Modeling the fate and behavior of oil spills in the Salish Sea
Abstract
Growing transportation of diluted bitumen blends and vessel traffic in the Salish Sea, BC coast could increase the risk of marine oil spill. Understanding the fate and behavior of spilled oil are of importance to help with oil spill response. A high-resolution oil spill model, the Oil Spill Contingency and Response (OSCAR) model was used to conduct a hindcast study of the M/V Marathassa oil spill in the English Bay (part of the Salish Sea) and the comparison of modeled and observed trajectories showed agreements for 70% of the locations. Following model validation, the influences of oil discharge location, discharge volume, and oil type on the fate and behavior of oil were studied. The stochastic modeling result indicated that these studied factors significantly affect the area and probability of oil contamination.