Introduction
Study of oil slick spreading in marine environments is important for preserving natural assets from possible environmental damages. When oil spills occur, one of the first questions is “Where will the oil go?” Pollutants, such as oil, float on the surface and move through and along with the water. Computer models are tools that help predict the path of pollutants. They help minimize oil spill impacts by estimating the landfall and movement of oil. Plans for protecting the environment, society, and the economy require reliable forecasts that predict where oil will spread in the event of a spill.
In this paper, three numerical models are combined to predict the behavior of oil slick spreading after spillage. To verify the model results they are compared with an oil spill field data near the coast of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL
A developed 2-D depth-averaged hydrodynamic model is applied here to simulate the tidal currents as the basic modeling component of oil slick spreading in the Persian Gulf.
WIND AND WAVE FORCAST DATA
The wind and wave data during oil slick was adopted from the outputs of a new forecast model at Ports and Maritime organization (PMO) for the Persian Gulf. Using the results of an ensemble prediction system developed for the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to predict surface wind over the Persian Gulf
This work is devoted to present the results of an ensemble prediction system developed for the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to predict surface wind over the Persian Gulf.
The waves are simulated by introducing the modeled wind field to the wave generation/propagation model which has been calibrated and verified for the Persian Gulf. The hydrodynamic model is applied here to simulate the tidal currents in the Persian Gulf.
SIMULATION AND PREDICTION OF SPILLAGE
To verify the oil spill model the oil trajectory model is run for 26 days from Jan 24th to Feb 18th, 1991 where the tidal currents are derived from the outputs of hydrodynamic model. The effects of wind, wave and tidal currents are taken into account. An oil spill size of 240 million gallons was assumed at or near Al-Ahmadi terminal. The effects of wind, wave and tidal currents are taken into account. The outputs of the model, extracted on 27th January, 12th February and 18th February, are compared with the observations of oil slick.