Atmospheric emissions from the Deepwater Horizon spill constrain air-water partitioning, hydrocarbon fate, and leak rate

Mathematics – Logic

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

3

Atmospheric Composition And Structure: Air/Sea Constituent Fluxes (3339, 4504), Atmospheric Composition And Structure: Troposphere: Composition And Chemistry, Marine Geology And Geophysics: Gas And Hydrate Systems, Oceanography: General: Marine Pollution (0345, 0478), Oceanography: Biological And Chemical: Chemical Tracers

Scientific paper

The fate of deepwater releases of gas and oil mixtures is initially determined by solubility and volatility of individual hydrocarbon species; these attributes determine partitioning between air and water. Quantifying this partitioning is necessary to constrain simulations of gas and oil transport, to predict marine bioavailability of different fractions of the gas-oil mixture, and to develop a comprehensive picture of the fate of leaked hydrocarbons in the marine environment. Analysis of airborne atmospheric data shows massive amounts (˜258,000 kg/day) of hydrocarbons evaporating promptly from the Deepwater Horizon spill; these data collected during two research flights constrain air-water partitioning, thus bioavailability and fate, of the leaked fluid. This analysis quantifies the fraction of surfacing hydrocarbons that dissolves in the water column (˜33% by mass), the fraction that does not dissolve, and the fraction that evaporates promptly after surfacing (˜14% by mass). We do not quantify the leaked fraction lacking a surface expression; therefore, calculation of atmospheric mass fluxes provides a lower limit to the total hydrocarbon leak rate of 32,600 to 47,700 barrels of fluid per day, depending on reservoir fluid composition information. This study demonstrates a new approach for rapid-response airborne assessment of future oil spills.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Atmospheric emissions from the Deepwater Horizon spill constrain air-water partitioning, hydrocarbon fate, and leak rate does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Atmospheric emissions from the Deepwater Horizon spill constrain air-water partitioning, hydrocarbon fate, and leak rate, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Atmospheric emissions from the Deepwater Horizon spill constrain air-water partitioning, hydrocarbon fate, and leak rate will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-766239

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.