Author(s)

Z.G. Ji, W.R. Johnson & C.F. Marshall

Abstract

Oil and gas activities in deepwater (areas deeper than 340 meters) have proceeded at an unprecedented rate, and have led to concerns about oil released by accidents near the seafloor. Oil and natural gas releases in deep water behave much differently than in shallow water. This is primarily because of the density stratification, high pressures, and low temperatures found in deep water. Some physical and chemical changes that occur in deepwater environments may significantly reduce the buoyancy of the plume and keep large amounts of the oil submerged for an extended time. This has significant implications for environmental impact assessment, oil-spill cleanup, contingency planning, and source tracing. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) performs an oil-spill risk analysis (OSRA) to estimate the

Keywords