Petroleum Spills in the Marine Environment

The Chemistry and Formation of Water-In-Oil Emulsions and Tar Balls

This book covers research completed between 1981 and May 1985 and includes: reviews of recent studies, sitings and investigations at spills-of-opportunity as well as results of recent arctic and sub-Arctic oil weathering experiments and observations on the behavior of crude oil in the presence of ice. Topics covered include the following: laboratory studies of formation and stability of water-in-oil emulsions; selected case histories of the more detailed chemistry studies of mousse behavior and long term fate in near-coastal and open ocean oil spills/blowouts; tar ball formation and distribution; and algorithms and computer programs to simulate the formation of water-in-oil emulsion.