In:
International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings, International Oil Spill Conference, Vol. 1979, No. 1 ( 1979-03-01), p. 725-728
Abstract:
This paper describes a system for simulating tidal movements in an enclosed salt-water (estuarine) environment. This Tidal Simulation System (TSS) can be programmed to deliver various tide levels on variable cycles, and can record system performance analog data output on strip charts. Employing a variable-speed centrifugal pump, a system of pneumatic valves actuated by a central timing device, a pressurization subsystem, and a special piping manifold, the system controls flow through a branched array of submerged outlet pipes which prevent disruption of surface water and oil films, and prevent disturbance of bottom sediments. The system has undergone extensive operation tests in the Ecosystem Research Laboratory of the Mississippi State University Research Center, situated at the NASA National Space Technology Laboratory (NSTL) at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and has been used to simulate tides in two pairs of ponds which were employed on an Environmental Protection Agency contract to study the fate and effect of oil in the aquatic environment of the Gulf Coast Region. The salinity of the ponds ranged from 6 to 12 parts per thousand (‰), and the composition of the plankton population changed with salinity and paralleled changes observed in the estuarine area of the south-central Gulf area. Several effects of low level oil pollution, not found in laboratory studies, were observed during the course of an eleven-month study.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2169-3358
,
2169-3366
DOI:
10.7901/2169-3358-1979-1-725
Language:
English
Publisher:
International Oil Spill Conference
Publication Date:
1979
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