Multidisciplinary oil spill modeling to protect coastal communities and the environment of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

We present new mathematical and geological models to assist civil protection authorities in the mitigation of potential oil spill accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Oil spill simulations for 19 existing offshore wells were carried out based on novel and high resolution bathymetric, meteorological, oceanographic, and geomorphological data. The simulations show a trend for east and northeast movement of oil spills into the Levantine Basin, affecting the coastal areas of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Oil slicks will reach the coast in 1 to 20 days, driven by the action of the winds, currents and waves. By applying a qualitative analysis, seabed morphology is for the first time related to the direction of the oil slick expansion, as it is able to alter the movement of sea currents. Specifically, the direction of the major axis of the oil spills, in most of the cases examined, is oriented according to the prevailing azimuth of bathymetric features. This work suggests that oil spills in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea should be mitigated in the very few hours after their onset, and before wind and currents disperse them. We explain that protocols should be prioritized between neighboring countries to mitigate any oil spills.

Comparison of Oil Spill Classifications Using Fully and Compact Polarimetric SAR Images

“…Particularly, evaporation, emulsification and sinking are important related slick detections by SAR. Studies [40,41] indicate that the percentages of oil trapped, evaporated and at the surface vary with the type of oil spilt and with the location in which spills are firstly generated. In essence, the movement of oil, its original type/density and the time that leads to its emulsification/evaporation/sinking are variable in different oil spills.…”

The contribution of pattern recognition techniques in geomorphology and geology: the case study of Tinos Island (Cyclades, Aegean, Greece)

“…Metamorphic and igneous rocks (Hejl, Riedl, & Weingartner, 2002) prevail in the numerous outcropping islands of this plateau, while sedimentary sequences are limited, possibly related with the low fluvial discharges (Poulos, 2009) into the sea. Offshore sedimentological studies (Anagnostou, Sioulas, Karageorgis, Pavlakis, & Alexandri, 1993;Karageorgis, Anagnostou, Sioulas, Chronis, & Papathanassiou, 1998;Lykousis, 2001 ;Lykousis, Anagnostou, Pavlakis, Rousakis, & Alexandri, 1995), based on side-scan sonar images and high-resolution acoustic profiles, indicated the presence of sandy sediments arranged in the form (thickness 6 m) of sand dunes, ribbons and ripples. Kapsimalis et al (2009) used acoustic, bathymetric and archaeological data to study the Quaternary stratigraphy and internal structure of the Cycladic shelf aiming to provide information for the archaeological potential of this area.…”

“…The methodology, concerning the processing of the DEM, has been developed by Panagiotakis and Kokinou (2014, 2015, 2017) and it has been successfully applied in previous studies (Alves et al, 2015(Alves et al, , 2016Kokinou, 2015;Kokinou & Kopp, 2015). The main steps of this method are:…”

Mathematical Modeling of Marine Oil Spills in the Luanjiakou District, near the Port of Yantai

“…The increasing energy demands have resulted in the increased exploitation of fossil energy, such as crude oil and gas [1][2][3]. Consequently, the risk of oil spill accidents has also increased.…”

“…These accidents can result in severe damage to the marine environment [4][5][6]. Therefore, in recent years, governments worldwide have strengthened the overall management of the water transportation of oil and have fostered scientific research on the movement properties of oil in water [1][2][3]7].…”