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Author
Mendelssohn, I. A. | Lin, Q. | Bryner, N. P. | Walton, W. D. | Twilley, W. H. | Mullin, J. V.
Title
In-Situ Oil Burning in the Marshland Environment: Recovery and Regrowth of Spartina Alterniflora, Spartina Patens, and Sagittaria Iancifolia Plants.
Coporate
Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD Minerals Management Service, Herndon, VA
Report
VOLUME 2; NIST SP 995; Volume 2, March 2003,
Book or Conf
Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP) Technical Seminar, 25th. Including Technical Seminar on Chemical Spills (TSOCS), 19th and Biotechnology Solutions for Spills (BIOSS), 4th. Environment Canada. Proceedings. VOLUME 2. June 11-13, 2002, Environment Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Alberta, Canada, 785-807 p., ['2002', '2003']
Keywords
in situ burning | oil spills | cleaning | pool fires | heat flux
Identifiers
diesel fuel burn; oil spill remediation; soil temperature; salt water marsh oil spill; spartina alterniflora
Abstract
A series of burns was conducted to evaluate the impact of intentional burning of an oil spill in a marshland environment. Oil spilled in sensitive wetland environments pose unique problems associated with cleanup because mechanical recovery in wetlands may result in more damage to the wetland than the oil itself. In-situ burning of oiled wetlands may provide a less damaging alternative than traditional mechanical recovery. Many factors, including plant species, fuel type and load, water level, soil type, burn duration, may influence how well a wetland recovers from an in-situ oil burn. Ten burns were conducted in a 6 m tank to expose 80 plant specimens to conditions which were designed to simulate a spill of diesel fuel and the intentional burning of the spilled oil. Plants were positioned at four different elevations, -10 cm, -2 cm, 0 cm and +10 cm, relative to water level. Forty of the plants were instrumented with thermocouples in order to monitor soil temperatures during burns which lasted for either 400 s or 1400 s. The soil temperature data indicate that a 2 cm layer of water should provide sufficient protection to prevent permanent damage to the plant/root system.