Oil Spill Hydrodynamics, from Droplets to Oil Slicks

A fundamental challenge in proposing a model for the fate of oil in oceans relates to the extreme spatio-temporal scales required by hazard/abatement studies. We formulate a multiscale model that takes into account droplet dynamics and its effects on submerged and surface oil. The upscaling of the microphysics, within a mass conserving model, allows us to resolve oil mass exchanges between the oil found on the turbulent ocean surface and the ocean interior.

In addition to presenting the model and the mutl-scale methodology we apply this upscaling to the evolution of oil on shelves and show how nearshore oil spills demonstrate dynamics that are not easily captured by oil models based on idealized tracer dynamics. In particular we demonstrate how oil can slow down and even park itself under certain oceanic conditions. An explanation for this phenomenon is proposed as well.