Risk assessment of oil spills in the NEOM region

  • Ana Kenia Carrasco Franco (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) (Creator)

Dataset

Description

This study aims to assess the risk from oil spills in the NEOM region based on marine traffic, with the aid of Modelo HidrodinĂ¢mico (MOHID), oil spill model driven by the outputs of a validated regional met-ocean data set. The region is classified into two sub-regions: the immediate region, extending 50 km in both directions (north and south) along the coastline from the pinpoint location of NEOM; and the extended region, covering as additional 50 km coastal segments in both directions. A total of 15 spill locations are selected in the regions of high marine traffic density, and for each location a total of 48 instantaneous spill events are considered, triggered at the beginning of each month during the period 2013-2016. An independent simulation is conducted for each event, tracking the evolution of the spill over a 30 day period. Simulation results are analyzed to estimate three hazard metrics, namely the volume beached at the end of the month, arrival time to the coast, and the rise time of the beached volume profile. Based on these metrics and historical data on the oceanic-atmosphericconditions, oil spill risk maps are generated, signaling hot spots. Also, an analysis of the seasoned circulation effects on the fate of the oil spills is conducted. The results of this study provide useful information for assessing the impact of an oil spill contamination, and designing monitoring and mitigation measures.
Date made available2021
PublisherKAUST Research Repository

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