#1141234 The coastal waters of Canada embrace a wide range of physical environments and ecosystems from the warm, sediment-rich waters of the Bay of Fundy to the nutrient-limited cold waters of the high Arctic. This range of biophysical characteristics impacts natural attenuation and weathering processes for oil stranded on shorelines. This study was conducted to: 1) identify and quantify the primary regional parameters that control shoreline oil translocation (removal) processes and pathways and 2) define the effectiveness and environmental consequences of current and potential oiled shoreline treatment strategies and tactics. A specific knowledge gap, here and elsewhere in the world, has been in understanding how the distribution and character of fine-grained sediments affect stranded oil attenuation. Fine-grained sediments (<1mm) can play a critical role in natural or induced (that is, shoreline treatment) oil dispersal. Shoreline sediment samples were collected and analyzed from representative locations on Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific Ocean beaches to provide a broad geographic characterization of mineral fines at the regional level. This knowledge is the basis for an “Oiled Shoreline Response Program (SRP) Decision Support Tool” to aid spill scientists, students, environmental resource managers, spill responders and the public in understanding the response methods and the ramifications and consequences of their shoreline treatment options without the need to digest technical papers, large reports, or data bases. This MPRI SRP Decision Support Tool is intended to be a dynamic, interactive, multi-layered, geographically and seasonally-based model for shoreline oil spill response decision analyses. A goal of this interactive model is to move away from the traditional static format of learning from explanations in text reports and publications to an interactive tool that encourages its users to explore and fully understand the significance of the different environmental factors outlined in publications and data bases. Recent advances in web technology make this possible. The development of user interface platforms such as React, libraries such as D3, and notebook forms like Observable has created a palette of technologies that together make web application patterns such as Documodels a much more streamlined development process. The power of this medium is to convey a complex subject and to enable a user to grasp keen insights and so understand the consequences of intervention decisions.
#2017-302 Traditional Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) data workflows typically entail collecting data in the field using notebooks, handheld GPS units and digital cameras, transcribing these data onto paper forms, and then manually entering into a local database. Processed data are pushed to a SCAT geographical information system (GIS) specialist, ultimately providing exports as paper and electronic versions of maps, spreadsheets and reports. The multiple and sometimes iterative steps required can affect the dissemination of accurate and timely information to decision makers and compound the potential for introducing errors into the data. To improve this process a revised SCAT data workflow has been developed that decreases data processing steps and time requirements while increasing data accuracy in several facets of the process. The workflow involves using mobile data collection devices in the field to capture attribute data, photographs and geospatial data. These data are uploaded to a web-enabled database that allows field team members to complete, review and adjust their data, along with data manager approval before presentation to others in the response. For response personnel with internet access and proper login credentials, SCAT data, including photographs, reports and results can be searched for by attribute, time or location, and reviewed online in form view or on a web map. For traditional SCAT spatial analysis products, approved data can be exported and processed in a GIS as normal, but can also be returned to the web-enabled database to be viewed on a map or distributed via web mapping services (WMS) to other web GIS data viewers or common operating pictures (COPs). Field testing of the improved workflow shows decreased data processing time for data, a more robust yet streamlined quality assurance and quality control process (QA/QC), and easier more inclusive access to the data relative to traditional paper forms and data processing. While the improved workflow entails a steeper learning curve and a heavier reliance on technology than traditional SCAT workflows, the benefits are significant.
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