PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN PREDICTIVE OCEANOGRAPHY OF BENEFIT TO THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

Abstract

With improvements in equipment, satellite observations and basic knowledge, oceanographers are becoming more effective in predicting or hindcasting coastal and ocean circulation. Advantages which lead to better environmental outcomes for the oil and gas industry which arise from some of these improvements are discussed with case studies drawn from the Great Barrier Reef and Bass Strait. New developments in knowledge are particularly relevant to issues such as dispersal of produced water, oil spill modelling and environmental impact assessment, including a better understanding of the links between physical processes and biological responses. The case studies form part of a comprehensive hydrodynamic database developed on behalf of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority for an effective numerical modelling response to oil spills.