1 Towards Mitigation of Environmental Risks
23
properties in the Baltic Proper and surface drift patterns in the Gulf of Finland, recommendations are given in Chap. 8 how to adjust the models using the existing
Eulerian velocity data in such conditions.
The following three chapters exploit the central idea of the entire technique,
namely, that a considerable decrease in environmental risk can be obtained by an
optimum design of the fairway (or the location of an installation), based on the detailed knowledge of certain underlying properties of sea currents. The essence is that
certain areas of semi-enclosed seas have a low probability of transport of released
substances towards high-cost areas, and should be used for potentially dangerous
activities.
The first outcome from the statistical analysis of Lagrangian trajectories on the
sea surface is the presence of a very rich, usually concealed internal structure of
semi-persistent transport patterns (Chap. 9). As described above, it is natural to assume that these patterns make the probability of transport of dangerous substances
or undesired items from different open sea areas to vulnerable sections (such as
spawning, nursing or also tourist areas) highly variable.
This assumption is found to be true for the targets areas (Gulf of Finland and
south-western Baltic Sea). It is shown that such patterns can be identified in a number of different characteristics of offshore waters such as the probability of currentinduced transport of an adverse impact released in a particular offshore domain to
the nearshore, or the time it takes for the impact to reach the coast (Chap. 10).
An substantial extension of the results based on ‘ideal’ pollution particles solely
advected by surface currents derived from the circulation modelling exercises to
much more realistic modelling of of the drift and fate of oil spills is presented in
Chap. 11 using the advanced oil spill model model currently in use in the Danish
Meteorological Institute. The results are used for the design of fairways in the Gulf
of Finland that also accounts for the direct impact of wind on the propagation of oil
in the marine environment. Finally, Chap. 11 presents some insight into the potential
impact of waves on the oil spill propagation in the Gulf of Finland.
We conclude the book with a short discussion of several aspects of potential
applications of the technology such as (i) in which sea areas solutions of this type
are feasible, (ii) how large the environmental benefit could be, (iii) how the new
solutions can be integrated with the existing operational oceanographic services,
and (iv) how such solutions can be used within (or additionally to) the existing
fairway planning and ship routing practice.
1.15 Concluding Remarks
Putting it short, the following chapters present both the foundations and details of
a technology to construct the fairway so that if an accident happens, the resulting
current-driven (oil) pollution will occur in the most favourable location in terms of
a simplified notion of the environmental risk. The described technology thus serves
as a natural extension of advisory on-board devices for safe routing and for the
operation of marine structures.
23
properties in the Baltic Proper and surface drift patterns in the Gulf of Finland, recommendations are given in Chap. 8 how to adjust the models using the existing
Eulerian velocity data in such conditions.
The following three chapters exploit the central idea of the entire technique,
namely, that a considerable decrease in environmental risk can be obtained by an
optimum design of the fairway (or the location of an installation), based on the detailed knowledge of certain underlying properties of sea currents. The essence is that
certain areas of semi-enclosed seas have a low probability of transport of released
substances towards high-cost areas, and should be used for potentially dangerous
activities.
The first outcome from the statistical analysis of Lagrangian trajectories on the
sea surface is the presence of a very rich, usually concealed internal structure of
semi-persistent transport patterns (Chap. 9). As described above, it is natural to assume that these patterns make the probability of transport of dangerous substances
or undesired items from different open sea areas to vulnerable sections (such as
spawning, nursing or also tourist areas) highly variable.
This assumption is found to be true for the targets areas (Gulf of Finland and
south-western Baltic Sea). It is shown that such patterns can be identified in a number of different characteristics of offshore waters such as the probability of currentinduced transport of an adverse impact released in a particular offshore domain to
the nearshore, or the time it takes for the impact to reach the coast (Chap. 10).
An substantial extension of the results based on ‘ideal’ pollution particles solely
advected by surface currents derived from the circulation modelling exercises to
much more realistic modelling of of the drift and fate of oil spills is presented in
Chap. 11 using the advanced oil spill model model currently in use in the Danish
Meteorological Institute. The results are used for the design of fairways in the Gulf
of Finland that also accounts for the direct impact of wind on the propagation of oil
in the marine environment. Finally, Chap. 11 presents some insight into the potential
impact of waves on the oil spill propagation in the Gulf of Finland.
We conclude the book with a short discussion of several aspects of potential
applications of the technology such as (i) in which sea areas solutions of this type
are feasible, (ii) how large the environmental benefit could be, (iii) how the new
solutions can be integrated with the existing operational oceanographic services,
and (iv) how such solutions can be used within (or additionally to) the existing
fairway planning and ship routing practice.
1.15 Concluding Remarks
Putting it short, the following chapters present both the foundations and details of
a technology to construct the fairway so that if an accident happens, the resulting
current-driven (oil) pollution will occur in the most favourable location in terms of
a simplified notion of the environmental risk. The described technology thus serves
as a natural extension of advisory on-board devices for safe routing and for the
operation of marine structures.