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A simulation model for oil slick transport in lakes
Author(s) -
Shen Hung Tao,
Yapa Poojitha D.,
Petroski Mark E.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr023i010p01949
Subject(s) - advection , shore , geology , environmental science , current (fluid) , volume of fluid method , buoyancy , dispersion (optics) , meteorology , hydrology (agriculture) , geotechnical engineering , mechanics , flow (mathematics) , oceanography , physics , optics , thermodynamics
A computer model for simulating oil slick movement in lakes by a Lagrangian discrete parcel algorithm is presented. In this model the transformation of an oil slick due to advection, spreading, evaporation, and dissolution is considered. For open water conditions the movement of the oil slick by water current and wind is considered using the drifting factor formulation. For ice‐covered conditions the drift velocity is determined according to the ice roughness and current velocity. The current distribution in the lake is determined by a rigid lid circulation model. In the spreading process the mechanical spreading of the oil slick due to the balance in inertia, gravity, viscous, and surface tension forces is considered, in addition to the dispersion of the surface oil layer. Boundary conditions along the shore are formulated according to the storage capacity of the shoreline. The model can be used for simulating either instantaneous or continuous oil spills. Sample simulations for oil spills in Lake St. Clair are presented.