Oil Spill Science and Technology

The National Academy of Sciences estimate that 1.7 to 8.8 million tons of oil are released into world's water every year, of which more than 70% is directly related to human activities. The effects of these spills are all too apparent: dead wildlife, oil covered marshlands and contaminated water chief among them. This reference will provide scientists, engineers and practitioners with the latest methods use for identify and eliminating spills before they occur and develop the best available techniques, equipment and materials for dealing with oil spills in every environment. Topics covered include: spill dynamics and behaviour, spill treating agents, and cleanup techniques such as: in situ burning, mechanical containment or recovery, chemical and biological methods and physical methods are used to clean up shorelines. Also included are the fate and effects of oil spills and means to assess damage.

• Covers spill dynamics and behaviour
• Definitive guide to spill treating agents
• Complete coverage of cleanup techniques
• Includes fate and effects of oil spills and means to assess damage

Merv Fingas has over 40 years of experience in oil and chemical spill research. Previously, he was Chief of the Emergencies Science Division of Environment Canada for 30 years and is currently working on research in Western Canada. Dr. Fingas has a PhD in Environmental Physics from McGill University, three Masters degrees in chemistry, business, and mathematics - all from the University of Ottawa, as well as a BS in Chemistry and a BA in Arts from Indiana.
He has authored over 1,000 technical publications including books, manuals, and 500 peer-reviewed papers. He has won over 20 awards for research and papers from the United States Government, Canadian Government, and international conferences. He has served on two committees on the National Academy of Sciences of the United States on oil spills and as chairman of several ASTM and inter-governmental committees on spill matters, was the founding chairman of the ASTM sub-committee on in-situ burning and chairman of oil spill treating agents and another on oil spill detection and remote sensing. Dr. Fingas has collaborated on studies with over 25 organizations around the world, coordinated studies for over 30 years through 6 internationally attended committees and developed co-operative projects with many international groups