A mathematical model of an oil spill in the Upper Gulf of Thailand

Proper planning of oil pollution prevention, abatement as well as monitoring, for the Upper Gulf of Thailand requires a knowledge of the water mass transport. Magnitudes and directions of surface wind drift, fresh water and tidal currents have particular bearing on the movement and spreading processes of thin film layers of floating oil. Physical and chemical properties of oil govern the oil mass transfer. In response to the growing need for a knowledge of oil spill movement, a floating oil-spill movement model was constructed by the Division of Water Resources Engineering at the Asian Institute of Technology under a grant from the National Environment Board of Thailand. The results of the investigation leading to the construction of the model are presented in this report which contains the essential features involved in the analysis, and presents all significant findings of meteorologic and hydrodnamic conditions operating in the Upper Gulf. Techniques adopted in the quantitative assessments are also included. The model was satisfactorily verified using data from an actual spill. It is recommended that this oil spill movement model is used for further application in the Upper Gulf of Thailand.