The relation of Langmuir circulation processes to the standard oil spill spreading, dispersion, and transport algorithms

Most standard oil spill modeling programs neglect the effects of Langmuir c irculation (LC), The authors have identified three areas where LC effects m ay be important in spill behavior. These three areas are spreading, dispers ion, and transport, LC will cause the slick to break into windrows when the wind-row formation velocity is comparable to Fay and other spreading force s. Oil dispersion is likely to be enhanced, with droplets carried to greate r depth and distributed non-uniformly. Transport velocities for different p arts of the slick will vary because of LC, a phenomenon that also occurs be cause of other factors. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.