Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 109, Issue 50, Pages 20246-20253Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1110564109
Keywords
Gulf of Mexico; deepwater blowout; marine hydrocarbon partitioning; oil spill flow rate
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation [AGS-1049952, OCE-1042650, OCE-0849246, OCE-1043976, OCE-1042097, OCE-0961725, OCE-1045811, OCE-1045025]
- U.S. Coast Guard [HSCG3210CR0020]
- US Department of Energy [DE-NT0005667]
- NOAA
- US Coast Guard Pollution Removal Funding Authorization
- Consolidated Safety Services, Incorporated
- Directorate For Geosciences [1042097] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Ocean Sciences [1042097] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Ocean Sciences
- Directorate For Geosciences [1300040, 0961725, 1042650] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Ocean Sciences
- Directorate For Geosciences [0849246] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Detailed airborne, surface, and subsurface chemical measurements, primarily obtained in May and June 2010, are used to quantify initial hydrocarbon compositions along different transport pathways (i.e., in deep subsurface plumes, in the initial surface slick, and in the atmosphere) during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Atmospheric measurements are consistent with a limited area of surfacing oil, with implications for leaked hydrocarbon mass transport and oil drop size distributions. The chemical data further suggest relatively little variation in leaking hydrocarbon composition over time. Although readily soluble hydrocarbons made up similar to 25% of the leaking mixture by mass, subsurface chemical data show these compounds made up similar to 69% of the deep plume mass; only similar to 31% of the deep plume mass was initially transported in the form of trapped oil droplets. Mass flows along individual transport pathways are also derived from atmospheric and subsurface chemical data. Subsurface hydrocarbon composition, dissolved oxygen, and dispersant data are used to assess release of hydrocarbons from the leaking well. We use the chemical measurements to estimate that (7.8 +/- 1.9) x 10(6) kg of hydrocarbons leaked on June 10, 2010, directly accounting for roughly three-quarters of the total leaked mass on that day. The average environmental release rate of (10.1 +/- 2.0) x 10(6) kg/d derived using atmospheric and subsurface chemical data agrees within uncertainties with the official average leak rate of (10.2 +/- 1.0) x 10(6) kg/d derived using physical and optical methods.
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