Projects

Risks of Marine Pollution on Portuguese Coasts and Ports (Pollution Risks)

Duration: 01.01.1992-31.12.1995 (48 monyhs)

Coordination: Instituto Superior Técnico

Partners: Instituto Hidrográfico

Funding Entity: Directorate-General for the Environment

This project intended to develop mathematical models that allow the evaluation of risks of hydrocarbon pollution on the Portuguese coast and ports.A model was developed to simulate the traffic in the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone so as to assess the probability of ship collision and the probable spillage of hydrocarbons, both in location and quantity. A survey of state of the art models of ship collision probability as a function of the traffic intensity was performed and the models were tested for the data in the Portuguese Economic Zone. The simulation model was shown to predict adequately the geographical area where the traffic was more intense. A computer system was developed for the graphical visualisation of the Economic Zone in order to display the traffic as well as the track of the oil slicks. A model was developed to predict the fading of oil slicks and was satisfactorily compared with the few experimental data available.

Project Team

Associated Publications