86
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_6
Chapter 6
The Importance of Understanding
Transport and Degradation of Oil
and Gasses from Deep-Sea Blowouts
Karen J. Murray, Paul D. Boehm, and Roger C. Prince
Abstract Assessing the environmental impact of spilled oil and gas requires an
understanding of both the petroleum’s movement and the physical and chemical
changes it undergoes after the release. Deep subsea releases differ from surface
releases primarily because of the extended interaction of the oil and gas with the
water column prior to atmospheric exposure. Furthermore, the remote locations and
uncertain volumes of deep subsea oil and gas releases result in logistical challenges
to data collection both during and after a release. However, there have been multiple
subsea releases with large-scale environmental investigations, and the extensive
investigation undertaken during and after the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill
resulted in an especially comprehensive empirical data set. The specific chemical
and physical properties of the oil and gas mixtures in subsea releases differ between
spills, and the DWH investigation and others have highlighted the importance of
understanding biodegradation rates and transport to offshore sediments. The field and
experimental data collected during and after a spill can improve oil fate prediction
when incorporated into comprehensive oil spill models.
Keywords Oil spills · Biodegradation · Deepwater Horizon · NRDA
6.1 Introduction
Deep subsea oil and gas release scenarios are quite different from typical surface
releases, such as those from tankers, shallow platforms, or pipeline leaks of liquid
oil. The volume of a subsurface release is often uncertain, as oil is released from a
large reservoir usually over an extended period, and the reconstruction of those
releases is prone to large uncertainties because of uncertainties in various data sets
K. J. Murray (*) · P. D. Boehm
Exponent, Inc., Maynard, MA, USA
e-mail: kmurray@exponent.com; pboehm@exponent.com
R. C. Prince
Stonybrook Apiary, Pittstown, NJ, USA
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
S. A. Murawski et al. (eds.), Deep Oil Spills,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11605-7_6
Chapter 6
The Importance of Understanding
Transport and Degradation of Oil
and Gasses from Deep-Sea Blowouts
Karen J. Murray, Paul D. Boehm, and Roger C. Prince
Abstract Assessing the environmental impact of spilled oil and gas requires an
understanding of both the petroleum’s movement and the physical and chemical
changes it undergoes after the release. Deep subsea releases differ from surface
releases primarily because of the extended interaction of the oil and gas with the
water column prior to atmospheric exposure. Furthermore, the remote locations and
uncertain volumes of deep subsea oil and gas releases result in logistical challenges
to data collection both during and after a release. However, there have been multiple
subsea releases with large-scale environmental investigations, and the extensive
investigation undertaken during and after the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill
resulted in an especially comprehensive empirical data set. The specific chemical
and physical properties of the oil and gas mixtures in subsea releases differ between
spills, and the DWH investigation and others have highlighted the importance of
understanding biodegradation rates and transport to offshore sediments. The field and
experimental data collected during and after a spill can improve oil fate prediction
when incorporated into comprehensive oil spill models.
Keywords Oil spills · Biodegradation · Deepwater Horizon · NRDA
6.1 Introduction
Deep subsea oil and gas release scenarios are quite different from typical surface
releases, such as those from tankers, shallow platforms, or pipeline leaks of liquid
oil. The volume of a subsurface release is often uncertain, as oil is released from a
large reservoir usually over an extended period, and the reconstruction of those
releases is prone to large uncertainties because of uncertainties in various data sets
K. J. Murray (*) · P. D. Boehm
Exponent, Inc., Maynard, MA, USA
e-mail: kmurray@exponent.com; pboehm@exponent.com
R. C. Prince
Stonybrook Apiary, Pittstown, NJ, USA