Forecasting of oil-spill trajectories by using SCHISM and X-band radar

Chi-Min Chiu; Ching-Jer Huang; Li-Chung Wu; Yinglong Joseph Zhang; Laurence Zsu-Hsin Chuang; Yangming Fan; Hao-Cheng Yu

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.060

Forecasting of oil-spill trajectories by using SCHISM and X-band radar

Mar Pollut Bull. 2018 Dec:137:566-581. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.060. Epub 2018 Nov 10.

Authors

Chi-Min Chiu¹, Ching-Jer Huang², Li-Chung Wu³, Yinglong Joseph Zhang⁴, Laurence Zsu-Hsin Chuang¹, Yangming Fan³, Hao-Cheng Yu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 70101, Taiwan.
² Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 70101, Taiwan; Coastal Ocean Monitoring Center, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 70101, Taiwan. Electronic address: cjhuang@mail.ncku.edu.tw.
³ Coastal Ocean Monitoring Center, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 70101, Taiwan.
⁴ Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, 1375 Greate Road, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA.
⁵ Department of Marine Environment and Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, 70 Lien-Hai Road, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.

PMID: 30503470
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.060

Abstract

In this study, we propose a two-step strategy for tracking oil-spill trajectories. First, an X-band radar is established to monitor oil spills. Accordingly, we propose a radar image-processing technique for identifying the oil slicks from the nautical radar images. Second, we apply the SCHISM to determine the water surface elevations and currents at the event site and obtain the trajectories of the oil slicks using a Lagrangian particle-tracking method incorporated in the SCHISM. An oil-spill event caused by the container ship T. S. Taipei is used as a case study for testing the capability of the proposed oil-tracking strategy. The SCHISM simulation results for the fouled coastline obtained using the wind data from a nearby data buoy agree quite well with those obtained from field observations. However, the predicted fouled coastline based on the forecasted wind data is unsatisfactory. The reasons for the unsatisfactory prediction are discussed and revealed.

Keywords: Container ship T. S. Taipei; Oil spill; Oil-spill trajectories; SCHISM; X-band radar.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring / methods
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods
Petroleum Pollution / analysis*
Radar*
Ships*
Taiwan
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*
Wind

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical