Environment and Sustainable Development Program, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box: 32038, Sakher, Bahrain.
Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box: 32038, Sakher, Bahrain.
Environ Monit Assess. 2019 Feb 15;191(3):160. doi: 10.1007/s10661-019-7287-5.
The Arabian Gulf is considered as a hub for global oil industry. Thus the Arabian Gulf marine environment is under permanent threat from oil spills due to oil exploitation, production, and transportation. Oil pollution poses adverse effects on marine environment, society, and economy. Oil spill incidents that occurred in Bahrain caused damage to marine environment and threatened the vital coastal facilities along the coastline of Bahrain. This study determined the exposure levels of coastal facilities in Bahrain to oil spills. The General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) model was validated and applied to hypothetical oil spill scenarios. The modeling results showed that the coastal facilities on the north-eastern coastline are more probable to be hit by oil spills, while those on the northern coastline are susceptible to receive more quantity of oil. The time required for oil to reach the western coastline is shorter compared to the other coastlines. The modeling outcomes can be utilized in contingency planning, setting the protection priorities and allocation and mobilization of response resources in both governmental and private sectors. The implications of the present study could be applied on a regional scale to ensure an integrated response to combat and or minimize oil pollution in the Arabian Gulf.
阿拉伯海湾被认为是全球石油工业的中心。因此，由于石油开采、生产和运输，阿拉伯海湾的海洋环境一直受到石油泄漏的威胁。石油污染对海洋环境、社会和经济造成了不利影响。巴林发生的溢油事件对海洋环境造成了破坏，并威胁到巴林沿海水域的重要沿海设施。本研究确定了巴林沿海设施遭受溢油事件的暴露水平。对通用海洋大气局业务建模环境（GNOME）模型进行了验证，并将其应用于假设的溢油情景。建模结果表明，东北海岸线上的沿海设施更有可能受到溢油的影响，而北部海岸线上的沿海设施更容易受到更多数量的石油的影响。石油到达西海岸线所需的时间比其他海岸线短。建模结果可用于应急规划，确定政府和私营部门的优先保护事项以及应对资源的分配和调动。本研究的意义可以在区域范围内应用，以确保对海湾地区的石油污染进行综合应对和/或最小化。
