Numerical Modelling of Oil Spill Transport in Tide-Dominated Estuaries: A Case Study of Humber Estuary, UK
Oil spills in estuaries are less studied and less understood than their oceanic counterparts. To address this gap, we present a detailed analysis of estuarine oil spill transport. We develop and analyse a range of simulations for the Humber Estuary, using a coupled hydrodynamic and oil spill model....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/9/9/1034 |
| _version_ | 1797518603296178176 |
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| author | Chijioke D. Eke Babatunde Anifowose Marco J. Van De Wiel Damian Lawler Michiel A. F. Knaapen |
| author_facet | Chijioke D. Eke Babatunde Anifowose Marco J. Van De Wiel Damian Lawler Michiel A. F. Knaapen |
| author_sort | Chijioke D. Eke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Oil spills in estuaries are less studied and less understood than their oceanic counterparts. To address this gap, we present a detailed analysis of estuarine oil spill transport. We develop and analyse a range of simulations for the Humber Estuary, using a coupled hydrodynamic and oil spill model. The models were driven by river discharge at the river boundaries and tidal height data at the offshore boundary. Satisfactory model performance was obtained for both model calibration and validation. Some novel findings were made: (a) there is a statistically significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05) difference in the influence of hydrodynamic conditions (tidal range, stage and river discharge) on oil slick transport; and (b) because of seasonal variation in river discharge, winter slicks released at high water did not exhibit any upstream displacement over repeated tidal cycles, while summer slicks travelled upstream into the estuary over repeated tidal cycles. The implications of these findings for operational oil spill response are: (i) the need to take cognisance of time of oil release within a tidal cycle; and (ii) the need to understand how the interaction of river discharge and tidal range influences oil slick dynamics, as this will aid responders in assessing the likely oil trajectories. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:32:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9294738c0a0947c1a1e9d8a7afad5b6e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:32:04Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-9294738c0a0947c1a1e9d8a7afad5b6e2023-11-22T13:47:06ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122021-09-0199103410.3390/jmse9091034Numerical Modelling of Oil Spill Transport in Tide-Dominated Estuaries: A Case Study of Humber Estuary, UKChijioke D. Eke0Babatunde Anifowose1Marco J. Van De Wiel2Damian Lawler3Michiel A. F. Knaapen4Faculty of Engineering, Environment & Computing, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UKFaculty of Engineering, Environment & Computing, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UKCentre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR), Coventry University, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry CV8 3LG, UKCentre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR), Coventry University, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry CV8 3LG, UKHR Wallingford Ltd., Howbery Business Park, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford OX10 8BA, UKOil spills in estuaries are less studied and less understood than their oceanic counterparts. To address this gap, we present a detailed analysis of estuarine oil spill transport. We develop and analyse a range of simulations for the Humber Estuary, using a coupled hydrodynamic and oil spill model. The models were driven by river discharge at the river boundaries and tidal height data at the offshore boundary. Satisfactory model performance was obtained for both model calibration and validation. Some novel findings were made: (a) there is a statistically significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05) difference in the influence of hydrodynamic conditions (tidal range, stage and river discharge) on oil slick transport; and (b) because of seasonal variation in river discharge, winter slicks released at high water did not exhibit any upstream displacement over repeated tidal cycles, while summer slicks travelled upstream into the estuary over repeated tidal cycles. The implications of these findings for operational oil spill response are: (i) the need to take cognisance of time of oil release within a tidal cycle; and (ii) the need to understand how the interaction of river discharge and tidal range influences oil slick dynamics, as this will aid responders in assessing the likely oil trajectories.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/9/9/1034oil spillsHumberestuariesmodellingtide-dominatedTELEMAC |
| spellingShingle | Chijioke D. Eke Babatunde Anifowose Marco J. Van De Wiel Damian Lawler Michiel A. F. Knaapen Numerical Modelling of Oil Spill Transport in Tide-Dominated Estuaries: A Case Study of Humber Estuary, UK Journal of Marine Science and Engineering oil spills Humber estuaries modelling tide-dominated TELEMAC |
| title | Numerical Modelling of Oil Spill Transport in Tide-Dominated Estuaries: A Case Study of Humber Estuary, UK |
| title_full | Numerical Modelling of Oil Spill Transport in Tide-Dominated Estuaries: A Case Study of Humber Estuary, UK |
| title_fullStr | Numerical Modelling of Oil Spill Transport in Tide-Dominated Estuaries: A Case Study of Humber Estuary, UK |
| title_full_unstemmed | Numerical Modelling of Oil Spill Transport in Tide-Dominated Estuaries: A Case Study of Humber Estuary, UK |
| title_short | Numerical Modelling of Oil Spill Transport in Tide-Dominated Estuaries: A Case Study of Humber Estuary, UK |
| title_sort | numerical modelling of oil spill transport in tide dominated estuaries a case study of humber estuary uk |
| topic | oil spills Humber estuaries modelling tide-dominated TELEMAC |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/9/9/1034 |
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