A graphics-based oil spill tracking and coastal impact model for contingency planning

The US Coast Guard's (USCG) Marine Safety Office (MSO) in each port has the responsibility to perform detailed contingency planning to respond to oil and hazardous material releases in water. Contingency planning involves consideration of a vast amount of diverse data, such as traffic (shipping) volumes, historical spills, and locations of ecologically sensitive areas. Spill simulation models are generally used to identify potential danger areas to the public or the environment. Noting that a desk-top computer is a very effective tool in planning and management, the USCG initiated an effort in the late 1980s to develop a software system, called the Spill Response Information System (SRIS), to provide ports the ability to perform contingency planning using graphic displays of port areas, spill simulation models, and several port-specific databases. One of the simulation models included in the SRIS is the oil spill trajectory model. The principal purpose of this model is to evaluate potential oil impact areas under a variety of assumptions about spill locations, spill quantities, tidal phases, weather, and seasons. Such a simulation model will provide a basis for optimally locating response personnel and equipment. This paper describes the features of this module