A Shoreline Response Program (SRP) Decision Support Tool based on the Geographic Variability in Attenuation and Weathering of Stranded Oil.

Abstract

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.