Purpose: After simulating an actual oil spill even, you will understand how oceanographers help to protect marine resources from pollution such as oil spills. You will use an actual modeling program called GNOME, to observe and predict oil spill trajectories. You will understand how weather and ocean conditions can affect the fate of oil transport, and how modeling these conditions can help remediation efforts.
Hypothesis: If more air currents , then the oil will move faster.
Materials:
Procedure:
1) Set up the spill in the model using the "GNOME manual" and the details of the spill and local weather conditions provided below:
- Model Run Duration: 3 days
- Weather conditions:
Current: Davidson current ( "Relaxation state")
Wind: Variable
Day 1: NNW, 10 knots ( Auto increment by 24 hours)
Day 2: WNW, 10 Knots
Day 3: WSW, 15 Knots
- Spill location: 34 degrees 19'54" N and 119 degrees 36' 47'' W
- Spill amount: 100,000 barrels (non-weathering)
2) Simulate the oil spill by pushing the play button and pay attention to the wind, time, and location where oil comes onshore.
DAY 1: NNW , 10 KNOTS
The spill location released oil with a southwest direction to the sea , however by the wind the oil took a southeasterns directioon , going away from the Santa Barbara land. The spill started on December 6 2013 and finish in December 9 2013 at the same hour in which started (13:00) .Basically took 3 days for going away from Santa Barbara.
DAY 2: WNW , 10 KNOTS.
The spill started with a central expansion and later , it took a minimum direction of southwestern directioon , but didn't go any longer.
DAY 3: WSW , 15 KNOTS
The oil expand in its first position , making a circle , then it took a southwestern direction toughing the island in front of Santa Barbara .However this oil almost touch Santa Barbara land.
Part 1
Questions:
1) Does the spill you modeled agree with the local account of the actual Santa Barbara oil spill ( below) ? List some similarities and differences between the model and the observations of the actual spill.
Local account of the Oil Spill:
Santa Barbara was experiencing a stormy weather, with a large flood event occurred on January 25, just three days before the blowout. Enormous amounts of fresh water were still running off shore from local streams, flowing south and southwest in the vicinity of the rig. Combined with the prevailing north- north westerly winds typical of the area between storm systems, this pushed the expanding oil slick away from the shore. And it seemed for several days that the beaches of Santa Barbara would be spared. However, another huge storm system affected the region on February 4, with winds moving around the compass clockwise from southeast to west; this pushed the oil slick north into Santa Barbara harbor and onto all the beaches of the southern Santa Barbara County and northwestern Ventura County.
Answer to question 1 :
Yes , the spill that I modeled agree with the same factor described above .
Part 2What if the spill happened today?
Disaster! There has been an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara.
It is your job as a NOAA Oceanographer to do everything possible to reduce the impact of the oil spill on the coastal environment. There are 10 miles of booms available at the NOAA response station in Santa Barbara , but more booms and other coastal cleanup materials need to be loaded and driven from Los Angeles - this will take 24 hours.
You must decide where to deploy the 10 miles of booms in Santa Barbara and what to do with the remaining resources available a day later.
-Today's Weather Conditions :
Current: Winter (Sep - Feb) choose "Relaxation"
Spring (Feb- May) choose "Upwelling"
Summer(June-Aug) choose "Coonvergent"
Wind: 10 knots , ESE (all three days) or consult the local forecast.
-Spill location :34 degrees 19' 54" and N 119 degrees 36' 47" W
-Spill Amount : 100,000 barrels (non-weathering)
PART 2 QUESTIONS:
1)Describe some of the differences between the 1960 SAnta Brabara oil spill and this hypothecal spill.
With a spill location of 34 degrees 19 ' 54" N and 119 degrees 36 ' 47 " W and a ESE wind direction , we noticed that the spill started to grow and take a direction of northwest touching Santa Barbara land. Also we saw the big spill came up and go away , therefire another small spill came out too.
2) Where did the oil make landfall after the first day? How about the second and third days?
At the Santa Cruz Island and part of the Anacapa Island . As we saw in the maps above the oil just took a direction in which didn't touch more islands.
3)As a NOAA Oceanographer , where would you recommend the 10 miles of booms stored at Santa Barbara be deployed? Where would you send the extra resources from L.A : a day's drive away?
I would recommend the 10 miles of booms deployed at the limit of Oxnard and part of Santa Barbara.
Part 3Experiment with wind speed , direction and current .
Hypothesis: If more air currents , then the oil will move faster.
Materials:
- GNOME(General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment) installed with a location file. In this case we use the Santa Barbara Location file.
- Pencil
- Lab sheet
- GNOME manual
Procedure:
1) Set up the spill in the model using the "GNOME manual" and the details of the spill and local weather conditions provided below:
- Model Run Duration: 3 days
- Weather conditions:
Current: Davidson current ( "Relaxation state")
Wind: Variable
Day 1: NNW, 10 knots ( Auto increment by 24 hours)
Day 2: WNW, 10 Knots
Day 3: WSW, 15 Knots
- Spill location: 34 degrees 19'54" N and 119 degrees 36' 47'' W
- Spill amount: 100,000 barrels (non-weathering)
2) Simulate the oil spill by pushing the play button and pay attention to the wind, time, and location where oil comes onshore.
DAY 1: NNW , 10 KNOTS
The spill location released oil with a southwest direction to the sea , however by the wind the oil took a southeasterns directioon , going away from the Santa Barbara land. The spill started on December 6 2013 and finish in December 9 2013 at the same hour in which started (13:00) .Basically took 3 days for going away from Santa Barbara.
DAY 2: WNW , 10 KNOTS.
The spill started with a central expansion and later , it took a minimum direction of southwestern directioon , but didn't go any longer.
DAY 3: WSW , 15 KNOTS
The oil expand in its first position , making a circle , then it took a southwestern direction toughing the island in front of Santa Barbara .However this oil almost touch Santa Barbara land.
Part 1
Questions:
1) Does the spill you modeled agree with the local account of the actual Santa Barbara oil spill ( below) ? List some similarities and differences between the model and the observations of the actual spill.
Local account of the Oil Spill:
Santa Barbara was experiencing a stormy weather, with a large flood event occurred on January 25, just three days before the blowout. Enormous amounts of fresh water were still running off shore from local streams, flowing south and southwest in the vicinity of the rig. Combined with the prevailing north- north westerly winds typical of the area between storm systems, this pushed the expanding oil slick away from the shore. And it seemed for several days that the beaches of Santa Barbara would be spared. However, another huge storm system affected the region on February 4, with winds moving around the compass clockwise from southeast to west; this pushed the oil slick north into Santa Barbara harbor and onto all the beaches of the southern Santa Barbara County and northwestern Ventura County.
Answer to question 1 :
Yes , the spill that I modeled agree with the same factor described above .
Part 2What if the spill happened today?
Disaster! There has been an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara.
It is your job as a NOAA Oceanographer to do everything possible to reduce the impact of the oil spill on the coastal environment. There are 10 miles of booms available at the NOAA response station in Santa Barbara , but more booms and other coastal cleanup materials need to be loaded and driven from Los Angeles - this will take 24 hours.
You must decide where to deploy the 10 miles of booms in Santa Barbara and what to do with the remaining resources available a day later.
-Today's Weather Conditions :
Current: Winter (Sep - Feb) choose "Relaxation"
Spring (Feb- May) choose "Upwelling"
Summer(June-Aug) choose "Coonvergent"
Wind: 10 knots , ESE (all three days) or consult the local forecast.
-Spill location :34 degrees 19' 54" and N 119 degrees 36' 47" W
-Spill Amount : 100,000 barrels (non-weathering)
PART 2 QUESTIONS:
1)Describe some of the differences between the 1960 SAnta Brabara oil spill and this hypothecal spill.
With a spill location of 34 degrees 19 ' 54" N and 119 degrees 36 ' 47 " W and a ESE wind direction , we noticed that the spill started to grow and take a direction of northwest touching Santa Barbara land. Also we saw the big spill came up and go away , therefire another small spill came out too.
2) Where did the oil make landfall after the first day? How about the second and third days?
At the Santa Cruz Island and part of the Anacapa Island . As we saw in the maps above the oil just took a direction in which didn't touch more islands.
3)As a NOAA Oceanographer , where would you recommend the 10 miles of booms stored at Santa Barbara be deployed? Where would you send the extra resources from L.A : a day's drive away?
I would recommend the 10 miles of booms deployed at the limit of Oxnard and part of Santa Barbara.
Part 3Experiment with wind speed , direction and current .