Oil spill models are combined with bathymetric, meteorological, oceanographic, and geomorphological data to model a series of oil spill accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. A total of 104 oil spill simulations, computed for 11 different locations in the Levantine Basin, show that oil slicks will reach the coast of Cyprus in four (4) to seven (7) days in summer conditions. Oil slick traje...

This paper presents an operational synthesis of major oil spill response methods (mechanical, chemical, etc.) and the corresponding oil response equipment for sea context (booms, skimmers, etc.). We focus on important features of oil spill response, in order to formulate a decision-based database, capable of supporting the development of a complete oil spill response operation. Moreover, we cla...

This paper reports on recent analysis of oil spill cost data assembled by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF). Regression analyses of clean-up costs and total costs have been carried out, after taking care to convert to current prices and remove outliers. In the first place, the results of this analysis have been useful in the context of the ongoing discussion within the I...

The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) appreciates the opportunity to submit comments on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) draft “Emission Estimation Protocol for Petroleum Refineries” (Protocol) posted for public comment on the Clearinghouse for Inventories and Emissions Factors (CHIEF) website on December 23, 2009. Petroleum refineries are a major source of air pollution in ...

Infrared oil spill detection utilizes either temperature or emissivity contrast of native and oil-covered water surfaces. In particular, the thickness dependent radiance contrast due to thin film interference has been studied. Together with detection boundaries derived from the radiative transfer equation, we can explain historically observed daytime contrast reversal and our observations durin...

The ecosystem response to the 1989 spill of oil from the Exxon Valdez into Prince William Sound, Alaska, shows that current practices for assessing ecological risks of oil in the oceans and, by extension, other toxic sources should be changed. Previously, it was assumed that impacts to populations derive almost exclusively from acute mortality. However, in the Alaskan coastal ecosystem, unexpec...

Aquaculture is developing rapidly at a global scale and sustainable practices are an essential part of meeting the protein requirements of the ballooning human population. Locating aquaculture offshore is one strategy that may help address some issues related to nearshore development. However, offshore production is nascent and distinctions between the types of aquatic farming may not be fully ...

By combining news coverage and survey data from the BP oil spill of 2010, this study demonstrates how the media played an important role in connecting the disaster to President Obama. Rather than criticizing Obama from the outset, the spill reporting escalated from a period of event-based, factual coverage to a highly politicized phase of governmental blame attribution. We utilize a natural exp...

The focus of the research is the significance of dependence for communities to survive and adapt in times of environmental disasters. It shifts the emphasis on self-reliant communities for survival and examines the types and effects of dependence and external linkages by analyzing the range of community responses that include initial responses, early social impact, compensation, and conflicts a...