Bart J. Baca

NET ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT ANALYSIS (NEBA) OF DISPERSED OIL ON NEARSHORE TROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS DERIVED FROM THE 20 YEAR “TROPICS” FIELD STUDY1

ABSTRACT In November 1984, non-treated Prudhoe Bay crude oil and dispersed Prudhoe Bay crude oil were intentionally released into two separate sites, representative of near shore mangrove, seagrass...

FRESHWATER OIL SPILL CONSIDERATIONS: PROTECTION AND CLEANUP

ABSTRACT Oil spills occurring in freshwater (and upper estuarine) environments produce different effects than similar spills in marine environments, and thus require different considerations in protection and cleanup. Freshwater spills are primarily land- or river-based, and retention time of the oil in the environment takes one of two extremes, either very brief or very long. As in the marine environment, spills in marshes (predominantly grasses and sedges) are generally most destructive, especially when marshes have little or no flushing. The return of the marsh to a natural state is dependent upon the amount and type of oil, the amount of flushing, the type of vegetation, the type of cleanup, and the potential for natural revegetation (recovery). Spills in swamps (predominantly shrubs and trees) are influenced by similar factors and by the amount and type of understory vegetation. Spills occurring in marsh and swamp habitats in rivers are much less destructive and frequently result in oiling of the out...

Continuing Long-Term Studies of the Tropics Panama Oil and Dispersed Oil Spill Sites

ABSTRACT The TROPICS (Tropical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems) oil spill experiment was conducted on the Caribbean coast of Panama, near Bocas del Toro. In November 1984, crude and dispersed crude oil were released in two separate boom-enclosed areas representative of intertidal mangrove and subtidal seagrass/coral ecosystems. The present information is based on site visits over the past two years, including 2002. Following the degradation of oil over the past 18 years, sheen identified from the spilled oil in 1994 is still visible in non-dispersed Oil Site sediments. In mangroves, previously denuded areas exposed to crude oil are currently occupied by new seedlings and saplings, which are growing rapidly but with morphological prop-root deformations. Tree mortality occurred in both the Dispersed Oil and Reference Sites, but was non-localized and appeared as natural mortality in aged trees. Recent data have revealed an invasion of seagrass beds by finger coral at the Oil Site. Since treat...

Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) of Dispersed Oil on Nearshore Tropical Ecosystems: Tropics – the 25th Year Research Visit

ABSTRACT The TROPICS (Tropical Investigations in Coastal Systems) field study began in 1983/84 near Bocas del Toro, Panama. The study was designed to examine the relative short and long-term effect...

TROPICS: 30-year Follow-up and Analysis of Mangroves, Invertebrates, and Hydrocarbons

ABSTRACT TROPICS (TRopical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems) has been the seminal study on trade-offs for Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) for dispersant use in tropical eco...

MIRG ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENT: AN OIL SPILL RESPONSE PLANNING TOOL FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO

ABSTRACT Several companies involved in the marine transportation of petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico have established the Marine Industry Group (MIRG). MIRG has funded two oil spill contingency plan...

RECENT BIOREMEDIATION RESULTS ON OIL SPILLED DURING THE 1991 GULF WAR1

ABSTRACT Over thirteen years ago, Iraqi soldiers caused the release of over 10 million barrels of oil into Arabian Gulf waters from various sources. The oil impacted the majority of the western Gul...

Gulf Coast Oil Spill Plans: Remediation and Restoration Adequacy

ABSTRACT This paper describes the results of a research effort commissioned by the U.S. Corps of Engineers to study the role of the oil spill contingency planning process in addressing two key elements of spill response: remediation and restoration. The analysis focuses on the role of contingency planning in optimizing the success of these two processes, and specifically how key shoreline remediation and restoration decisions are addressed and implemented in the Gulf Coast region.

QUANTITATIVE POLLUTION SPILL RISK ASSESSMENT : USING A GIS-BASED SYSTEM

Abstract Federal and State agencies have recently advocated risk-based analysis as a mechanism for advancing regulatory reform and safety determination in marine systems. the present investigation promotes this objective through the development of risk-based environmental planning strategies for oil spill contingency plans. This alternative approach to contingency planning departs from conventional methodology by employing quantitative risk assessment methods to identify hazardous oil spill zones and sensitive environmental areas, Ro and Re respectively. the product of this conversion is referenced on a single “Risk” layer within a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework allowing coastal managers to evaluate natural resource data with associated elements of oil spill risk. As a new tool for coastal pollution management, risk-based environmental planning strategies have shown potential for evolving more efficient oil spill contingency plans.

OSIMS: OIL SPILL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

ABSTRACT The oil spill information management system (OSIMS) is an integrated information management tool providing a graphical interface to a database of spill-related data and models. OSIMS combi...