Sensitivity analysis in oil spill models: Case study using adios

Abstract

The Hazardous Material Response and Assessment Division (HAZMAT) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses the oil weathering software package named Automated Data Inquiry for Oil Spills (ADIOS) to investigate the oil weathering process. This model combines a database of physical and chemical properties of oils with a simulation model computing mass losses, density, viscosity, and water content of an oil spill due to evaporation, dispersion, and emulsification. A first-order sensitivity analysis of the ADIOS evaporation algorithm indicates that it might be possible to provide a taxonomy of oils with respect to reliability of results generated by the model.