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TOSCA
OVERVIEW
Almost 3 years after the project started, TOSCA has proved capable of improving oil spill tracking systems. TOSCA has brought updated knowledge on surface currents and noticeable progress in the monitoring of oil slick drift. The added precisions and data collection from this project could now help authorities choose the right strategy for the deployment of drifters to track oil spills. This data could facilitate operations at sea as well as practical and administrative decision-making in the defense of coastlines and public health. The objective of this document is to:
THE TOOLS AND APPROACHES DEVELOPED IN THE FRAMEWORK OF TOSCA AND HOW THEY CAN BE USED BY ACTORS TO ENHANCE THE MONITORING AND FORECASTING OF A DRIFTING OBJECT. RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE TECHNIQUES IN THE FIELD OF POLLUTION RESPONSE USING NEW TOSCA TOOLS.
PRESENT...
PROPOSE...
TOSCA IN A GLANCE
The TOSCA (Tracking Oil Spills & Coastal Awareness network) project is cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund in the framework of the MED Programme. It intends to improve the quality and effectiveness of decision-making process in case of marine accidents concerning oil spill pollution and search and rescue (S&R) operations in the Mediterranean.
IMPROVING DECISION MAKING CREATION OF THE FIRST IN CASE OF MARITIME ACCIDENT MEDITERRANEAN OBSERVATION
NETWORK
To provide real-time observations and forecasts, an observational network, based on state of the art technology (HF radars, drifters, ocean modeling systems) was installed and assessed in five sites of the Mediterranean sea, on the coastal areas near the outlets of major existing or planned oil pipelines and on high traffic areas.
AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH
Modeling and forecasting of transport by ocean currents are very sensitive and contingent upon unknown initial conditions, and even small errors in the current results in significant errors in the forecast of a drifting object. For this reason the TOSCA project has framed an innovative approach using HF radars and drifter measurements to provide crucial and complementary information to predict oil spill dispersion and trajectory more accurately.
The TOSCA strategy The fundamental feature of the TOSCA project is the use of real observations to evaluate and correct numerical models that are currently producing oil spill forecasts.
Each Sea campaign included: Gathering of a large data set (real observations data) Testing of the numerical models by comparison with real observations Test and validation of different equipment to measure surface currents and consequent drifting trajectory.
Tracking the slick, day and night While very common in the United States, the use of radars for observing surface currents is still quite new in Europe. A better knowledge of surface currents does significantly improve capacities for tracking drift pathways. Moreover, HF radars observations can improve the model initial conditions, can complement the daytime satellite and aerial monitoring, and can be used as ground truth for backtracking calculations.
Drifters, a convenient and inexpensive mean of action The drifters are a convenient and inexpensive mean of action, complementary to radar. Drifters can be released easily in the water, both by ship and by aircraft. Drifters provide information on the current and direct information on transport and the relative dispersion of an oil spill.
Five such systems have been implemented and validated in 5 test sites around the Mediterranean Sea (Balearic Islands, Northwestern Mediterranean, Gulf of Napoli, Gulf of Trieste and North Aegean). At each test site, forecasting simulations have been performed, at the same time when HF radar and drifter track observations were available, to test the accuracy of the models and identify the source and type of errors.
TOSCA TOOLS
CONSTRUCTION OF AN OBSERVATIONAL NETWORK BASED ON STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY
Through the construction of an observational network, based on state of the art technology (HF radars and drifters), the project has provided, during the experimentation periods, real-time observations and forecasts of the marine environmental conditions in the Western and Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. If the use of radars and drifters were to be extended, the observational network could deliver real-time information to the relevant authorities.
Exemple of the monitoring system installed in the Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples monitoring network comprises five automatic weather stations distributed along the coasts of the Gulf. In addition to the above instruments, a CODAR-SeaSonde HF coastal radar system composed of three antennas is located in Portici, Massa Lubrense and Castellammare. The system has provided during the experiments, hourly data of surface currents over the entire gulf with a 1km spatial resolution.
OPTIMIZATION OF DRIFTERS ACCORDING TO THE TYPE OF OPERATION (OILSPILL TRACKING OR SAR OPERATIONS)
During the TOSCA experiments, different designs of drifters were made available by partners in view of assessing their water or oil-following capabilities and define the most suitable type to be used according to the operation (oil-spill or S&R). All drifters have been optimized with state-of-the-art communication technologies, allowing an easy set-up and regular communication on their successive positions.
Example of a Spill Track drifter Specially adapted for TOSCA, Spill Track is designed to monitor oil spill position in the sea using fins made from lipophilic material. These drifters are designed to better stick to the oil spill.
Illustration of the impact of the correction made to the model on transport of an object. The black dots show the successive positions of the floating buoys used, the green dots correspond to those predicted using the numerical model. The pink dots represent the positions as corrected with LAVA.
Other TOSCA recommendations include: Provision and training of oil-spill-type-drifters for oil-spill events and CODE-type drifters for search and rescue operations. Automation of TOSCA system, including LAVA algorithm and the GIs for real time monitoring. Integration of the TOSCA in the main antipollution exercises in the frame of agreements between members States of the UE. Enter TOSCA in contingency plans. Integration of the TOSCA partners in the network of pollution control experts. Participate in the discussions conducted by authorities in charge of the antipollution policies to make sure they provide the appropriate means. Enable TOSCAs tools to be taken into account and financed by the EMSA to fight against accidental pollution incidents.
PROMOTING TOSCA
FROM AN EXPERIMENTAL TO AN OPERATIONAL TOOL
Interviewof Anne Molcard, Scientific Coordinator, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (MIO) of the University of Sud Toulon-Var
TOSCA is now in its 3rd & last year, what are the main conclusions concerning the projects outputs? We have shown that actual methods, based primarily on numerical models, have major limitations. This is particularly due to a lack of observational data. The use of HF radars can provide real-time mapping of surface currents, day and night and supplement current observational methods (aircraft or satellite observation). We have also shown that the use of specifically designed drifters (oil-spill or S&R) can provide low-cost and immediate information on surface currents and dispersal. The observations obtained using radars or drifters can also be used to provide data for numerical models to improve forecasting. What are the main perspectives? The TOSCA project has allowed to implement a prototype that could become operational and be integrated into existing crisis management systems. For this to happen, a Mediterranean network of radars needs to be created, with a particular focus on critical coastal areas (high risk regions: large harbours, oil-refineries, areas of marine traffic convergence, oil-pipeline end-points and environmentally sensitive areas). This network would then have to be constantly maintained and monitored. The methodologies implemented by TOSCA (data numerical models, LAVA) need to be automated and integrated into existing operational systems throughout the Mediterranean, in collaboration with projects such as MEDESS-4MS. We can also look to the industrial development, at a European level, of different types of drifters, designed for crisis situations and which could allow us to supply container ships, liners, oil platforms with a significant number of drifters to be used in case of a maritime accident.