Tidal Inlets—A Major Hurdle to Effectively Protecting Sensitive Coastal Resources
| Autor: | Edwin A. Levine, Todd M. Montello, Robert J. Schrader, Miles O. Hayes |
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| Rok vydání: | 1999 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings. 1999:1239-1243 |
| ISSN: | 2169-3358 2169-3366 |
| DOI: | 10.7901/2169-3358-1999-1-1239 |
| Popis: | Along much of the coastline of the United States, the most abundant sensitive coastal resources, such as salt marsh and mangrove ecosystems, occur within estuaries located landward of tidal inlets. Therefore, a protection strategy that could prevent oil spilled on the open ocean from passing through the inlets during flood tides would effectively protect these resources. Because of wave conditions and strong currents (2–3 kts common), inlets present a most difficult protection scenario requiring excellent scientific understanding and operational skills. With the result of the Anitra oil spill in 1986, the NJDEP realized that the inlet protection strategies that had been proposed were not feasible. Based on previous experience for over two hundred tidal inlets in California and Florida, the NJDEP sponsored a project to devise protection strategies for the 13 inlets on the coast of New Jersey. The field team, which had backgrounds in geomorphology, environmental concerns, and response operations, devised the final strategies based on the following hierarchy of controls: (1) physical processes in the inlet; (2) protection priorities; and (3) probable effectiveness of response. The final strategies included boom positioning, probable oil movement, and other key elements. Special emphasis was placed on collection points, which were visited to determine access, habitat type, and boom deflection angles (and type). Inlets were classified according to degree of difficulty and expense of the response, and the most difficult ones were flagged for special concern. Strategies were devised and signed off on in the field, with significant input from local spill responders. A successful field test, which applied boom deflection and containment, was carried out in one of the typical inlets. Only through the combination of good scientific data, experience with years of on-scene operational know-how, field assessments, and refinement through field testing can effective strategies be developed to overcome one of the most difficult hurdles in successful oil spill protection. These strategies are designed as an educated starting point of operations to be modified according to the specific needs at the time of the incident. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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