TY - JOUR
T1 - Field fluorometers for assessing oil dispersion at sea
AU - Abou-Khalil, Charbel
AU - Ji, Wen
AU - Prince, Roger C.
AU - Coelho, Gina M.
AU - Nedwed, Tim J.
AU - Lee, Kenneth
AU - Boufadel, Michel C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/7
Y1 - 2023/7
N2 - Oil dispersion by the application of chemical dispersants is an important tool in oil spill response, but it is difficult to quantify in the field in a timely fashion that is useful for coordinators and decision-makers. One option is the use of rugged portable field fluorometers that can deliver essentially instantaneous results if access is attainable. The United States Coast Guard has suggested, in their Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies (SMART) protocols, that successful oil dispersion can be identified by a five-fold increase in oil fluorescence. Here we test three commercial fluorometers with different excitation/emission windows (SeaOWL, Cyclops 7F–O, and Cyclops 7F-G) that might prove useful for such applications. Results show that they have significantly different dynamic ranges for detecting oil and that using them (or similar instruments) in combination is probably the best option for successfully assessing the effectiveness of oil dispersion operations. Nevertheless, the rapid dilution of dispersed oil means that measurements must be made within an hour or two of dispersion, suggesting that one feasible scenario would be monitoring ship-applied dispersants by vessels following close behind the dispersant application vessel. Alternatively, autonomous submersibles might be pre-deployed to monitor aerial dispersant application, although the logistical challenges in a real spill would be substantial.
AB - Oil dispersion by the application of chemical dispersants is an important tool in oil spill response, but it is difficult to quantify in the field in a timely fashion that is useful for coordinators and decision-makers. One option is the use of rugged portable field fluorometers that can deliver essentially instantaneous results if access is attainable. The United States Coast Guard has suggested, in their Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies (SMART) protocols, that successful oil dispersion can be identified by a five-fold increase in oil fluorescence. Here we test three commercial fluorometers with different excitation/emission windows (SeaOWL, Cyclops 7F–O, and Cyclops 7F-G) that might prove useful for such applications. Results show that they have significantly different dynamic ranges for detecting oil and that using them (or similar instruments) in combination is probably the best option for successfully assessing the effectiveness of oil dispersion operations. Nevertheless, the rapid dilution of dispersed oil means that measurements must be made within an hour or two of dispersion, suggesting that one feasible scenario would be monitoring ship-applied dispersants by vessels following close behind the dispersant application vessel. Alternatively, autonomous submersibles might be pre-deployed to monitor aerial dispersant application, although the logistical challenges in a real spill would be substantial.
KW - Deployable fluorometers
KW - Fluorescence spectroscopy
KW - Fluorometry
KW - Oil spill dispersants
KW - Oil spills
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U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115143
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115143
M3 - Article
C2 - 37295253
AN - SCOPUS:85161318198
SN - 0025-326X
VL - 192
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
M1 - 115143
ER -