Submesoscale variability enhances shoreline oiling: deepwater blowout simulations in the Agulhas current

被引：0

作者：

Fearon, Giles ^{[1
]}

Bracco, Annalisa ^{[2
]}

Reich, Danielle Ameen ^{[3
]}

机构：

[1] South African Environm Observat Network, Egagasini Node, Cape Town, South Africa

[2] Georgia Inst Technol, Sch Earth & Atmospher Sci, Atlanta, GA USA

[3] Shoals Edge Consulting, Wenham, MA USA

来源：

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN | 2024年 / 205卷

关键词：

Oil spill modeling; Deepwater blowout; Western boundary current; Agulhas current; Ocean model resolution; Submesoscale variability; DROPLET SIZE DISTRIBUTION; NORTHERN GULF; SURFACE; TRANSPORT; DISPERSION; MODEL; CONVERGENCE; VELOCITY; IMPACTS; SYSTEM;

D O I：

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116526

中图分类号：

X [环境科学、安全科学];

学科分类号：

08 ; 0830 ;

摘要：

This study critically examines oil spill simulations for a hypothetical 15 day deepwater blowout spill scenario off the east coast of South Africa, coincident with the upper reaches of the Agulhas Current. Our aim is to quantify the impact of submesoscale circulations on the fate of the oil by comparing a submesoscale permitting (2.5 km) versus a mesoscale resolving (7.5 km) ocean model. The bimodal nature of the Agulhas Current plays a crucial role in the fate of the oil. Off the east coast, the relative stability of the current limits shoreline impacts, while downstream the increased variability of the current and its meandering is associated with the generation of submesoscale circulations that drive entrainment of oil onto the continental shelf. Oil entrainment is therefore enhanced in the submesoscale permitting model, and the predicted oiling of South Africa's south coast is found to vary in concert with seasonally varying winds.

引用

页数：14