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Marine Pollution
We are
not only interested in studying fundamental oceanographic processes but also
interested in applying our research results to practical marine pollution
problems. The following photo provides
an aerial view of an oil spill in a windy condition. In the bottom half of the
oil patch as well as in the arm extending in the top-left direction, the oil
film is broken into many streaks roughly oriented in the wind direction. These
streaks are manifestations of subsurface vortical
motions known as Langmuir circulations. In
collaboration with environmental scientists at NOAA's
Hazardous Materials Response Division and Canadian Department of Environment,
we have developed models to estimate how fast these streaks disperse oil
slicks. We have also developed simple analytical models to determine whether
turbulence generated by breaking waves disintegrates an oil film into oil
droplets at a particular wind speed.
Publications:
Li, M. 2000. Estimating
horizontal dispersion of floating particles in wind-driven upper
ocean. Spill Sci.
Tech., 6, 255-261.
Colbo, K. and M. Li. 1999. Parameterizing
particle dispersion in Langmuir circulation. J. Geophys. Res.,
104, 26059-26068.
Li, M. and
C. Garrett. 1998. The
relationship between oil droplet size and upper ocean turbulence. Mar. Pollut. Bull.,
36, 961-970.
Zeidan, E., K. Zahariev, M. Li and C. Garrett. 1997. The
breakup of oil spills in the marine environment. Proceedings of the 20th
Li, M. 1996. Representing turbulent dispersion in oil spill models. Proceedings of the 19th
Li, M. and
C. Garrett. 1996. Breakup of oil
droplets in turbulent flows. Proceedings
of the 19th
Farmer,
D.M. and M. Li. 1994. Oil dispersion in turbulence and coherent circulations. Ocean Engng., 21(6), 575-586.
Li, M. and
D.M. Farmer. 1993. Oil submersion
in a wind-driven sea. Proc. IEEE Oceans,
330-334.