Chapter 9 – Challenges and Mysteries in Oil Spill Fate and Transport Modeling

Abstract Forensic oil spill modeling requires putting interdisciplinary information (e.g., chemical, atmospheric, oceanographic) together to tell a coherent story and provide simulations that allow further analysis and exploration of the event and direct any further sampling. This chapter discusses general principles with case studies as examples for surface, 3D (subsea well blowouts) and sunken oil. Oil chemistry, biodegradation (associated dissolve oxygen demand) and transport are discussed, with examples from previous oil spills.