Operational oil spill trajectory modelling using HF radar currents: A northwest European continental shelf case study

Ana J. Abascal*, Jorge Sanchez, Helios Chiri, María I. Ferrer, Mar Cárdenas, Alejandro Gallego, Sonia Castanedo, Raúl Medina, Andrés Alonso-Martirena, Barbara Berx, William R. Turrell, Sarah L. Hughes

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This paper presents a novel operational oil spill modelling system based on HF radar currents, implemented in a northwest European shelf sea. The system integrates Open Modal Analysis (OMA), Short Term Prediction algorithms (STPS) and an oil spill model to simulate oil spill trajectories. A set of 18 buoys was used to assess the accuracy of the system for trajectory forecast and to evaluate the benefits of HF radar data compared to the use of currents from a hydrodynamic model (HDM). The results showed that simulated trajectories using OMA currents were more accurate than those obtained using a HDM. After 48 h the mean error was reduced by 40%. The forecast skill of the STPS method was valid up to 6 h ahead. The analysis performed shows the benefits of HF radar data for operational oil spill modelling, which could be easily implemented in other regions with HF radar coverage.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)336-350
Number of pages15
JournalMarine Pollution Bulletin
Volume119
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Jun 2017

Keywords

  • Drifting buoys
  • HF radar
  • Oil spill modelling
  • Operational forecasting

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