High performance open source lagrangian oil spill model

Abstract

An oil spill particle dispersion model implemented in Julia, a high-performance programming language, and Matlab is described. The model is based on a Lagrangian particle tracking algorithm with a second-order Runge-Kutta scheme. It uses ocean currents from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and winds from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF). The model can consider multiple oil components according to their density and different types of oil decay: evaporation, burning, gathering, and exponential degradation. Furthermore, it allows simultaneous modeling of oil spills at multiple locations. The computing performance of the model is tested in both languages using an analogous implementation. A case study in the Gulf of Mexico is described.