Numerical modeling of the Tramandaí beach oil spill, Brazil—Case study for January 2012 event

Abstract A numerical study using coupled models was performed to investigate the Tramandai beach oil spill. The hydrodynamic three-dimensional TELEMAC3D and the ECOS model, an oil model being developed at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, were coupled and used to carry out a simulation of the oil spill event that occurred on the January 26, 2012 along the Tramandai coast in the Southern Brazilian shelf. Oil drift results indicate that the oil reaches the coastline after 10 h. The final position, the extension of the spill and the time required for the oil to reach the coastline are corroborated by the observations based on the Brazilian environmental agency report. The winds and currents are the major physical forcing controlling the oil behavior and the final destination. The weathering properties of the oil indicate the formation of an emulsion with a water content of 69% and an increase of 45 kgm −3 in oil density due to the incorporation of water in the emulsification process and mass loss via evaporation. The final oil mass balance indicates that nearly 15% of the oil mass is lost due to evaporation.