EFFECTIVE MODELLING OF A MAJOR INLAND OIL SPILL ON THE OHIO RIVER

Abstract A model of a large (2700 m 3 ) inland oil spill on the Monongahela/Ohio River System, U.S.A. on 2 January 1988 is developed to estimate the fate and transport time of the oil for 600 km downstream. The emphasis is on developing an effective modelling procedure that balances accuracy with simplicity, is user friendly, and is easily applicable to future spills. Model calibration with oil concentration data suggests that loss of oil due to sedimentation was important. After calibration, the model estimates that 1400 m 3 or 52% of the spilled oil ended up in the sediments, most of it in the first few reservoir pools along the river. Both the model and field data agree on similar peak concentrations of oil of between 1.0 and 2.5 ppm (by volume) in the river pools between 130 and 240 km downstream of the spill. The model was further validated by comparing the output with the actual time of travel of the oil spill. Other simulations include the use of resuspension of oil during high flow conditions and an investigation of the role of storms on the time of travel of the oil spill. Model results suggest that the location of the most significant ecological impact was not at the spill site but was between 130 and 240 km further downstream of the greater exposure time there.

[1]  László Somlyódy.  Water-quality modelling: A comparison of transport-oriented and ecology-oriented approaches , 1982 .

[2]  F. Sklar,et al.  Articulation, accuracy and effectiveness of mathematical models: A review of freshwater wetland applications☆ , 1985 .

[3]  H. Fischer.  Mixing in Inland and Coastal Waters , 1979 .

[4]  M. Spaulding,et al.  Hindcast of the Argo merchant spill using the uri oil spill fates model , 1982 .

[5]  R. Thomann,et al.  Principles of surface water quality modeling and control , 1987 .

[6]  R. Bartha,et al.  The microbiology of aquatic oil spills. , 1977, Advances in applied microbiology.

[7]  R. O'Neill,et al.  The Fates Of Aromatics Model (FOAM): Description, application, and analysis , 1984 .

[8]  Robert Costanza,et al.  Simulation modeling on the Macintosh using STELLA , 1987 .

[9]  Peter A. Krenkel,et al.  The Use of Water Quality Models in Management Decision Making , 1982 .

[10]  R. Atlas,et al.  Fate and effects of polluting petroleum in the marine environment. , 1973, Residue reviews.

[11]  G. Yeh,et al.  A transport model for water‐soluble constituents of synthetic oil spills in rivers , 1985 .

[12]  R. Reijnhart,et al.  Evaporation of crude oil at sea , 1982 .

[13]  G. Swartzman,et al.  Ecological Simulation Primer , 1988 .

[14]  A. Nichols.  Oil accident ignites response debate , 1988 .

[15]  Steven M. Bartell,et al.  Simulated transport of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in artificial streams , 1981 .

[16]  P. Liss,et al.  Flux of Gases across the Air-Sea Interface , 1974, Nature.

[17]  D. Mackay,et al.  Rate of evaporation of low-solubility contaminants from water bodies to atmosphere , 1973 .

[18]  Hsiang Wang,et al.  Modeling of oil evaporation in aqueous environment , 1977 .

[19]  G. Southworth,et al.  The role of volatilization in removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from aquatic environments , 1979, Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[20]  R. Atlas,et al.  Microbial Ecology: Fundamentals and Applications. , 1982 .

[21]  Poojitha D. Yapa,et al.  A simulation model for oil slick transport in lakes , 1987 .