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ADIOS Aids in Response to Texas Oil Spill

In support of the Texas City Y Oil Spill response, OR&R chemist Dalina Thrift-Viveros used an ADIOS model to predict how much of the spilled oil evaporated, how much mixed in to the water column, and how much remains floating on the surface.

ADIOS (Automated Data Inquiry for Oil Spills) is NOAA's oil weathering model. It's an oil spill response tool that models how different types of oil weather (undergo physical and chemical changes) in the marine environment. Working from a database of more than a thousand different crude oils and refined products, ADIOS quickly estimates the expected characteristics and behavior of spilled oil.

However, the oil that was spilled in the Texas City Y spill was not in the database. Several samples of fresh oil from the damaged barge were collected by on-scene personnel and analyzed by AmSpec, a lab in nearby Houston. Viveros used the data from the lab analysis to create a new oil record in ADIOS and ADIOS then used that data to predict the behavior of the spilled oil. The prediction is consistent with previous estimates and with on-scene observations.

For further information, contact Dalina.Viveros@noaa.gov.

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Graphic of the ADIOS model.
ADIOS model, showing remaining, dispersed, and evaporated oil from the Texas Y spill, from March 22 - 27. (NOAA)
Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:54pm PST