Numerical Models for Oil Spills in the Black Sea and the Adjacent Sea of Azov

This chapter presents an overview and inter-comparison of the main characteristics of the known well-established oil spill models applied in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Since the development of the MyOcean Black Sea Forecasting Centre and, later on, of the Copernicus Black Sea Monitoring Forecasting Centre (CMEMS Black Sea MFC), several oil spill models have been implemented during preparedness exercises and after oil slicks detected from satellite remote sensing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. Particularly, in the framework of pilot projects with the European Maritime Safety Agency CleanSeaNet (EMSA-CSN), 24 h forward and backtracking spill predictions were initiated in near real time using the satellite data provided through EMSA-CSN portal. In addition, several European Commission projects, for example, the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) Black Sea Check points addressed issues related to oil leakages in the Black Sea taking advantage of the operational met-ocean forecasting in the region, is summarized in the chapter. Examples of oil spills modelling applications in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov are presented using met-ocean forecasting data and satellite data. The catastrophic Volgoneft-139 oil spill in the Kerch Strait, in November 2007, is described. Several contemporary well-established oil spill modelling systems, three of them, MEDSLIK, MEDSLIK-II, BlackSeaTrackWeb were applied during emergencies and warnings, while the rest examined modelling systems, GNOME, MOTHY, OILTOX, OILMAP, OSCAR were applied during dedicated risk assessments. All these oil spill modelling systems implemented in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov were inter-compared in terms of their characteristics concerning the physical/chemical spill processes, number of different oil types, type of oil discharges, initial slick shape, type of slick discharges and areas of oil spill model’s applicability.