4
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_1
Chapter 1
Introduction to the Volume
Steven A. Murawski, Cameron H. Ainsworth, Sherryl Gilbert,
David J. Hollander, Claire B. Paris, Michael Schlüter, and Dana L. Wetzel
Abstract Over half of the US supply of marine-derived crude oil now comes from
wells deeper than 1500 meters (one statute mile) water depth – classified by industry and
government regulators as “ultra-deep” production. A number of factors make ultra-deep
exploration and production much more challenging than shallow- water plays, including
strong ocean currents, extremely high pressures and low temperatures at the sea bottom,
varied sub-bottom rock and sediment strata, and high oil and gas reservoir pressures/
temperatures. All of these factors, combined with the extremely high production costs of
ultra-deep wells, create enormous challenges to explore, develop, and produce from
ultra-deep oil and gas extraction facilities safely and with minimal environmental damage. In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon and other well blowouts, a considerable
body of scientific research on the fate of spilled oil and the resulting environmental
effects of deep blowouts has emerged. This and a companion volume, published by
Springer, Scenarios and Responses to Future Deep Oil Spills: Fighting the Next War, are
intended to contribute to the ongoing and important task of synthesizing what we know
now and identifying critical “known-unknowns” for future investigation. How can society minimize the risks and make informed choices about trade-offs in the advent of
another ultra-deep blowout? Also, what research questions, experiments, and approaches
remain to be undertaken which will aid in reducing risk of similar incidents and their
S. A. Murawski (*) · C. H. Ainsworth · S. Gilbert · D. J. Hollander
University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: smurawski@usf.edu; ainsworth@usf.edu; sherryl@usf.edu; davidh@usf.edu
C. B. Paris
University of Miami, Department of Ocean Sciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine &
Atmospheric Science, Miami, FL, USA
e-mail: cparis@rsmas.miami.edu
M. Schlüter
Hamburg University of Technology, Institute of Multiphase Flows, Hamburg, Germany
e-mail: michael.schlueter@tu-harburg.de
D. L. Wetzel
Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, USA
e-mail: dana@mote.org
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_1
Chapter 1
Introduction to the Volume
Steven A. Murawski, Cameron H. Ainsworth, Sherryl Gilbert,
David J. Hollander, Claire B. Paris, Michael Schlüter, and Dana L. Wetzel
Abstract Over half of the US supply of marine-derived crude oil now comes from
wells deeper than 1500 meters (one statute mile) water depth – classified by industry and
government regulators as “ultra-deep” production. A number of factors make ultra-deep
exploration and production much more challenging than shallow- water plays, including
strong ocean currents, extremely high pressures and low temperatures at the sea bottom,
varied sub-bottom rock and sediment strata, and high oil and gas reservoir pressures/
temperatures. All of these factors, combined with the extremely high production costs of
ultra-deep wells, create enormous challenges to explore, develop, and produce from
ultra-deep oil and gas extraction facilities safely and with minimal environmental damage. In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon and other well blowouts, a considerable
body of scientific research on the fate of spilled oil and the resulting environmental
effects of deep blowouts has emerged. This and a companion volume, published by
Springer, Scenarios and Responses to Future Deep Oil Spills: Fighting the Next War, are
intended to contribute to the ongoing and important task of synthesizing what we know
now and identifying critical “known-unknowns” for future investigation. How can society minimize the risks and make informed choices about trade-offs in the advent of
another ultra-deep blowout? Also, what research questions, experiments, and approaches
remain to be undertaken which will aid in reducing risk of similar incidents and their
S. A. Murawski (*) · C. H. Ainsworth · S. Gilbert · D. J. Hollander
University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
e-mail: smurawski@usf.edu; ainsworth@usf.edu; sherryl@usf.edu; davidh@usf.edu
C. B. Paris
University of Miami, Department of Ocean Sciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine &
Atmospheric Science, Miami, FL, USA
e-mail: cparis@rsmas.miami.edu
M. Schlüter
Hamburg University of Technology, Institute of Multiphase Flows, Hamburg, Germany
e-mail: michael.schlueter@tu-harburg.de
D. L. Wetzel
Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, USA
e-mail: dana@mote.org