The oil spill behaviour model of the Canadian atmospheric environment service Part I: Theory and model evaluation

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Abstract
This paper describes a model to simulate the behaviour of oil spills in marine environments. The model includes parametrizations of various physical processes representing the movement and weathering of an oil slick. The movement of the slick is affected by wind‐driven, tidal and residual water currents. Turbulent dispersion is an important mechanism influencing the horizontal spreading of the slick for time periods greater than about a day. The model is used to simulate successfully the movement of spill‐following buoys deployed in the Bay of Fundy, where some of the strongest tidal currents in the world occur. The ability of the model to simulate the horizontal spreading of an oil slick was evaluated with observed data from the Argo Merchant oil spill for a 10‐day period. It was found that the observed shape and extent of the spill could be fairly well described by the parametrization of turbulent dispersion effects.

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