Calculation of oil concentrations under chemically dispersed slicks |
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| Authors: | Donald Mackay Simon Chang Peter G Wells |
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| Institution: | Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A4, Canada |
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| Abstract: | Equations are proposed which describe the diffusion of a plume of oil from chemically dispersed oil slicks into the oceanic water column and which yield estimates of oil concentration as a function of the volume of oil dispersed, time-varying plume area, depth, time, and as a function of a single adjustable parameter, vertical diffusivity. A ‘diffusion floor’ at any desired depth may be included. Experimental data were fitted to the equations to yield an estimate of this diffusivity. It is concluded that oil concentrations can be estimated with a mean error of a factor of three, this high value being attributable to the inherently variable nature of the oceanic diffusion processes. Implications for assessing the toxic effects of dispersed slicks are discussed. It may be possible to calculate acute median lethal water depths and volumes for given organisms subjected to given dispersed oil slicks. |
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| Keywords: | To whom correspondence should be addressed |
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