title: Simulating pathways of subsurface oil in the Faroe-Shetland Channel using an ocean general circulation model.
abstract: Little is known about the fate of subsurface hydrocarbon plumes from deep-sea oil well blowouts and their effects on processes and communities. As deepwater drilling expands in the Faroe-Shetland Channel (FSC), oil well blowouts are a possibility, and the unusual ocean circulation of this region presents challenges to understanding possible subsurface oil pathways in the event of a spill. Here, an ocean general circulation model was used with a particle tracking algorithm to assess temporal variability of the oil-plume distribution from a deep-sea oil well blowout in the FSC. The drift of particles was first tracked for one year following release. Then, ambient model temperatures were used to simulate temperature-mediated biodegradation, truncating the trajectories of particles accordingly. Release depth of the modeled subsurface plumes affected both their direction of transport and distance travelled from their release location, and there was considerable interannual variability in transport.
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom; Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Western Isles Office, Talla na Mara, Pairc Niseaboist, Harris, HS3 3AE, United Kingdom. Electronic address: charlie.main@rspb.org.uk.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Main
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yool
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Holliday
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Popova
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D O B
authors.initials: DOB
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Ruhl
mesh_terms: D001110:Arctic Regions; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D020563:Gammaproteobacteria / Q000254:growth & development; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D061329:Oil and Gas Fields; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D014872:Water Movements
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons
keywords: Blowout; GCM; Oil spill; Plumes; Pollution