Numerical modeling of oil spill in the proximity of Krishna- godavari coastal wetlands

Abstract

Coastal wetlands are one of the important natural resources. They include saltwater and freshwater wetlands located within coastal watersheds. These wetlands act as breeding places and provide food and nutrients to many organisms, control flood and purify water. The paper discusses the prediction the trajectory of a possible oil spill in the nearness of the coastal wetlands of Krishna-Godavari delta in Andhra Pradesh, India. Krishna Godavari oil field was recently explored and rigging for oil has already begun. Here numerical modeling for oil spill trajectory is carried out using the software GNOME (General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment) developed by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) of United States. Three scenarios - 10000 barrels, 5000 barrels and 1000 barrels of medium crude oil spill are run on the GENOME model for possible spill locations of Krishna Godavari oil field. The simulation is carried out for the month of November 2012, when the regional current and wind conditions are hostile. The study provides an understanding of the most probable trajectory of the slick and forecasts if it reaches the sensitive Krishna-Godavari coastal wetlands, and thereby helps to take proper oil spill mitigation measures to conserve the valuable wetlands. 2014 IJED.