law suit failed to obtain a just compensation on the loss of coral reed recovery, fishery loss and local economy. The court did not accept the data provided by the authority. Since Taiwan is not the member of the United Nations, it is difficult to process and get the compensation following the related conventions (e.g., 1969 CLC Convention and 1971 FUND Convention¡^. In this regard, this thesis examine the related issues, analyze the international and domestic cases, review the existing mechanisms and finally proposed appropriate suggestions on the mechanism improvement of oil spill compensation for Taiwan.

ince the 1970s, environmental monitoring in China has formed a complete web across the country with over 2000 monitoring stations. China State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has published an annual report on the State of the Environment in China since 1989. The Chinese government began to inform the public of environmental quality and major pollution incidents through major media since the late 1990s. However, environmental quality data has not been adequately used because of constraints on access and data sharing. The public and interested groups still lack access to environmental data and information. After examining the current air quality reporting systems of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Ontario Ministry of Environment, reviewing current Internet GIS technology and sample websites, this thesis developed an ArcIMS website to publish air quality data and provide background information to the public for the city of Dalian, China. The purpose is to inform the public of daily air quality and health concerns, and to improve public awareness of environmental issues. A better-informed and educated public will be more likely to voluntarily conserve the environment in the long run. The development of this thesis can satisfy most basic expectations. However, due to the limitation of current Internet products like ArcIMS, symbology and connection with outside databases are not adequate. In addition some regular GIS analysis functions are not available to Internet GIS products. This development can be further improved to serve other environmental data to the public with better interactivity through coding. Similar Internet GIS products can be used in other Chinese cities to report their air quality data. For internal data sharing and reporting within the government, an open, interoperable distributed GIService is recommended, which is believed to be the future of Internet GIS.

Coastal environment is extremely sensitive area. The presence of oil and petroleum residues in the marine environment results from abusive spillages by ships and boats to the detriment of marine ecosystems navigation, and commercial actives such as fisheries, coastal industry development, and tourism; as well as to coastal resources when the oil reaches land. Up to now, there still isn¡¦t a complete evaluation and solution for the oil-spill risks in Taiwan. It is very important to organize and prepare an operational response for coastal oil pollution accidents. The use of computer models to predict the movement of oil helps to make best use of the various measures and equipment that can be employed in case of an oil spill accident. In this study, the numerical model MEDSLIK is used to directly model the transport of oil for the coast sea around Taiwan. MEDSLIK is a 3D oil spill model designed to predict the transport, fate and weathering of an oil spill. The MEDSLIK oil spill model in pre-operational mode was first developed in 1997 (Lardner et al. 1998) to assist the objectives of the EU LIFE project ¡§Subregional contingency Plan for Preparedness and response to Major Pollution Incidents in the Eastern Mediterranean-Levantine¡¨. The software consists of three parts, a graphical input interface through which the user enters data concerning the spill and environmental conditions, a run module that performs the computations that simulate the spill behaviors and a graphical output interface by means of which the user can examine the predictions of the model. The aim of this study is to adopt MEDSLIK model to predict the expected state of the oil when it arrives at a given location around Taiwan. The input data includes the type of oil and its characteristics, forecasts of wind direction and strength, sea temperature, currents and conditions at sea. By using MEDSLIK oil spill model to simulate the Tzini oil-spill accident, the oil disperses between the south part of Suao Harbor and Naao. The modeling results compare well with the actual situation. The main result is the MEDSLIK model provides the oil-spill movement pattern around Taiwan Sea and answers questions such as how much will evaporate, how much will be dispersed as fine droplets in the water, where the oil spill is most likely move to, and how soon it will get there. However, the wind input data is quantitative in this study. Future tasks must fully account the impact of regional wind field to oil movement and emphasize on anticipating likely impacts on the coast and provide an early warming and mitigation tool to plan an effective response to keep oil away from key coastal resources.

On April 20th, 2010, a fire broke out on the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) offshore oil drilling rig on the Macondo prospect located off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). This fire and resulting explosions resulted in the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig and the largest marine oil spill in history. An estimated 4.9 million (+/- 10%) barrels were released into the Gulf of Mexico over the ensuing 87 days. Many economically important fish species spawn in northern Gulf of Mexico waters; the spawning seasons and pelagic larval phase of many of these species occur within the temporal extent of the DWH oil spill (April through July). Fish eggs and larvae in waters exposed to Macondo oil likely experienced lethal and sublethal physiological effects, leading to potential losses in year class strength depending on the proportion of a population’s larval production encountering oil. Differing spatial distributions of larvae due to different spawning locations and seasons could predict that some species were disproportionately affected by the DWH oil spill. This study aims at quantifying the impact of the spill across numerous taxa, by estimating the proportion of species-, genus-, or family-specific fish larval abundances located within the spatial/temporal domain of the DWH spill until the Macondo well was capped. Estimates and related uncertainties were based on empirical ichthyoplankton data collected over 27 years and on observed and modeled distribution of surface oil slicks and concentrations. In addition, two hypothetical oil spills were simulated on the Western Florida Slope and on the Western interior of the Gulf of Mexico to assess the impact of oil spills to the ichthyoplankton from different offshore locations that would have occurred during the DWH spill period. Ichthyoplankton data collected during annual plankton surveys (and other resource surveys) as part of the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program – Gulf of Mexico (SEAMAP) during years 1982-2009 were used to describe the composition and distribution of ichthyoplankton in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The SEAMAP larval fish data along with oil surface distributions (both actual and simulated) were used to estimate the proportions of larvae of 115 selected fish taxa that were potentially exposed to DWH oil. Bootstrapping methods were applied to the SEAMAP data to quantify the variability. Proportions of larval fish potentially exposed to oil were calculated for four oil spill scenarios: (1) the DWH spill, (2) an September-December oil spill with the same spatial footprint as the DWH spill but occurring later in the year, (3) a west Florida Slope spill occurring during the months of April-July and centered at 27˚N, 85˚W, and (4) a western GOM spill occurring during the spring and centered at 27˚N, 93.5˚W. Spill scenarios (3) and (4) were modeled using the Connectivity Modeling System (CMS). The CMS is a Lagrangian model which predicts oil droplet distribution and degradation based on oil properties and ocean currents. Significant differences in the proportion of larvae potentially exposed were found in the DWH spill and the three simulations. The proportion of fish larvae exposed to the DWH spill varied between 0% (many species) and 26.8% (Cynoscion nebulosus). The proportion of fish larvae exposed to simulated spills varied between 0% and 78.9% (Bonapartia pedaliota in Western GOM spill). Both the west Florida Slope oil spill and the western GOM spills had a disproportionally greater impact on a larger number of taxa than the DWH spill, even after correcting for their larger spatial extent. For the DWH spill (Scenario 1), the potentially most impacted taxa were Cynoscion nebulosus, Engraulidae, Rachycentron canadum, and Etropus spp. If the DWH spill had occurred in the fall (Scenario 2), the most potentially impacted taxa would have been Leiostomus xanthurus, Elopidae, and Pomatomus saltatrix. For a west Florida slope exposure (Scenario 3), the potentially most impacted taxa would be Holocentridae, Acanthocybium solandri, Coryphaena spp., and Pomacanthidae. For a western GOM spill (Scenario 4), the most potentially impacted taxa would be Bonapartia pedaliota, Thunnus thynnus, Caranx spp., and Holocentridae.. The historical SEAMAP data set combined with the CMS modeling tool provides a powerful planning tool to understand the potential impacts of oil spills in the northern GOM and the relative sensitivity of locations in the Northern GOM to oil spill effects.

ince the 1970s, environmental monitoring in China has formed a complete web across the country with over 2000 monitoring stations. China State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has published an annual report on the State of the Environment in China since 1989. The Chinese government began to inform the public of environmental quality and major pollution incidents through major media since the late 1990s. However, environmental quality data has not been adequately used because of constraints on access and data sharing. The public and interested groups still lack access to environmental data and information. After examining the current air quality reporting systems of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Ontario Ministry of Environment, reviewing current Internet GIS technology and sample websites, this thesis developed an ArcIMS website to publish air quality data and provide background information to the public for the city of Dalian, China. The purpose is to inform the public of daily air quality and health concerns, and to improve public awareness of environmental issues. A better-informed and educated public will be more likely to voluntarily conserve the environment in the long run. The development of this thesis can satisfy most basic expectations. However, due to the limitation of current Internet products like ArcIMS, symbology and connection with outside databases are not adequate. In addition some regular GIS analysis functions are not available to Internet GIS products. This development can be further improved to serve other environmental data to the public with better interactivity through coding. Similar Internet GIS products can be used in other Chinese cities to report their air quality data. For internal data sharing and reporting within the government, an open, interoperable distributed GIService is recommended, which is believed to be the future of Internet GIS.

Ever since humans began using cargo by sea to transport oil, oil spill incidents have occurred on different scales in different environments. Oil leaks by cargo tankers on the high seas have a bigger and more serious impact on the environment. Among the many oil spills in the ocean, the most serious was the Exxon Valdez incident in Alaska¡¦s Prince William Sound (PWS). While it may not have been the largest spill in terms of the volume of oil leaked, its effects were far-reaching; the location of the spill was in the sensitive area between the temperate and subtropical zones, and it was home to many fish, migratory birds, and mammals. Therefore, this location has become an important place for researchers to study the environmental and biological impacts of an oil leak. In the past, there have been several studies conducted from various perspectives and in various stages. In 2001, the Greek oil tanker The Amorgos ran aground near Kenting National Park¡¦s Long-Keng Environmental Protection Zone and seriously damaged the ecological environment. Taiwanese studies on the ecological impacts of oil spills include investigations and evaluations done on a short-term basis, and have been mainly focused on contingency plans and designs, evaluation systems, and handling technology. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to use related studies conducted in Alaska PWS to evaluate the ecological system in the Long-Keng area and to assess the long-term impacts of an oil spill in the ecological sensitive area of Taiwan.

Hoy en día existe una escasez de estudios sobre la distribución de los hidrocarburos en mar abierto, aunque el aumento de la explotación de yacimientos de petróleo y la intensificación del tráfico marítimo más allá de la plataforma continental haya aumentado. Asimismo, se han identificado nuevas fuentes de contaminación. En los últimos años se ha puesto en evidencia el alto número de barcos hundidos en los fondos marinos que podrían potencialmente generar futuros vertidos de petróleo. En esta tesis, se investiga el accidente del petrolero Prestige cerca de Galicia en el 2002 como caso de estudio de un vertido marino en profundidad en mar abierto, ya que aproximadamente unas 43.000 toneladas de fuel oil pesado que llevaba a bordo fueron vertidas una vez el barco de rompió en dos y se hundió. Además, la zona del hundimiento del Prestige es un área hidrodinámicamente compleja. La columna de agua esta formada por cinco masas de aguas principales, de diferente origen y con características físico-químicas diferentes, que pueden contribuir activamente extender el fuel liberado por el Prestige en las aguas cerca del Banco de Galicia. En este contexto, el principal objetivo de la presente tesis ha sido determinar la importancia de los pecios del Prestige como fuente de contaminación en las aguas cerca del Banco de Galicia varios años después del accidente e investigar el papel de las masas de agua en el transporte y distribución de los hidrocarburos en la zona del hundimiento. Estos objetivos se han alcanzado mediante la combinación de estudios de laboratorio y trabajo de campo. Por un lado, se realizaron diferentes experimentos bajo condiciones estables de temperatura y salinidad que dieron información sobre la disolución potencial del fuel del Prestige en agua marina. Además, dos campañas oceanográficas se llevaros a cabo en marzo y octubre del 2006 cerca de los pecios y las zonas adyacentes, con el objetivo de recoger agua marina. Se determinaron hidrocarburos en la materia sólida en suspensión y la fase disuelta del agua en la columna de agua de las tres estaciones. Una se encontraba encima de los pecios del Prestige mientras que las otras dos se localizaron a 73 millas náuticas, una al norte y la otra al sur de este punto. En marzo del 2006, en la zona del hundimiento y en las otras dos estaciones, las concentraciones de hidrocarburos de origen petrogénico estaban dentro el rango los niveles descritos en la literatura para áreas similares, mientras que los niveles en octubre del mismo año era superiores. Las concentraciones de hidrocarburos poliaromáticos encontrados en la fase disuelta eran, tanto en marzo como en octubre, mucho mayores que los niveles de referencia establecidos para la zona. La huella química de los hidrocarburos en octubre del 2006 indicó que los pecios del Prestige habían estado liberando fuel oil durante varios años después del accidente. Sin embargo, a pesar de la amplia presencia de hidrocarburos provenientes del petróleo en la columna de agua de las tres estaciones, no se puede afirmar que el Prestige constituía la fuente más importante de contaminación en le área, ya que los hidrocarburos parecían provenir de múltiples orígenes. De hecho, varias masas de agua presentan contenidos distintivos de hidrocarburos en la fase disuelta y material particulado. El estudio realizado se puede entender como un ejemplo del potencial de un pecio hundido en el Noratlántico profundo como fuente de contaminación. Aunque cada pecio representa un caso único, el conocimiento obtenido sobre la distribución espacial y temporal de los hidrocarburos después del accidente del Prestige se puede utilizar en futuros vertidos. / There is an apparent shortage of studies on the distribution and fate of oil hydrocarbons in open ocean waters. Nevertheless, given the increasing exploitation of oilfields in the high seas, and the intensification of maritime traffic, in the last decades, oil pollution of the marine environment beyond the continental platforms is increasing. In addition, new sources of pollution are being recognized. Thus, in recent years it has been noted that the high number of sunken vessels scattered in the oceans sea floor are potentially a present and future source of oil spills. In this thesis, the accident of the Prestige tanker in 2002 off the Galician coast is investigated as a case study of a deep sea spill in open ocean waters, since around 43,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil were spilled after the vessel broke in two and sank. In addition, the area near the Galician Bank, where the Prestige wrecks are located, is hydrodynamically complex. The water column is comprised by five main water masses from different origins and physico-chemical properties, which may contribute to actively spread the oil released from the Prestige in different and distinct ways. In this context, the main aim of this study has been to determine the importance of the Prestige shipwrecks as a source of oil pollution in the waters near the Galician Bank several years after the accident took place and to investigate the role of the water masses in the sinking area in the transport and distribution of hydrocarbons. These objectives have been tackled by a combination of laboratory and field studies. First of all, several sets of experiments were carried out under controlled temperature and salinity conditions which provided information about the potential dissolution of the Prestige fuel oil in seawater. In addition, two oceanographic cruises were undertaken in March and October 2006, near the wrecks location and surrounding areas, to collect seawater samples. Hydrocarbons were determined in the suspended particulate matter (SPM) and dissolved phase (DP) in the water column of three stations. One was located above the Prestige wrecks, and the other two 73 nautical miles north and south of the Prestige incident area.Hydrocarbons concentrations from petrogenic sources in the SPM above the wreck and surrounding areas in March 2006 were within the range of abundances previously reported for similar areas, but much higher in October 2006. The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in the DP were, both in March and October 2006, well above any expected background levels. The chemical fingerprint of the hydrocarbons indicated that in October 2006 the oil at the Prestige station originated from the wrecks. This, together with the unusually high relative concentration of hydrocarbons in the DP at the Prestige station in March 2006, indicates that the Prestige wrecks had been releasing oil for several years after the accident. However, despite the widespread occurrence of oil hydrocarbons in the three stations and throughout their water columns, it could not be concluded that the Prestige was the main source of pollution in the area near the Galician bank, which most likely has multiple origins. In fact, different water masses contain distinct contents of hydrocarbons in the SPM and the DP, which in some instances may have remote sources. The study conducted can be viewed as an example of the potential of a sunken wreck in the deep North Atlantic as a source of pollution. Although each potentially polluting shipwreck represents a singular case, knowledge obtained about the temporal and spatial distribution of hydrocarbons after the accident of the Prestige could be applied to deal with other deep spills in the future.

The purpose of this report was to investigate whether operators, in the municipality of Örnsköldsvik, comply to current regulations and guidelines regarding oil separator. In addition to this, the report also identify which standards the regulatory authority can demand of identified deficiencies, as well as an examination in how the status of oil separator are in other municipalities in Sweden. First a delimitation was made to only investigate environmentally hazardous activities such as haulage contractors. Inventories were made of a total of 12 haulage contractors, with questions from a previously made checklist. The results of the inventory indicated deficiencies in operators existing knowledge, regular self-inspection of oil separators, control frequency, record-keeping and documentation, lack of 5-year inspection and lack of oil- and sludge level alarm. This report also shows that regulatory authority can require the operators to rectify these deficiencies, in accordance with standards and established guidelines. The report also showed similar results when compared with similar surveys of operators' self-inspection of oil separator, in other municipalities in Sweden. The study suggests that regulatory authority should priority to oversight these environmentally hazardous activities with oil separators.

A new method for automatically integrating the results of hydrodynamic models of currents in Texas bays with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) in house oil spill trajectory model, the General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME), is presented. Oil spill trajectories are predicted by inputting wind and water current forces on an initial spill in a dedicated spill trajectory model. These currents can be field measured, but in most real and meaningful cases, the current field is too spatially complex to measure with any accuracy. Instead, current fields are simulated by hydrodynamic models, whose results must then be coupled with a dedicated spill trajectory model. The newly developed automated approach based on Python scripting eliminates the present labor-intensive practice of manually coupling outputs and inputs of the separate models, which requires expert interpretation and modification of data formats and setup conditions for different models. The integrated system is demonstrated by coupling GNOME independently with TXBLEND – a 2D depth-averaged model which is currently used by the Texas Water Development Board, and SELFE – a newer 3D hydrodynamic model with turbulent wind mixing. A hypothetical spill in Galveston Bay is simulated under different conditions using both models, and a brief qualitative comparison of the results is used to raise questions that may be addressed in future work using the automated coupling system to determine the minimum modeling requirements for an advanced oil spill nowcast/forecast platform in Texas bays. / text