To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Oil Spills.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Oil Spills'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Oil Spills.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Cade, Evelyn. "Risk, Oil Spills, and Governance: Can Organizational Theory Help Us Understand the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill?" ScholarWorks@UNO, 2013. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1614.
Full textAbstract:
The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico awakened communities to the increased risk of large-scale damage along their coastlines presented by new technology in deep water drilling. Normal accident theory and high reliability theory offer a framework through which to view the 2010 spill that features predictive criteria linked to a qualitative assessment of risk presented by technology and organizations. The 2010 spill took place in a sociotechnical system that can be described as complex and tightly coupled, and therefore prone to normal accidents. However, the entities in charge of managing this technology lacked the organizational capacity to safely operate within this sociotechnical system.
2
Suprayogi, Bambang. "The effects of oil spills on mangroves." Thesis, Suprayogi, Bambang (1996) The effects of oil spills on mangroves. Masters by Research thesis, Murdoch University, 1996. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/51817/.
Full textAbstract:
Mangrove communities are vulnerable to oil spills due to their location close to harbours, onshore and offshore oil production facilities, oil exploration facilities and tanker routes. Many oil spill accidents have been reported and the literature on these accidents has been examined with particular emphasis on the effects of oil on mangroves and other organisms. Most of the published studies have resulted from research after oil spill accidents occurred. However, there are very few detail studies on oil dose-response (plant symptomatology, growth, physical and chemical action) relationships in plants and sediments. An understanding of the effects of oil on mangroves may assist in predicting the interactions between oil exposure factors, species sensitivity and environmental factors. The study was designed to determine the concentrations, the time dependencies, and the lethal and subtle effects of spilled oils on different ages of mangroves, with particular focus on mangrove seedlings. The effects of volatile hydrocarbons and the interactions of oil with anoxia (lack of oxygen) on plants and sediments were also studied. Moreover, the aims of the experiments were to characterise the toxic fractions by recording chemical action of two oil types on plant leaves and sediments. The results were expected to determine the resistant index of mangroves to oil spills (time and dose) and to clarify the chemical compounds and concentrations which were toxic to mangroves.
Kuwait Crude Oil (KCO) and North West Shelf Condensate (NWSC) were chosen for use as common heavy and light grade oils, respectively. Different age levels (seeds, seedlings and saplings) of Avicennia marina, Ceriops tagal, Rhizophora stylosa and Rhizophora mncronata were chosen for experiments due to their differences in morphological features, physiological processes and sizes. The research was divided into two main exposure conditions, laboratory and field conditions. Each species was exposed to different selected doses of oil, ranging from very low (27.5 g m-2) to very high (1100 g m-2), applied to the sediment surface only, or to the sediment surface and shoots.
Very low (27.5 g m-2), low (275 g m-2) and medium (1375 g m-2) doses of KCO did not permanently affect the total metabolic processes for plant survival. In certain case, these doses stimulated growth. However, application of the same doses of NWSC produced chronic effects. Exposure to higher doses (2750, 5500 and 11000 g m-2) of both oils significantly increased injury symptoms and decreased plant growth. The interactive effects between oil treatment and duration of treatment were mostly antagonistic at medium high and high doses of oil and became synergistics at very high doses of oil. Application of oil to the sediment and shoots had more acute impacts than application to the sediment surface only, as indicated by a higher symptom index, leaf abscission and mortality, decreased plant growth and reduced biomass. There were variable effects on leaf area and biomass accumulation as responses of any species were affected more by individual plant-size than by oil treatments. The greater tolerance of biomass responses to oil treatments may be because of its slower response to the stress as it follows physiological and biological changes. In certain cases, the effects were more complicated due interactions of response to oil with other environmental stresses.
Although the effects of NWSC and KCO on mangroves were variable, A. marina was more sensitive to both types of oil than the three other species. The differences in morphological features and physiological processes may play an important role in sensitivities of different species. Plant stress in Avicennia mangroves was exhibited as primary effects in response to the toxicity of high concentrations of hydrocarbons and other toxic fractions in plant tissues; while, the stress in Rhizophora mangroves was caused by secondary effects such as physical and chemical changes in sediments which affected nutrient deficiencies and metabolic disruptions. Dose-response relationships for individual oil types were different in each species, and were variable under different conditions of experiment. Different species origin, culturing system, sediment characteristics and environmental factors may cause different sensitivities. Furthermore, differences in the capacity of metabolism, and different ages of mangroves resulted in different sensitivities when the same type and doses of oil were applied. The most sensitive age was seed germination, followed by seedlings and saplings, respectively.
NWSC as a light oil was more toxic than KCO (a heavy oil) in all species and all age levels of mangroves. The chemical compositions of hydrocarbons in plants was more important than concentration in producing lethal and sublethal impacts than in KCO. The higher increased content of aromatic fractions in NWSC may confer the considerably degree of toxicity to plants. However, different doses of oil caused different responses in each species.
While both oils were greatly degraded with time under laboratory and field conditions, the degradation of NWSC was faster than KCO in sediments. The degradation processes may also be influenced by rainfall, tidal flushing, weathering processes (evaporation), biological factors (bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms) and environmental factors (temperature, oxygen, nutrients, salinity and pressure).
In conclusion, different types and doses of oil, and duration of exposures produced different responses in each species of mangroves. Depending on amount of oil applied, the responses developed from growth stimulation to chronic and acute impacts. However, the mechanism of damage appeared to be similar in all species. The responses included foliar injury (leaf chlorosis and necrosis), leaf abscission, stem deformation, reduced number of new leaves, reduced plant growth and biomass accumulation, and mortality.
3
Mansur, Lamya Yussef. "Studies on the weathering of marine oil spills." Thesis, University of Leeds, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.305725.
Full text
4
Roberts, Rubi Soto. "“Risk Management of Oil Spills Onshore,case analysis”." Thesis, KTH, Tillämpad maskinteknik (KTH Södertälje), 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-141413.
Full text
5
Deshpande, Niranjan V. "Dispersant effectiveness on oil spills impact of environmental factors /." Cincinnati, Ohio University of Cincinnati, 2007. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ucin1178046001.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S.)--University of Cincinnati, 2007.Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed July 8, 2007). Includes abstract. Keywords: Baffled Flask, dispersant effectiveness, salinity, mixing speed, temperature Includes bibliographical references.
6
Enzenhofer, Klaus. "Statkraft Hydro Power Plants – Oil Spills and Valuable Areas." Thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Avdelningen för ekoteknik och hållbart byggande, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-23252.
Full textAbstract:
Currently, Statkraft knows that they have oil spills from their hydraulic system, but the problem is that the amount of the oil spilled is not clear. Furthermore, Statkraft is missing a tool that can be used when decisions need to be made on what power plants that should be prioritized to be renovated next or which oil system that they should be switched to. In order to answer these points a look has been taken onto the environmental effects and the amount of oil spilled from hydropower plants, the general oil system inside a power plant, and in Kaplan turbines. Furthermore, two maps were developed: one presenting areas of interest for humans and environment around the hydropower plants and a second map about the river shorelines sensitivity to oil spills represented in form of an ESI ranked river shoreline. The maps give a general overview and can be used as a starting point to include environmental aspects into the planning and decision making process. The outcomes of the study are that more detailed information about the amount of oil spills released in small amounts from the turbines is needed. The catchment areas, where Statkraft Sverige AB has hydropower plants, which are most sensitive to oil spills, are Moälven and Nätraån. The hydropower plant with the most sensitive river shoreline is the Stennäs power plant due to a large wetland close by. Those areas should therefore be prioritized in projects about reducing the amount of oil inside Statkraft`s hydropower plants.
7
DESHPANDE, NIRANJAN V. "DISPERSANT EFFECTIVENESS ON OIL SPILLS: IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1178046001.
Full text
8
Becker, Christopher J. "Control strategy for autonomous remediation of marine oil spills." Thesis, Boston University, 2013. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/12051.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S.)--Boston UniversityThis thesis presents a novel formulation of a gradient-type controller to address the problem of cleaning up marine oil spills. Little work appears to have been done in developing autonomous oil spill clean-up devices, with most research efforts directed toward developing improved oil collection strategies. It does not appear that previous work in this field has included development of control algorithms specific to addressing the problem of deployment strategies for multiple clean-up devices. This thesis provides a framework for deployment of multiple clean-up agents and makes the following contributions to the field. We first develop a mathematical representation for the effect of a clean-up agent as a line-sink and introduce this term into an existing oil spill spreading model. The augmented oil spill spreading model is simulated for a finite volume of oil released within a region Q' which contains multiple clean-up agents. Second, we use the augmented oil spreading model to develop a cost function and derive a gradient controller that seeks to maximize the oil removal rate for a system of N clean-up agents. Several key properties of the controller are presented. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our controller through a MATLAB simulation. The performance of the controlled agents, measured by the total volume of oil removed over the simulation, is compared to the performance of static and randomly moving clean-up agents. The results from MATLAB simulations presented in this thesis demonstrate that the proposed control strategy is more effective at removing oil than static or randomly moving agents. The formulation of the control law directs clean-up devices toward areas in Q' experiencing the greatest volumetric change in oil, thereby maximizing the volume of oil that is removed by each agent. The controller presented in this thesis is adaptable to a range of clean-up devices and we present several future research avenues that could be pursued to further develop this concept.
9
Tsui, Kai-man. "Marine oil pollution control-projections for Hong Kong /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1996. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B17457701.
Full text
10
Jafari, Seyed Ahmad. "Software tools for the simulation of oil spills at sea." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2022.
Find full textAbstract:
This thesis aims at investigating the potentialities of two software tools performing the simulation of the transport and fate of oil spilled at sea: ADIOS2 and the WebGNOME codes, both made freely available by the US NOAA. ADIOS2 gives the oil budget evolution of the spill, that is, it solves the mass balances of the oil present in the different sea compartments. On the other hand, the WebGNOME tool is capable of both solving the oil budget and visualizing the oil slick trajectory.
What comes out from the investigation carried out in this thesis is that ADIOS2 is not capable of handling a complete simulation, because it limits the simulation time to 5 days after the start of the spill. Instead, WebGNOME compensates for this lack, allowing to extend the simulation time up to 30 days. By taking a look at the images of the oil slick produced by WebGNOME, it emerges that from day 20 to 30 no major change is seen in the oil slick location. During the first 20 days after the spill, oil beaching occurs on both the northern shoreline and the southern islands of the Santa Barbara Channel, with a total amount of stranded oil equal to 4,800 m3, which accounts for 25 % of the spill. Due to the immediate start of evaporation, 28 % of the oil is transferred from the sea to the atmosphere. At the end of the simulation, floating oil accounts for 6,500 m3, that correspond to 40 % percent; the oil remaining on the sea surface is majorly placed in the outer west side of the Santa Barbara Channel, where it is quite stable, according the last 10 days of the simulation there are negligible changes in the oil budget. It can be claimed that the simulation time of 30 days is sufficient to describe the fate and the transport of the oil slick. In conclusion, the WebGNOME code, which is simple and intuitive to use, requires a limited amount of data, and has short computational times, seems a tool suitable for a preliminary analysis of the consequences of oil spill events at sea.
11
Alawadi, Fahad A. M. "Detection and classification of oil spills in MODIS satellite imagery." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2011. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/336411/.
Full textAbstract:
Using satellite imagery to achieve an early and accurate identification of oil spills will contribute towards the reduction of their impact on the marine ecosystem. Satellite imagery provided by the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors are widely used for this task over the multi-temporal and multi-band visible near infra-red (VNIR) sensors. This is due to the SAR imaging capabilities through clouds, dust storms, soot and at night times, which limit the capability of VNIR sensors. However, gaps in knowledge exist regarding whether satellite ocean-colour sensors are capable of identifying unreported oil spills as true positives and whether they are able to discriminate them from lookalikes with the least uncertainty, particularly in arid land regions characterised with nearly cloud-free conditions. It was therefore, the goal of this research to develop reliable and robust methodology for data processing and interpretation of oil spills observed by VNIR sensors. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a VNIR-type sensor that was selected for this project for a number of reasons: it is characterised with adequate multi-spectral features (36 spectral bands 0.405-14.385 μm) spread over three spatial resolutions (250, 500 and 1000 m); and its data is freely distributed in near-realtime. MODIS bio-geophysical products processed in this study such as sea surface temperature (SST4 and SST) and chlorophyll-a (Chlor-a) have also proven their usefulness in providing complementary data. As a result of this investigation, two methods were proposed: The spectral contrast shift (SCS) and the surface algal bloom index (SABI). The SCS identifies oil spills and classifies their thickness by using MODIS extreme (maximum and minimum) top-of-atmosphere radiance (TOA) values in the 250 m/pixel resolution bands: the red (λ1=645 nm) and the NIR (λ2 =859 nm) measured over a relatively small area selected to encompass part of an unknown class and part of the surrounding pure sea water. The method has produced consistent and highly sensitive results independent of sun-glint illuminations. Oil spills have SCS values lying within the range 0.02-0.04±0.002 varying by 0.01 corresponding to different thicknesses of oil. The SCS succeeded also in classifying surface floating blooms having SCS values greater than or equal to 0.20. The SABI is a four-band relationship, which according to MODIS 500 m/pixel resolution, is made up of the difference between the TOA radiance responses in the NIR and the red bands (aggregated from the 250 m resolution group) to the sum of the TOA radiance responses in the blue (λ3=469 nm) and green (λ4=555 nm) bands. The SABI aims to discriminate biological floating species that may appear as an oil spill look-alike without the need to perform complex corrections for atmosphere and sun-glint effects. The SABI succeeded in classifying 95% of surface blooms that had values greater than or equal to a baseline value of -0.10. Oil spills, however, always appear at values lower than the surface bloom baseline value.
12
Salam, Darine. "Fate and Impacts of Vegetable Oil Spills in Aquatic Environments." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1321367790.
Full text
13
Salgado, Maria Antonia Santos Mendes. "The effects of vegetable oil contamination on mussels." Thesis, Bangor University, 1995. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-effects-of-vegetable-oil-contamination-on-mussels(a001885f-2570-447b-90fb-d4cc6630d1e9).html.
Full textAbstract:
In this study the effects of the vegetable oils rapeseed, linseed, olive and sunflower oil on mussel performance were investigated. In view of the scarse knowledge of the effects of vegetable oil spills on marine life, unlike petroleum spills which have been extensively studied, this investigation was directed towards an evaluation of the impact of vegetable oil contamination in the marine environment using Mytilus edulis as a bioindicator organism. The growth of mussels, their tolerance to changing salinities and temperatures, their behaviour and vegetable oil metabolism were studied. Fatty acid composition of mussels. microalgae and vegetable oils was also determined. All the vegetable oils studied had an inhibitory effect on the growth of Mytilus edulis, the growth rate of mussels after four weeks of exposure to the oils being 5 times lower than the growth rates of the control mussels. Growth rates were assessed by a photographic method which proved to be practical and provided sufficient precision in detect small increases in growth. Vegetable oils caused mortalities and they changed the fatty acid composition of mussels. Other biological responses of mussels are also affected by sunflower oil exposure: gaping time, tolerance to low salinities and foot extension activity, of which the latter may be of ecological significance. An uptake and accumulation of fatty acids in mussels marked the presence of vegetable oils, however, fatty acid metabolism was only detected after the oils had been removed. The results of this study indicate that contrary to what is believed, vegetable oils should not be overlooked under the argument of their edibility and biodegradability but instead should be included in oil spill contingency planning because they can cause mortality and disrupt the growth of wild and cultured mussels.
14
Dean, David B. "An Application of Geospatial Technology to Geographic Response Plans for Oil Spill Response Planning in the Western Basin of Lake Erie." Connect to full text in OhioLINK ETD Center, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=toledo1260541474.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toledo, 2009.Typescript. "Submitted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for The Master of Arts in Geography." "A thesis entitled"--at head of title. Bibliography: leaves 115-117.
15
Bell, Barbara Allen Spotila James R. "Effects of crude oil contamination on the reproduction of freshwater turtles /." Philadelphia, Pa. : Drexel University, 2005. http://dspace.library.drexel.edu/handle/1860/479.
Full text
16
Piller, Leanne M. "An intertidal monitoring program for Mobil, Port Stanvac (Sth. Australia) : anthropogenic versus natural disturbance /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1998. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09SM/09smp6407.pdf.
Full text
17
Chan, Godine Kok Yan. "Effects of droplet size on intrusion of sub-surface oil spills." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79493.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, February 2013."February 2013." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-90).
This thesis explores the effects of droplet size on droplet intrusion in sub-surface oil spills. Laboratory experiments were performed where glass beads of various sizes, which serve to simulate oil droplets in deepsea oil spills, were released vertically in a quiescent salinity stratified ambient and descended as multi-phase plumes. The two-tank stratification method was used to create linear density profiles for all experiments. The resulting radial concentration distributions of the dispersed phases were obtained by collecting the settled particles from the bottom of the tank. The radial distributions recorded were found to resemble Gaussian distributions, based on visual observations and analyses of kurtosis, which is consistent with particles being vertically well mixed in the intrusion layer. A new typology was proposed to describe plume structures with UN= us/(BN)¹/⁴ by Godine Kok Yan Chan.
S.M.
18
Maas, Natasha. "Design of a flexible containment system for deep ocean oil spills." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84370.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 153-155).
BP needed almost 3 months to cap the Deepwater Horizon spill; improved response techniques are needed for the future. This work presents the design and deployment plan for a new type of containment system that captures the vast majority of hydrocarbons exiting the wellhead. The structure is lightweight, flexible and modular, using a passively induced chimney affect as its working principle. It is modular to create one design that fits any number and size of wells. Modularity comes from 100m sections of thin Kevlar fabric, forming a cylinder that starts several meters above the seabed and ends several meters below the sea surface. The system is stored onshore mostly assembled until needed. The 3m-diameter shroud induces a flow that dilutes the gas to avoid hydrate formation. Yet the velocity is sufficiently small for gas to dissolve, reducing surface gas concentrations below workers' safety thresholds. The chimney effect causes a pressure differential over the material; reinforcement ribs are required to keep the system from collapsing inward. At the shroud top, the jet enters a containment pen, which is loosely attached to the shroud allowing it to ride the waves in heave, but constraining roll, pitch and yaw. The pen diameter allows oil to separate from the water; a skimmer weir in the pen collects almost pure oil and pumps it to a tanker. An air can at the shroud top provides pre-tension that restrains lateral deflections due to a uniform current, and helps reduce the collapse due to the pressure differential. The deflection and collapse are calculated for a uniform current using catenary equations. The results are used to verify the applicability of OrcaFlex, software commonly used by the offshore industry, which is then used to confirm the systems ability to satisfy design requirements under realistic conditions (a sea spectrum and non-uniform current). The 'one design fits all' objective is tested by initially designing the system for a moderate size reference well, and then scaling it up (with minor modifications) to fit the Macondo well. The results confirm that one design of the system can contain spills of moderate size in addition to those similar to the Deepwater Horizon.
by Natasha Maas.
S.M.
19
Fingas, Mervin F. "The evaporation of crude oil and petroleum products." Thesis, McGill University, 1996. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=40119.
Full textAbstract:
The physics of oil and petroleum evaporation are investigated. Literature on oil spill evaporation shows that most workers use boundary-layer equations adapted from water evaporation work. These equations predict a constant evaporation mass-transfer rate, dependent on scale size and wind speed. Evaporation was studied further by measuring evaporation of commercial oil products. An experimental apparatus for the study of evaporation was developed. Evaporation was determined by weight loss measured on a balance and recorded constantly on a computer. Examination of the data shows that most oil and petroleum products evaporate at a logarithmic rate with respect to time. This is attributed to the overall logarithmic appearance of many components evaporating at different linear rates. Petroleum products with fewer chemical components such as diesel fuel, evaporate at a rate which is square root with respect to time. The particular behaviour is shown to be a result of the number of components evaporating. Oils with greater than seven to ten components can be predicted with logarithmic equations, those with three to seven components, with square root equations. Evaporation of oils and petroleum products is not strictly boundary-layer regulated. This is largely a result of the high saturation concentrations of oil components in air, which is associated with a high boundary-layer regulated rate. Typical oil evaporation rates do not exceed that of molecular-diffusion, and thus turbulent diffusion does not increase the evaporation rates. Some volatile oils and petroleum products show some effect of boundary-layer regulation at the start of the evaporation process, but after several minutes, evaporation slows because of the loss of the more volatile components, at which point evaporation ceases to be boundary-layer regulated. Overall, boundary-layer regulation can be ignored in the prediction of oil and petroleum evaporation. A simple equation relating only the logarithm of t
20
Stacey, Bruce M. "The chronic effect of no. 2 fuel oil on the population dynamics of Harpacticoid copepods in experimental marine mesocosms /." Thesis, McGill University, 1985. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=63374.
Full text
21
Bennett, Paul. "Mutual risk : moral economy in environmental insurance." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.313039.
Full text
22
Orr, Thomas B. "Sediment toxicity associated with oil and/or brine spills in southern Illinois /." Available to subscribers only, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1324375501&sid=8&Fmt=2&clientId=1509&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
Full text
23
Al-Hadhrami, Mohamed Nasser. "Degradation of n-alkane fractions of Omani crude oil by bacteria." Thesis, University of Exeter, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.294439.
Full text
24
Larsson, Steinar. "Crisis communications : an examination of spokespersons use of response strategies in newspapers during the Sea Empress and Exxon Valdez groundings." Virtual Press, 1997. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1061883.
Full textAbstract:
This study was a replication of Fitzpatrick and Rubin's study of response strategies used in crisis communication. It differed though, in the type of crisis analyzed. While Fitzpatrick and Rubin studied cases of sexual harassment, this study examined oil spills of two supertanker groundings. Both the Exxon Valdez and the Sea Empress groundings, and especially Acomarit and Exxon, the companies responsible were examined by using content analysis. Units of analysis were statements by each company's spokesperson covered in either four American or four Norwegian newspapers. These statements were then categorized as one of four response strategies defined by Fitzpatrick and Rubin which were as follows: (1) The traditional public relations strategy, (2) The traditional legal strategy, (3) Mixed strategy, and, (4) Diversionary strategy.On behalf of these response strategies the study stated two hypotheses:H1: The spokespersons of Acomarit used the traditional public relations strategy significantly more than the traditional legal strategy, as defined by Fitzpatrick and Rubin, in Norwegian newspapers.The hypothesis was accepted.H2: The spokespersons of Exxon used the traditional legal strategy significantly more than the traditional public relations strategy, as defined by Fitzpatrick and Rubin, in American newspapers.The hypothesis was partially accepted.The study used an American and a Norwegian coder to secure reliability. Holsti's coder reliability test yielded eighty percent for the American statements, and seventy percent for the Norwegian statements.The study also indicated that the traditional public relations strategy was the most used response strategy. This was different to what Fitzpatrick and Rubin found in their study. They found the traditional legal strategy was used the most in cases of sexual harassment.However, both Exxon and Acomarit used the traditional public relations strategy more than the traditional legal strategy, but differed significantly in their use of mixed strategy and diversionary strategy. Exxon was found to have used the diversionary strategy significantly more than Acomarit. The researcher indicated that this may have been one of the contributing factors which lead to Exxon's public relations nightmare. In addition, Exxon was found to have used more spokespeople than Acomarit, which in turn may have made it difficult to centralize the information flow.Department of Journalism
25
Green, Joe. "Environmental management of the waste stream with specific reference to marine oil spills." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2010. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/55004/.
Full textAbstract:
Development and expansion of renewable energy generation is one of the highest political and environmental priorities facing today's Governments. Due to increased demand for green technology, the range of options for generating clean energy has expanded. In the case of energy generation from waste sources, it has been further fuelled by increasing pressure for environmentally benign waste disposal systems, burgeoning waste volumes and concerns over secondary pollution from disposed waste. An industry that is integral to energy production, and has a high profile in terms of environmental protection and pollution remediation, is oil spill response. There is scope for expanding the environmental management of the oil spill response industry to incorporate using waste oil from spill incidents as a source of fuel. In order for potential markets (in terms of environmental protection, waste management and energy generation) to be exploited, the necessary range of education and training demands must be established, developed and delivered. Education and training from grass roots to strategic management and Government levels are essential aspects in establishing the knowledge base, compliance, maintaining standards and ongoing development. This thesis examines the integration of the management of the waste stream, energy generation from waste and focuses specifically on the disposal of oil spill waste. The outputs of the research fall into two categories, (i) A series of laboratory and ex-situ field trials to quantify the potential of oil from marine spill incidents as a fuel source, to evaluate the effectiveness of pixel analysis as a mechanism to monitor the efficacy of oil spill response technologies, and to record the percentage recovery of oil and sorbent from the environment as a measure of clean up effectiveness, (ii) To examine the role and impact of education and training initiatives in disseminating scientific, technical and legislative material on bioremediation of marine oil spills. The research demonstrated that there are sufficient levels of carbon present in range of compounds of oils and sorbents from marine oil spill incidents to be utilised as fuel. Pixel analysis was established as an effective technique, oil and sorbent compound dependent, to quantify the extent to which oil had been removed from the environment. Percentage recovery was deemed a value-added data set to analyse the effectiveness of sorbents at recovering oils with varying viscosities. In terms of education and training, feedback from distance learning initiatives specifically developed for the research pathway, including undergraduate modules, and workshops and training courses for professionals and industry was analysed and integrated into the distance learning material on bioremediation. The positive nature of the feedback and subsequent suggestions for expanding the courses from all target audiences, demonstrated their impact, importance and effectiveness within the scope of the environmental management process. These recommendations contributed to the development and design of the bioremediation research.
26
Lázaro, Touza Lara Esther. "Sustainability criteria : compensation preferences and WTP to avoid future oil spills in Spain." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2010. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2386/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis explores the theoretical debate regarding the pursuit of weak versus strong sustainability (SS). It is argued that the choice between these paradigms needs better scientific information plus knowledge of citizen preferences in order to be resolved. The novelty of this research lies in providing an empirical test of Aldred (2002) and Turner (2007) who claim that investment in social capital such as schools and hospitals may be an adequate compensation measure when environmental damages occur. Following Pearce et al. (2006) and Atkinson et al. (1997) the benefits of preserving natural capital are also analysed through a contingent valuation (CV) study in which environmental damages of different sizes and consequences are depicted. The main research questions are: Are the views of elites and citizens as regards sustainability similar. Do citizens exhibit strong sustainability preferences with regards to compensation schemes. Can the use of CV help substantiate the case for strong sustainability. These research questions are answered undertaking a mixed methodological approach. Elite interviews, focus groups and a survey explore expert and non-expert views on sustainability. Statistical analyses confirm Aldred's (2002) and Turner's (2007) claim. However, a significant number of respondents choose natural capital as the preferred compensation option. Multinomial logit models used show the main characteristics that determine the likelihood of choosing a given compensation option. Answers to the compensation question leads to the expectation that respondents to the valuation question will pay significantly more to avoid larger environmental damages. This expectation is confirmed by the statistical analyses undertaken. Interval data models provide information on the variables that determine willingness to pay. The results are encouraging as they signal scope sensitivity but doubts remain over whether CV can adequately capture preferences when evaluating environmental losses as willingness to pay amounts are not proportional to the damages described.
27
Fifani, Gina. "Lagrangian dispersion and oil spills : with a case study in the Eastern Mediterranean." Electronic Thesis or Diss., Sorbonne université, 2021. http://www.theses.fr/2021SORUS243.
Full textAbstract:
Les déversements d'hydrocarbures nécessitent une intervention immédiate qui commence par une bonne connaissance de la dynamique océanique de la région contaminée. L'approche Lagrangienne a été proposée comme un outil soutenant la gestion de la pollution marine. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'utiliser et développer des outils lagrangiens pour analyser deux événements de marée noire s'étendant sur une échelle plus petite que celle de la marée noire de DeepWater Horizon: une marée noire offshore en mer de Chine orientale (2018) et un accident côtier dans la Méditerranée orientale (2021). Le calcul des fronts lagrangiens s'est avéré robuste et plus informatif que l'advection directe d'un traceur numérique. L'inclusion de l'effet du vent s'avère également essentielle, étant capable de briser les fronts lagrangiens. Une nouvelle technique a été aussi proposée, ancrée dans la théorie de Lyapunov, par laquelle la vitesse de dérive d'un front lagrangien peut être estimée sur la base de la seule information en temps quasi réel. Cette information permet de prédire la position future du front lagrangien sur quelques jours et d'étudier les vitesses de dérive des fronts à l'échelle globale et méditerranéenne. Une contribution à une expérience lagrangienne en Méditerranée met en évidence le défaut lagrangien de l'altimétrie au nadir et le besoin de futures missions altimétriques tel SWOTDue to their dire impacts on marine life, public health, and services, accidental oil spills require an immediate response. Effective action starts with a good knowledge of the ocean dynamics prevailing in the contaminated region. The Lagrangian approach has been proposed as a supportive tool in marine pollution management. The goal of this thesis is to use and develop Lagrangian tools to analyze two oil spill events extending on a scale smaller than that of the DeepWater Horizon oil spill. These are an offshore East China sea oil spill (2018) and a near-coast East Mediterranean accident (2021). The calculation of Lagrangian fronts have been more robust and more informative on the dispersion pathways than the direct advection of a numerical tracer. The inclusion of the wind effect is also found to be essential, being capable of suddenly breaking Lagrangian fronts. A new technique is also proposed, rooted in the Lyapunov theory, by which the drifting speed of a Lagrangian front can be estimated based on near real-time information alone. This information allows to predict the Lagrangian front future location over a few days and to study frontal drifting speeds at global and Mediterranean scales. A further contribution to a Lagrangian experiment in the Mediterranean highlights the Lagrangian shortcoming of nadir altimetry and the need for future altimetry missions like SWOT
28
Vike, Kristine. "Oil spill forensics : Identification of sources for oil spills by using data generated by GC-MS and ICP-MS combined with multivariate statistics and the COSIWeb database." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Institutt for kjemi, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-24920.
Full textAbstract:
This work has been a preliminary study, aimed at investigating whether or not trace metal Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis could be a viable tool in the oil spill investigation toolbox, after having been abandoned over 20 years ago. The sample material was two previous oil spills, Full City and Server, and various heavily weathered oil samples gathered from islands off the Trøndelag coast. The islands were Kya, Sula, Vesterkalven, Storkalven, Kunna, and the bay Kjervågsundet on the larger island Frøya. The samples were prepared in a laboratory and analysed by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Selective Ion Monitoring (GC-MS-SIM) and ICP-MS. Through integration of key elements in the oil, also known as biomarkers, by an online database called COSIWeb, the weathered samples were classified as “crude oil”, “non-NS (North Sea) crude oil”, “bunker oil”, “unknown” and “not oil”. This classification was used as a guide to assess the viability of the trace metal analysis done by ICP-MS. The database also provided correlation calculations and five of the weathered bunker oil samples were linked to oils outside the database by “probable match”. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to investigate the ability each dataset had to classify the different weathered oil types and oil spill samples Full City and Server. Subsequently, Partial Least Squares-Regression (PLS-R) was used to investigate the stability and robustness of both datasets from GC-MS-SIM and ICP-MS together, before Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) was applied to investigate if the clusters seen in PCA were significant. By PLS-DA two subgroups of crude oils were identified, possibly related to terrestrial or marine source material in the oil. Of the 46 weathered samples found on various islands, 14 samples were classified as non-NS crude oils, 9 samples were classified as crude oils, 11 samples were classified as bunker oils, 7 samples were classified as unknown oil samples, and 5 samples were classified as not oil. The last group could be oil-like material such as plastic, rubber, coal or other organic material. The most important trace metal ratios identified in this study were ratios which have been previously been singled out as important in oil analysis. These were Ni/V, V/S, U/Pb and Mn/Fe. Other ratios were helpful as well, but these were the most influential ones. The Ni/V ratio was able to separate Full City samples from Server samples without any outliers or fuzzy classification.
29
Al-Hargan, Ali Abdulla Qassim Khamis. "Creation of a coastal zone information system for Qatar using remote sensing and GIS." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.241793.
Full text
30
Dos, Santos Pereira Maria da Gloria. "Bacterial degradation of linseed and sunflower oils in salt marsh sediments." Thesis, Bangor University, 1999. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/bacterial-degradation-of-linseed-and-sunflower-oils-in-salt-marsh-sediments(4697b1cb-815d-46a6-8b52-880c0cfcf62c).html.
Full textAbstract:
This work investigated the consequences of vegetable oils spills in salt marsh sediments. The role of autochthonous bacteria in the oils degradation and degradative pathways were also studied 'in situ' and 'in vitro'. Simulated spills of sunflower and linseed oils revealed that both oils penetrated the sediments at a rate of 10-7 CM2 s-1. However, whereas 60% of the linseed oil had disappeared from the sediments after 2 months most of the sunflower oil remained after 6 months. Differences were noted in the adsorption of the oils to sediment particles and the depth at which they accumulate and these factors most likely influenced the route of the oil degradation and the sediments properties such as permeability. The contamination of the sediments with vegetable oils lead to a noticeable reduction in the abundance of plant roots and infauna. The abundance of aerobic, anaerobic and sulphate reducing bacteria in the sediments was increased by the addition of both oils, with linseed oil supporting greater bacterial density than sunflower oil. During the course of the experiment the relative abundance of oil degrading bacteria also increased. As a consequence of the increased bacterial activity, the sediments pH and Eh decreased and anoxic conditions were established, earlier in the case of linseed than that of sunflower oils. The degradation of the oils appeared to be a sequential process, initiated by the aerobic and/or anaerobic bacteria and continued by the sulphate reducing bacteria which themselves where unable to utilise the raw oils. The original composition of both oils underwent alterations mostly associated with their main fatty acid: the concentration of 18: 3(o3 and 18: 2o)6 in linseed and sunflower oil, respectively, decreased whereas that of the remaining fatty acids increased. As a result of the bacterial degradation of the vegetable oils 'new' fatty acids were detected and their identification was attempted using GC-MS analysis of their picolinyl and methyl esters. Various degradative pathways of linseed and sunflower oils involving the formation of the 'new' fatty acids are suggested with isomerisation, hydrogenation and P-oxidation as the primary routes for the degradation.
31
Radović, Jagoš. "Comprehensive analytical approaches to determine the sources, fate and effects of marine oil spills." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/283088.
Full textAbstract:
In the past two decades we witnessed a decrease in both the number of oil spill incidents, and of the quantity of oil released in these incidents, which led to a diminished interest for basic oil spill science. With the introduction of more stringent oil spill legislation, much of the spill response, assessment and restoration activities were passed to governmental agencies and other stakeholders.
Their capabilities were perhaps sufficient to deal with the most frequently occurring small-scale spills, however, recent large, catastrophic incidents such as the sinking of Prestige in 2002, or the Deepwater Horizon blowout in 2010,
renewed the need for fundamental science in order to be able to fully understand and estimate the scope of the impacts such spills can have on the environment, economy and society.
This is particularly important in the context of new explorations and discoveries of hydrocarbon resources in pristine regions such as Arctic, where extreme weather and the lack of infrastructure emphasize even more the need for a comprehensive assessment of all of the possible effects the future oil production could cause.
The objectives of this thesis were set to provide new approaches and methodologies, and to improve and reevaluate the previously existing ones, in a way which can contribute to this comprehensive and proactive strategy. Their scope is comprehensive because it covers all the important aspects of marine oil spills – the sources, environmental fate and possible toxic effects. In addition, particular relevance of this thesis is drawn from the fact that the studies presented here include the investigation of real major oil spills (Prestige, DWH), and of a broad range of oils and oil products that are currently produced and transported worldwide.
In order to fulfill the abovementioned general objectives, the following specific objectives had to be accomplished:
Firstly, a physicochemical database of frequently transported crude and refined oils was created using elemental analysis, thin-layer liquid chromatography (TLC) with flame ionization detector (FID) analysis of principal oil compound groups, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) fingerprinting of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and biomarkers, and available oil assays. This database was then applied to assess their possible fate in the case of a spill, and to model three spill scenarios in different European regional seas using ADIOS2 software from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Fingerprints of selected oils were assessed and statistically compared to discover the most relevant compositional differences that could facilitate the identification of oil spill sources.
Secondly, the GC-MS methodology used to create the fingerprint database of selected oils was evaluated in an international interlaboratory ring test. The objective was to test the capability of this fingerprinting methodology to identify the type and source of weathered (biodegraded) oil samples.
Thirdly, the weathering of oil samples from Prestige and Deepwater Horizon spills, in particular the photooxidation, was studied. Samples weathered in field and in laboratory experiments were analyzed using TLC-FID, GC-MS, comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) with FID, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) to discover compositional changes on the bulk level as well as on the molecular level. PAHs and triaromatic steranes (TAS) were of particular interest, as well as the effects of the photooxidation on the robustness of the oil fingerprinting methodology.
Finally, the effects of selected fresh and weathered (evaporated, photooxidized) crude and refined oils were studied, using the effect-directed analysis (EDA). The samples were sequentially fractionated using open-column liquid chromatography and normal-phase semipreparative HPLC, and the obtained fractions were subjected to bioassays to test their AhR agonist and AR antagonist activity. The most active fractions were then analyzed using GCxGC coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS), and this data was related to bioassay results using N-way partial least square (N-PLS) chemometric model, in order to identify the compounds responsible for the observed effects.A pesar de las tendencias positivas en las últimas décadas, los vertidos ocasionados por la exploración, extracción y transporte de petróleo siguen siendo una importante amenaza para los ecosistemas marinos y especialmente costeros. Esta Tesis se ocupa de todos los aspectos importantes sobre los vertidos marinos de petróleo: el origen, el destino ambiental y sus posibles efectos. Para permitir su comprensión global, se utilizaron diferentes metodologías complementarias. En primer lugar, se ha creado una base de datos físico-químicos de diferentes petróleos (crudos y refinados) que se transportan frecuentemente usando el análisis elemental, la cromatografía en capa fina (TLC) acoplada a un detector de ionización de llama (FID) de los principales grupos de compuestos de petróleo, la toma de huellas químicas de los hidrocarburos aromáticos policíclicos (HAP) y los biomarcadores mediante cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas (GC-MS), y ensayos de petróleo disponibles. A continuación, se aplicó esta base de datos para evaluar su posible destino en el caso de un vertido, y para modelar tres escenarios de vertidos en diferentes mares regionales europeos usando el software ADIOS2 de la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA). Las huellas químicas de los petróleos seleccionados fueron evaluadas y comparadas estadísticamente para investigar las diferencias de composición más relevantes que podrían facilitar la identificación del origen de vertido. En segundo lugar, la metodología de GC-MS utilizada para crear la base de datos de las huellas químicas de los petróleos seleccionados se ha evaluado en una prueba interlaboratorio internacional. El objetivo fue investigar la capacidad que tiene esta metodología de toma de huellas químicas para identificar el tipo y el origen de las muestras envejecidas (biodegradadas) de petróleo. En tercer lugar, se ha estudiado el envejecimiento de las muestras de petróleo de los vertidos de Prestige (2002) y de la plataforma Deepwater Horizon (2010), en particular, debido a la fotooxidación. Se analizaron muestras envejecidas en el campo y en experimentos de laboratorio mediante TLC-FID, GCMS, cromatografía de gases bidimensional integrada (GCxGC) acoplada a un FID, y espectroscopia infrarroja por transformada de Fourier (FT-IR) para investigar los cambios de composición tanto a nivel global como a nivel molecular. Los HAP y esteranos triaromáticos fueron de especial interés, así como los efectos de la fotooxidación en la robustez de la metodología de toma de huellas químicas de petróleo. Finalmente, se estudiaron los efectos de las muestras no tratadas y envejecidas (evaporadas, fotooxidadas) de los petróleos crudos y refinados seleccionados, utilizando el análisis dirigido por los efectos tóxicos (EDA). Las muestras se fraccionaron secuencialmente usando la cromatografía líquida en columna abierta y la cromatografía líquida de alta eficacia (HPLC) semipreparativa en fase normal. Las fracciones obtenidas se sometieron a bioensayos para investigar su actividad agonista de los receptores AhR y la actividad antagonista de los receptores AR. En el siguiente paso, las fracciones más activas fueron analizadas mediante GCxGC acoplada a espectrometría de masas en tiempo de vuelo (TOFMS), y estos datos se relacionaron con los resultados de los bioensayos utilizando un modelo quimiométrico de regresión por mínimos cuadrados parciales en N direcciones (N-PLS), con el fin de identificar los compuestos responsables de los efectos observados.
32
Hoeberechts, Veronica Anne. "Oil Spills in New Zealand's Territorial Waters: Fence at the Top of the Cliff?" The University of Waikato, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2406.
Full textAbstract:
Over the last four decades, there have been many catastrophic oil spills in the marine environment and these larger oil spills have often caused environmental devastation especially if they occurred in the coastal marine area. Serious ecological damage can also be caused from operational discharges, ballast and bilge water, from ships within territorial waters. Until now New Zealand has only had relatively minor oil spillages in its coastal waters, primarily from ships' discharge or accidental leaks in port. The possibility however of a major oil spill occurring within our coastal area is considerably higher today than 20 years ago as there has been a significant increase of all types of oil tankers/bulk carriers/container ships to New Zealand. New Zealand is an island nation that relies heavily on the marine environment for commercial operations such as fisheries and tourism and many New Zealanders enjoy recreational, aesthetic and spiritual ties to the coastal marine area. The sustainability of our territorial sea is therefore of paramount importance. A major oil spill could cause widespread ecological damage, cripple or destroy marine/tourism operations and ensure that the human values associated with the coast are lost, possibly for many years. The research reported here addresses the issue of oil spill preparedness and response in New Zealand's waters. A combination of a review of New Zealand's international commitments and domestic legislation and two case studies of high profile oil spills: the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve and the Jody F Millennium are used. The research identifies whether the present environmental legislation, that promotes sustainable management, is proactive in the prevention of a major oil spill and concludes that the New Zealand approach reflects a relatively strong Sustainable Imperative position rather than one of Sustainable Development. In implementation it relies heavily on co-management integrated at the regional council level.
33
Clem, Travis. "Oceanographic effects on maritime threats mines and oil spills in the Strait of Hormuz." Thesis, Monterey, Calif. : Naval Postgraduate School, 2007. http://bosun.nps.edu/uhtbin/hyperion.exe/07Mar%5FClem.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S. in Physical Oceanography)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2007.Thesis Advisor(s): Peter C. Chu. "March 2007." Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-101). Also available in print.
34
Beenk, Elliott E. "Smooth cord grass (Spartina alterniflora) response to simulated oil spills in sediment-water microcosms." Thesis, The University of Iowa, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1545453.
Full textAbstract:
Simulated oil spills were created in S. alterniflora sediment-water microcosms to determine the effects of applied crude oil on S. alterniflora during two 90-day studies. In the first experiment, oil dosage was varied at 0-250 mg crude oil/g wet soil to determine the lethal dosage level. In the second experiment, oil type, dosage, and soil type were varied to determine the effects of oil under multiple scales of resolution. A light, medium, and heavy crude oil at dosages ranging from 0-150 mg crude oil/g wet soil were used in addition to an oiled and non-oiled soil. Following the completion of the 90-day experiment, several key findings were observed: (1) The lethal dosage limit was reached at 250 mg crude oil/g wet soil during the first experiment but not the second, by design; (2) At initial dosages of 10 and 50 mg crude oil/g wet soil, the oiled soil (acclimated for 4 months) was more influential in decreasing cumulative biomass growth rates compared to oil applied at the oil-water interface; (3) At the heaviest dosages applied as a simulated oil slick, concentrations of 150 mg crude oil/g wet soil, evapotranspiration rates were negatively affected by the oil (significant at p=0.05 in a one-tailed t-test); (4) Light, heavy, and then medium crude oil showed the lowest biomass growths, in that order, indicating that light crude oil was the most toxic in these microcosm experiments with S. alterniflora; (5) The 10 mg oil/g wet soil out-performed the 0 mg oil/g wet soil in transpiration and biomass growth.
35
Alloy, Matthew Michael. "Photo-induced Toxicity of Deepwater Horizon Spill Oil to Four Native Gulf of Mexico Species." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2015. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc822778/.
Full textAbstract:
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in the accidental release of millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Photo-induced toxicity following co-exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is one mechanism by which polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from oil spills may exert toxicity. Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) are an important commercial and ecological resource in the Gulf of Mexico and their largely transparent larvae may make them sensitive to PAH photo-induced toxicity. Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), an important fishery resource, have positively buoyant, transparent eggs. These characteristics may result in mahi-mahi embryos being at particular risk from photo-induced toxicity. Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and speckled seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) are both important fishery resources in the GoM. They spawn near-shore and produce positively buoyant embryos that hatch into larvae in about 24 h. The goal of this body of work was to determine whether exposure to UV as natural sunlight enhances the toxicity of crude oil to early lifestage GoM species. Larval and embryonic organisms were exposed to several dilutions of water accommodated fractions (WAF) from several different oils collected in the field under chain of custody during the 2010 spill and two to three gradations of natural sunlight in a factorial design. Here, we report that co-exposure to natural sunlight and oil significantly reduced larval survival and embryo hatch compared to exposure to oil alone.
36
Lawson, Jeffrey. "Towards a novel methodology for the environmental remediation of oil-polluted aqueous systems." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2010. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=158583.
Full textAbstract:
Aromatic hydrocarbons are a prevalent constituent of crude oil. The refined products of crude oil such as petroleum and diesel can find their way into groundwater though oil-spillages and are also present in the oil and gas industry’s produced water. These aromatics are biorecalcitrant, however upon ingestion with water, may be metabolised to toxic intermediates that are carcinogenic or mutagenic in nature. Although some treatment technologies are available most of these are under development and are yet to be proven in the field. This illustrates the need for novel, economical and environmentally friendly technologies to be developed with a view to remediating aqueous systems that have been polluted with aromatics hydrocarbons. The supramolecular cyclodextrin molecule, with its hydrophobic interior and hydrophobic exterior seems to be an excellent molecule for the trapping of the pollutant molecules, however the inclusion complexes with this cyclic sugar are water-soluble therefore there is a need for the cyclodextrin to be rendered waterinsoluble. A study of the aqueous solubilities of some aromatic hydrocarbons that may be present in crude oil has been carried out and shows that the majority of these molecules have a degree of water solubility that may increase upon environmental weathering. The successful reaction between a solid-phase resin and the β-cyclodextrin molecule has been achieved, with the total dryness of the system being required including Soxhlet extraction of the resin with anhydrous acetone before the reaction. The reaction between β-cyclodextrin and a range of isocyanates proved unsuccessful, but a range of symmetrical aryl ureas were synthesised from their isocyanates with the influence that different activating or deactivating groups on the ring have on the propensity to form the ureas being shown. The successful alkylation between β-cyclodextrin and a series of haloalkanes has shown the effect of increasing chain length on the degree of alkylation. This reaction involved the deprotonation of the cyclodextrin by sodium hydride in anhydrous dimethyl sulphoxide followed by reaction with the alkyl iodide. Increasing the equivalents of hydride or iodide, or the reaction time did not have a noticeable effect on the degree of reaction indicating that steric constraints were limiting the degree of reaction. Testing several of these alkyl iodides gave an indication as to their tendency to uptake and remove several model pollutants that had been dissolved in water with the propylated β-cyclodextrin displaying potential for the remediation of aqueous systems that had been polluted. Several of these results were very promising leading to the conclusion that further derivatives of these alkylated sugars may be even more suitable for future research into the remediation of organically polluted aqueous systems.
37
Jones, Tamsyn. "The evolution of a beat a case study of changes in environmental reporting from the 1970's to today as evident in coverage of three disastrous oil spills /." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/6255.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (June 26, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.
38
Chamberlain, Neil. "Wave-induced mixing within a gravity-driven surface current." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.325566.
Full text
39
Connon, Irena Leisbet Ceridwen. "Environments of loss, disempowerment and distrust : Alutiiq stories of the aftermath of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2013. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=196344.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis examines Alutiiq stories of loss, disempowerment and distrust in the aftermath of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill crisis. It examines Alutiiq responses to the oil spill in relation to how, twenty-five years earlier, members of the same communities experienced the impacts of an earthquake crisis. The thesis describes how the 1989 oil spill crisis was associated with experiences of loss of cultural livelihoods, loss of cultural identities, environmental distrust, enhanced distrust of governments, and experiences of disempowerment, while, in contrast, responses to the earthquake were characterised by resilience and adaptability. Using evidence derived from discussions, interviews and participation in community life, as part of 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork in two Alutiiq communities between September 2006 and September 2008, I argue that differences in Alutiiq responses to the two crises can be partly attributed to socio-political factors that characterised the aftermath of each of the disasters, in addition to the absence of culturally-specific knowledge and experientially-based adaptive strategies in the aftermath of the oil spill. Unlike earlier anthropological studies of the oil spill, this study compares Alutiiq responses to the oil spill with their responses to the earthquake crisis.
40
Fukuyama, Allan Kiyoshi. "The ecology of bivalve communities in Prince William Sound, Alaska : influence of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and predation by sea otters /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/5302.
Full text
41
Novelli, Guillaume. "Numerical simulation of oil spills in coastal areas using shallow water equations in generalised coordinates." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/52834.
Full textAbstract:
The pollution generated by accidental marine oil spills can cause persistent ecological disasters and lead to serious social and economical damages. Numerical simulations are a valuable tool to make proper decisions in emergency situation or to plan response actions beforehand.
The main objective of this work was to improve SIMOIL, a computational model developed earlier at URV and capable of predicting the evaporation and spreading of massive oil spills in coastal areas.
Specifically, a new coastal current model, based on the resolution of the shallow water equations in generalised coordinates, has been developed and validated and then coupled to SIMOIL.
The model was specially designed to describe coastal oceanic flows over topography accounting
for Coriolis force, eddy viscosity, seabed friction and to couple with SIMOIL in domain with complex boundaries.
The equations have been discretized over generalised domains by means of finite differences of second order accuracy. The code was then implemented in FORTRAN.
The code has been validated extensively against numerical and experimental flow studies of the bibliography.
Finally, the new complete version of SIMOIL, coupling the shallow water model and the oil slick model, has been applied to the study of two accidental oil spills:
• A massive leakage from the Repsol's floating dock in the port of Tarragona
• The biggest oil spill ever occurred in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: the 2006 Lebanon oil spill.
In both cases, the new version of SIMOIL, demonstrate more accurate predictions of the behaviour of the oil spill, specially for moderate winds with complex topography.La contaminación generada por los vertidos accidentales de petróleo puede ser reducida si se actúa y si se toman las decisiones adecuadas a tiempo. Las simulaciones numéricas de vertidos de petróleo permiten predecir la evolución de las manchas de crudo. En este trabajo, el objetivo principal era de mejorar la precisión y el rango de aplicación del código SIMOIL desarrollando e integrando al código un modelo de predicción de corrientes marinas en aguas costeras. Se han derivado las ecuaciones de aguas poco profundas en coordenadas generalizadas. Se han discretizado las ecuaciones y el código se implementó en FORTRAN 90. El modelo así como los métodos numéricos han sido validados con el estudio de flujos experimentales y numéricos de la bibliografía. Finalmente, la nueva versión de SIMOIL se aplicó con éxito a dos casos físicos de vertidos de crudo: • un vertido ficticio desde la monoboya de descarga de Repsol en el puerto de Tarragona • un vertido real, el mas grande ocurrido en el Este del mar Mediterráneo, consecuencia de la guerra en Líbano en julio de 2006. En ambos casos la nueva versión de SIMOIL proporcionó predicciones más precisas, especialmente para vientos moderados y topografías complejas.
42
Rivollier, Laurent. "Prevention of oil spills by tankers : feasibility study of a safety and environmental index (SEI)." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36063.
Full text
43
Tsui, Kai-man, and 徐啓文. "Marine oil pollution control-projections for Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1996. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31253568.
Full text
44
Christensen, Jan H. "Chemometrics as a tool to analyse complex chemical mixtures : environmental forensics and fate of oil spills /." København : National Environmental Research Institute, Ministry of the Environment ; Roskilde University, Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1800/1174.
Full text
45
Stoyanovich, Sawyer. "The Fate and Behaviour of Diluted Bitumen and Its Chemical Constituents In Freshwater Systems Following Simulated Spills." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/42576.
Full textAbstract:
As conventional oil reserves deplete and more efficient refining technologies emerge, the use and transportation of heavy fuel oils such as dilbit is rising. Despite the risk of accidental dilbit spills, the fate and behaviour in aquatic systems is largely unknown. The objective of this thesis was to develop new approaches and insights to directly address knowledge gaps surrounding the fate and behaviour of diluted bitumen (dilbit) in freshwater systems.
During the summers of 2017 and 2018, a large-scale collaborative field study was conducted at the International Institute for sustainable Development’s – Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), a world-renowned freshwater research station located in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. First, two tank-based dilbit spill simulations were carried out at oil:water ratios of 1:8000 and 1:800 v/v (Chapter 2). Here I examined the physical fate and behaviour of dilbit spilled onto the water’s surface for 11 days. In this chapter I provide, for the first time, experimental evidence of dilbit physically sinking after 8 days of environmental weathering in land-based tanks containing natural lake water. Building on the findings of chapter 2, the remaining four chapters focus on a series of 70-d long experimental dilbit spills carried out in limnocorrals (10 m diameter x 1.5 m depth) installed directly in a freshwater lake. Chapter 3 provides, to our knowledge, the most detailed temporal account to date of dilbit submergence in freshwater at multiple oil:water ratios. In Chapter 4 I provide the rates at which over 100 individual hydrocarbons are depleted over time from the dilbit slicks and apply diagnostic ratios to postulate which weathering processes are responsible for the observed depletions. As predicted, evaporation, dissolution, and photooxidation are prominent weathering processes whereas biodegradation is not. I then describe both the short- and long-term behaviour of these compounds as they partition from the dilbit slick to the air, water, and sediments of the limnocorrals in Chapter 5. While the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were elevated in the water columns of each treatment, they were orders of magnitude lower than concentrations that pose a toxicological risk. The same was true for all sediment samples except those that were in direct contact with sunken dilbit. This suggests that the major threat of dilbit spills from an ecotoxicological point of view is the dilbit-laden sediments produced by submergence. Finally, I demonstrated the successful application of a mass transfer model to predict the dissolution trends of the highly toxic benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o,m,p-xylene (BTEX) compounds following the dilbit spills. In Chapter 7 I detail the implications and conclusions for each chapter and the thesis as a whole. I also describe areas where future research is needed. In the end, the conclusions of this thesis were: 1) dilbit has the propensity to sink following spills in freshwater, 2) prominent weathering processes include evaporation, dissolution, and photooxidation, 3) our regression design allowed for important relationships between contamination and spill size to be realized, 4) sunken dilbit poses a toxicological threat to aquatic biota, and 5) mass transfer models can accurately predict BTEX dynamics in the water column following a dilbit spill.
46
Boyé, Donald J. "The effect of weathering processes on the vertical turbulent dispersion characteristics of crude oil spilled on the sea." FIU Digital Commons, 1994. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1777.
Full textAbstract:
Since the Exxon Valdez accident in 1987, renewed interest has come forth to better understand and predict the fate and transport of crude oil lost to marine environments. The short-term fate of an Arabian Crude oil was simulated in laboratory experiments using artificial seawater. The time-dependent changes in the rheological and chemical properties of the oil under the influence of natural weathering processes were characterized, including dispersion behavior of the oil under simulated ocean turbulence. Methodology included monitoring the changes in the chemical composition of the oil by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GCMS), toxicity evaluations for the oil dispersions by Microtox analysis, and quantification of dispersed soluble aromatics by fluorescence spectrometry.
Results for this oil show a sharp initial increase in viscosity, due to evaporative losses of lower molecular weight hydrocarbons, with the formation of stable water-in-oil emulsions occurring within one week. Toxicity evaluations indicate a decreased EC-50 value (higher toxicity) occurring after the oil has weathered eight hours, with maximum toxicity being observed after weathering seven days. Particle charge distributions, determined by electrophoretic techniques using a Coulter DELSA 440, reveal that an unstable oil dispersion exists within the size range of 1.5 to 2.5 um, with recombination processes being observed between sequential laser runs of a single sample.
47
Slyman, Paul M. "Oregon's Oil: A Geographic View of Petroleum Distribution and Associated Risks." PDXScholar, 1996. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5140.
Full textAbstract:
Since no local crude oil sources exist, every drop of petroleum consumed in Oregon originates from outside sources and is distributed multi-modally to consumers. As population continues to increase and oil sources dwindle, this reliance may add financial and environmental risks to Oregonian' s quality of life. This paper examines Oregon's oil distribution system, and analyzes the risks oil movements pose in the state. A comprehensive understanding of oil distribution in Oregon can best be gained geographically. Pipelines, ships, barges, railroads and trucks play different roles in this system, yet data for these transport modes are maintained by different groups and unstandardized. Therefore, the data must be normalized to present a map of how oil is being moved around the state. This study sets all levels to a barrels (42 U.S. gallons) per month (assumed 30 days) standard. Oil's role in the economy of our state, most noticeably in the sale of motor gasoline, creates different types of risk. The most obvious risk results from transportation, and Oregon is plagued daily by unintended releases. A second type of risk, supply risk, exists because of our reliance on the petroleum networks of Alaska, Washington and California, and was evident during the 1974 oil embargo. Lastly, economic risk should theoretically be present since Oregon is a downstream consumer from adjacent states. During times of shortages, Oregon should be at the mercy of those who provide its supply. The data do not support this, but suggest that oil is purely a global commodity, and price and supply are determined worldwide in response to typical marketing forces. The distribution systems detailed herein are dynamic, and outside forces such as the proposed export of Alaskan crude oil, the increased exploration of offshore oil fields, and the development of a cross-Cascades pipeline may alter this scheme. Oregonians can ensure the most effective petroleum distribution systems only by understanding them and their associated risks.
48
Enwere, Rita. "Environmental risk management of contamination of marine biota by hydrocarbons specifically those arising following an oil spill." Thesis, Robert Gordon University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10059/376.
Full textAbstract:
Marine pollution resulting from oil spillage has received much attention mostly due to the damaging effects it has on fisheries and aquacultures. One component of oil that is widely studied due to its toxic and carcinogenic properties is the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The physical and chemical properties of these compounds control their distribution into the various phases of the environment. The rates of elimination of these compounds from impacted organisms were investigated in laboratory and field experiments using selected marine organisms (Mytilus edulis and Salmo salar). The elimination of individual PAH compounds followed first order kinetics. Elimination rate varied among compounds and generally decreased with increase in molecular weight and degree of alkylation. Elimination rate constants (k2) and biological half-lives (t1/2) evaluated from chronically exposed mussels (collected from Aberdeen harbour) in separate laboratory and field studies were comparable but differed from those evaluated from acutely exposed mussels. Shorter t1/2 were obtained from acutely exposed mussels. The t1/2 ranged between 0.5- 22 d (acute exposure) and 3.8- 31.5 d (chronic exposure).The longer apparent t1/2 calculated for the chronically impacted mussels was attributed to the retention of the compounds in a stable compartment due to long period of exposure that limited exchange with the surrounding water. Contrary to expectation, t1/2 for similar compounds was higher in salmon than in mussels. The reason for this was unknown but attributed to the route of elimination. A good correlation (r2 > 0.72) was found between PAHs tissue concentration and taint intensity in salmon. Comparison of the results from this study with literature data showed that tank water replacement time and exposure duration affects rate of PAHs elimination. The data generated in this study and some of the reviewed studies will find application in different oil spill scenarios. The usefulness and limitations of the n-alkanes profile, PAH distribution and concentration ratios, and specific biomarker ratios from organisms in oil spill source identification was also demonstrated.
49
Zach, Lorna S. "Environmental risk analysis : an application of proposed methods to frequent, small oil spills in the estuarine environment." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Chemical and Process Engineering, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/7523.
Full textAbstract:
Accidental spillage of chemicals by the process industries can pose both immediate and long-term threats to the natural environment. Long-term damage from frequent, low-level releases is difficult to predict and may not be evident until the damage is done. This thesis reviews techniques for environmental risk evaluation and proposes a number of improvements. These improvements include:
• Definition of an endpoint in the natural environment around which to evaluate risk;
• Estimation of risk from the cumulative stresses assaulting the endpoint;
• Using a specially established maximum acceptable concentration for the endpoint,
• rather than using an acute toxicity based on a fractional kill;
• (III Using a probabilistic analysis rather than a deterministic analysis, thus avoiding the
• use of an average or a worst-case scenario;
• Including a sensitivity and an uncertainty analysis.
Aspects of the improved environmental risk method are demonstrated in a case study.
The case study considered in this thesis evaluates the potential long-term effects to an important shellfish bed in a harbour near an oil refinery. Modelling is the analytical tool used. It is a relatively inexpensive method, compared with ongoing field-sampling and laboratory analysis, to identify specific chemicals, industrial operations, and sites which might require further testing and investigation.
The case study in this thesis focuses on an estimation of the annual volume of hydrocarbons spilled at the refinery wharf and also on the estimation of BTEX exposure from these spills. A large fraction of automotive petrol is composed of
BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene) and this was selected as the contaminant. Benzene is present in concentrations of order 5% w/w and the combined mono-aromatics, BTEX, amount to 45% w/w in New Zealand motor fuel (premium grade, 96 octane).
The exposure concentration was estimated from refinery wharf off-loading spills in
Whangarei Harbour, New Zealand to a nearby shellfish bed, the Mair Bank, at the mouth of the tidal estuary. The shellfish bed is not only a fishing resource, but also lends stability to the coastline where the petroleum refinery stands. BTEX is a significant contaminant to evaluate in regard to shellfish bed health because molluscs are generally more sensitive to light fuel or refined oils than crude oils.
The probable annual volume of all hydrocarbons spilled, as well as the probable exposure concentration over one operational year from small-scale, oil-spills were estimated from reconstructed historical frequency data and calculations of environmental transport. The frequency of harbour spills over 24 years was used from Northland Regional Council records. Unfortunately, only those spills estimated to be over one cubic meter in size were recorded and spills under one cubic meter were of most concern in this study. Therefore, in order to estimate the total number of spills per year, including those spills under one cubic meter, additional data were required.
Detailed spills data collected over five years from marine terminals were obtained from the California State Lands Commission. Using these data, two methods of data reconstruction were used. In general, the shape of the Californian spill-size distribution was maintained, although a frequency proportionality factor was used since spills were more frequent at this refinery wharf. In addition, there were large spills at the refinery wharf (4 in 24 years), so the tail of the distribution needed to be lengthened and thickened. The result was that the mean spill size at the refinery wharf was estimated at 0.166 and 2.55 cubic meters for each of the two reconstruction methods. The average number of spills per year in loading and unloading operations predicted by these methods were 112 and 98.
The exposure model combined and integrated the contaminant-transport rate processes. The significant rate processes affecting the exposure of BTEX or aromatic fraction of automotive petrol to the shellfish were evaporation, advection-induced dispersion, buoyancy-induced dispersion, and spill break-up or entrainment. Other transport processes were comparatively minor for the time frame of concern. The significant contaminant-transport rate processes were then combined with the dynamics of the natural environment to result in an exposure to the shellfish bed as a function of time. These dynamics included periodic tidal flow, temperature, and wind speed which fluctuated with the time of year.
The modelled exposures over time were compared with published sub-lethal, sensitive life-stage and adult lethal marine toxicity criteria. The exposure concentration range of interest in this study was the sub-lethal range which affected reproduction and growth.
Not only is the exposure concentration important, but also the frequency of exposure must be considered when evaluating shellfish health. Bivalves, in general, compared to fish and crustacea, have a very low level of activity of enzymes capable of metabolising organic contaminants, such as aromatic hydrocarbons and, once exposed, the time taken to rid tissue of the contaminant is critical.
Monte Carlo simulation results of spillage at the refinery wharf showed that depending on the spill-size distribution used, the annual volume may range from 15 to 283 cubic meters. The lower range of this spillage volume compared well, proportionately, with
Port Tauranga's published total of annual successful prosecutions for oil spillage.
Monte Carlo simulation results of Mair Bank shellfish exposure to BTEX for one year are available for several scenarios of input spill-size distribution and spill frequency.
These results indicate sub-lethal exposures greater than 10 pm BTEX at average intervals of 9 to 27 days and average exposure concentrations of 5000 to 19,500 ppb, respectively. This exposure frequency may not provide enough time between exposures for the shellfish to adequately recover. While a few excursions exceed the adult lethal toxic level, it is difficult to make fatality predictions for tidal creatures which have the ability to close up for long periods of time. What is of concern is that the exposures are closer together than the ability of the creatures to eliminate the toxins from their tissues.
The output of the Monte Carlo simulation was sensitive to the input probability distributions, as well as the number of transfer events in a year, and the evaporation rate. Small spills under 1 cubic meter were almost as damaging to the shellfish in terms of sublethal exposure as the large ones, 20 to 70 cubic meters. Because the evaporation rate was significant in this analysis of mono-aromatic compounds, the volatile aromatics in the smaller spills (less than about 0.060 cubic meters) would often evaporate completely, depending on the spill size and the time it took for the slick to get to the shellfish bed. Therefore, the greater the proportion of spills under 0.100 cubic meters, the smaller the exposure and the exposure frequency.
Because extensive chemical analyses or biological monitoring can be so expensive and because a natural community may appear healthy even when it is sick, the proposed methodology is a comparatively inexpensive way to check the need for further analysis.
The results of this analysis are the first step to determine the long-term risk to a nonhuman population. The next step is to refine population and growth models to include the effect of sub-lethal contaminants. Given the presently available distribution of spillage size and frequency, damage to the long-term health and population of this shellfish bed is possible. Further, more detailed analysis and monitoring are recommended.
50
ANYANWU, CHIJIOKE. "A Geospatial Analysis of the Health Impacts of Oil Spills in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1556104648333948.
Full text