Influencing Factors of Oil Slick Movement on Tidal Rivers

It is of vital importance for risk management and emergency response to understand the factors that may influence the slick movement in an oil spill accident. The influencing factors have been investigated based on a 2D numerical oil spill model, a laboratory physical model and a real spill accident on the Huangpu River. The results show that the combined effect of wind and river morphology is the determining factor dominating the movement of oil slick on narrow and meandering tidal rivers. Other important factors include the net flow rate which affects the drift velocity of oil slick and spill amount which affects the slick area. It is concluded that the real-time hydrometeorological information is a must for an effective emergency response.