A pre-operational oceanographic system as part of the response to the Prestige oil spill in Cantabria (Spain)

Abstract

This paper presents a pre-operational oceanographic system which was developed to provide guidance for the actions taken in response to the Prestige oil spill in Cantabria.

The goal of this system was to forecast the wave climate, tidal and wind currents, and oil spill trajectories to provide the decision-makers with technical assistance in the response to the Prestige oil spill. The two main components of the system were data collection and processing, and its incorporation into numerical models in order to provide forecasts. Regarding the data used, the information from overflights received daily became essential in order to determine correctly the initial position of the oil slicks. Meteorological and oceanographic data were also received daily by means of an emergency protocol established between Puertos del Estado (Spain), the Naval Research Laboratory (USA) and the University of Cantabria.

These data were used to run the trajectory model, the wave propagation model and the shallow depth-integrated flow model. The information generated by the numerical simulations was presented to the decision makers every day in the form of maps of easy and quick interpretation as a tool to assist in response planning.

In addition, in order to develop a defensive or protection strategy for sensitive areas such as estuaries, a hydrodynamic study was carried out by the University of Cantabria in all the estuaries of the region. The results of this study consisted of a boom deployment plan for each of them.