Three-Dimensional Oil Spill Modelling for Coastal Waters
J. Papadimitrakis, M. Psaltaki, M. Christolis, and N. Markatos
This paper describes, briefly, a deterministic three-dimensional model developed to simulate the trajectory and fate of hypothetical oil spills in coastal waters. The model solves a set of PDE’s for two-phase turbulent flow, considering heat and mass transfer among the phases involved and the physical, chemical and biological processes that govern the behavior of oil spills at sea. The model has also incorporated the influence of breaking waves on oil spills, by properly enhancing water turbulence and the natural dispersion of oil in the water column. Model performance is appraised, in the framework of impact assessment studies, by applying it in two particular coastal regions of different topography and bathymetry located in the Aegean Sea, near the island of Lesvos and in the Evoikos bay.