[en] The 34th AMOP Arctic and marine oilspill conference was held in Banff, Alberta, Canada, from October 4th to October 6th, 2011. The aim of the Arctic and marine oilspill program (AMOP), which was started in 1978 by Environment Canada, is to help improve understanding of oil spills which occur in the Arctic marine environment and the technology for cleaning them up. This technical seminar is held every year by the Emergencies Science and Technology Section (ESTS) of Environment Canada and provides attendees with the opportunity to hear about some of the latest technologies and to discuss with other experts in the field of Arctic and marine environmental contamination and response. 38 out of the 61 papers presented during this conference have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database

[en] The paper proposes incorporating a comprehensive examination of spill risk into risk management and contingency planning, and applying state-of-the-art modeling tools to evaluate various alternatives for appropriate spill response measures and optimize protective responses. The approach allows spill contingency planners and decision-makers to determine the types of spill scenarios that may occur in a particular location or from a particular source and calculate the probability distribution of the various scenarios. The spill probability information is useful in assessing and putting into perspective the various costs options for spill control systems that will be recommended ultimately. Using advanced modeling tools helps in estimating the potential environmental and socioeconomic consequences of each spill scenario based on location-specific factors over a range of stochastic possibilities, simulating spill scenarios and determining optimal responses and protection strategies. The benefits and costs of various response alternatives and variations in response time can be calculated and modeling tools for training and risk allocation/transfer purposes used.

[en] This study presents an assessment of some of the existing oil spill tracking devices, mainly buoys, from 1970 up to the present time. The goal of this study is to evaluate the performance of oil tracking devices based on their design, deviation from the oil, and their accuracy in following spills as they move. A total of 33 different devices were tested, including oil sampling buoys, passive devices, buoys with incorporated radio tracking devices, and buoys for oceanographic purposes. Tests were held in different marine regions, with different oil types, and for varying test times. Results showed that deviations from the oil tracks varied between devices. It was suggested that testing time affects the buoy validation process, but that the kind of oil used has very little effect. Additionally, the testing process must be performed using real oil in regions where wind and current do not align. In conclusion, buoys fitted with satellite trackers were recommended, however those prepared for oceanographic purposes were not.

[en] In the event of a marine oil spill, managers have to make correct and rapid decisions, weighing a number of possibilities, which include natural attenuation, mechanical recovery, in situ burning, and/or chemical dispersion. To do this, the relative toxicity of physically and chemically dispersed fresh oil and the rates of biodegradation for fresh and weathered oil need to be understood in advance. A joint industry program was established in 2008 to research and discuss these areas. Phase 1 activities included determining the species relevant to the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea ecosystems, creating and setting up a toxicity and biodegradation laboratory with a cold room in Barrow, Alaska, developing collection and culture methods for test organisms, and developing toxicity and biodegradation test protocols. The second phase of this now completed research is discussed in this paper. It consisted of toxicity testing of the local environmentally significant species, the copepod (C. glacialis), Arctic cod (B. saida), and larval sculpin (Myoxocephalus sp.).

[en] This is an illustrative study of the National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP), and the technology behind oil spill monitoring in Canadian waters. The purpose of this study is to show how introducing the Maritime Surveillance System (MSS6000) revolutionized NASP, and how it made oil hot spot identification more efficient and accurate. A comparative approach was used to study NASP's approach before and after the MSS6000 system was installed in the surveillance aircrafts. Various parameters were taken into account, the most important of which were: area of coverage, temporal coverage, number of flights, and number of spills. Results showed that after the new technology was implemented, larger spatial coverage was achieved, hence, more spills were detected. Moreover, positional errors generated by GPS monitoring prior to the MSS6000 sensor were highly reduced, making surveillance efforts and oil spill detection more efficient. The study concludes by explaining how this technology helps in estimating water pollution due to oil spills correctly.

[en] The purpose of this study is to use wave-tank testing to predict spill behavior at sea. Spill researchers have used large outdoor wave tanks like Ohmsett to simulate at-sea conditions as the method of oil spill research and testing for more than 40 years. However, facilities such as Ohmsett, which is the largest of these wave tanks used for studying chemical dispersion of oil spills, are seen to be in need of further development to keep pace with new concerns. Over the past ten years, Ohmsett researchers have been committed to addressing decision-makers' questions concerning the inapplicability of bench-scale methods and the difficulty of sea tests. The factors they focused on were the limited operational effectiveness of dispersant s; the persistence of dispersant in treated oil slicks; procedures for monitoring effectiveness of dispersant applications; and the ability to extrapolate from bench-scale tests to predict dispersant performance at sea. Overall this paper presents the challenges of this work and briefly reviews the results so far.

[en] This study deals with revealing the sources of hydrocarbon contamination as a part of the forensic effort in reclamation and remediation. The goal is to show the importance of such information for assessing oil contamination levels and cleanup costs. This study deals with three particular cases where hydrocarbon levels were exceeded in soil samples. As part of the investigation process, a report on the source, age, and nature of the contamination was generated. The chemical investigation consisted of many steps, including mixing and equilibrating the samples with other chemicals, and scanning for oil biomarkers. After the analysis was finished, it was concluded that the fuels in the soil samples were from 14.7 to 15.6 years old, with a 2 year margin of error; however, a different methodology yielded a higher range, 20 to 24 years. Regarding the type of fuel, due to traces of alkylated benzenes and sesquiterpanes that were found, it was believed that the source of the oil was western Canada.

[en] Cleanup and recovery from an oil spill are difficult and depend upon many factors, including the type of oil spilled, the temperature of the water (affecting evaporation and biodegradation), and the types of shorelines and beaches involved. Oil spill model systems are used by industry and government to assist in planning and emergency decision making. The adequate description of the wind and current fields is of critical importance for the skill of the oil spill model prediction. This paper shows some examples of unrealistic results from conducted research in the underlying science of oil spills. Situations like inaccurate or false graphical data presentations, theoretical assumptions and computer based calculations are discussed showing that a large amount of data of questionable value has been used during oil spill responses. Consequently, in order to improve data quality and better understand the oil-spill cases, it is recommended to review information, equations, and results and present data which is valid, verifiable and applicable.

[en] This study provides an insight into the chemical composition of biofuels used in Canada and offers guidelines for a proper response plane in case of an oil spill of that kind. This work focuses on generating a revised version of the Manual for Spills of Hazardous Material to include biofuel spills based on their physical and chemical properties. An array of biofuel production sites was generated and the capacity and type of oil for each site was discussed. Based on the production method, the physical and chemical composition of the oils, and the recommendations from the manufacturers, unique worksheets for each oil type were generated. They contained important information about the oils and provided guidelines for safety measures in the case of unfortunate events. It was suggested that this effort was driven by the increasing risk of biofuel spills due to the growing demand for these fuels.

[en] This study deals with Deepwater Horizon oil spills, especially their oil transport pattern. The aim of this study was to produce a planning model that can generate statistical images of oil travelling schemes in marine waters over relatively long periods of time. It was mentioned that such models are highly dependent on the wind and water current levels of the impacted areas. Nevertheless, it was challenging to generate weather and current maps for the long run, which is why a scheme called Trajectory Analysis Planner was implemented to do the job based on historical data on the area under study, MC 252. As the maps were generated and the model was run to cover the period of 120 days, images showing oil movement and the off-shore regions affected were produced. These images were used to show the effect of Eddy-Franklin loops in diverting oil spills away from current loops, hence away from southern Florida in this particular case.