Spatial Risk Assessment of Maritime Oil Spills along the Korean Coastline: A Trajectory-Based Approach
ID:373
Oral Presentation
2027-01-14 14:00 (China Standard Time)
Session:Session 59 - Emerging Marine Pollution and Ecotoxicology
Abstract
Korea is strategically positioned along major international maritime shipping routes in Northeast Asia, with high-density vessel traffic transiting the Korean Strait, Yellow Sea, and East Sea. Its extensive coastline, encompassing sensitive tidal flats, aquaculture zones, and marine protected areas, makes Korean coastal communities and marine ecosystems highly vulnerable to oil spill incidents. Such events can cause significant damage to marine biodiversity, coastal economies, and local livelihoods. Accurate prediction of oil spill transport and fate is therefore of great importance for effective preparedness, emergency response, and long-term mitigation planning. Among available numerical tools, OpenOil, an open-source Lagrangian particle model within the OpenDrift framework, has demonstrated strong applicability across diverse coastal environments. To enhance near-real-time prediction reliability, OpenOil is routinely coupled with atmospheric and hydrodynamic forcing data. This study systematically evaluates the performance of meteorological, oceanographic, and wave forcing datasets of varying temporal lengths derived from several open sources as inputs to OpenOil simulations along the Korean coast. The predictive performance of OpenOil was evaluated using SAR data derived from the 2007 Hebei Spirit Accident. Building on the optimized model configuration, hypothetical spill scenarios representative of high-risk shipping zones, including major port approaches at Busan, Incheon, and Yeosu-Gwangyang, were simulated. A quantitative spatial risk index was developed by integrating simulated spill trajectories with shoreline susceptibility classifications, enabling systematic identification of priority risk zones along the Korean coastline. The results delineate high-risk coastal areas and provide actionable recommendations for spill prevention and emergency preparedness. The proposed framework offers a transferable, data-driven oil spill risk assessment methodology applicable to other East Asian maritime nations facing analogous challenges. The findings provide a practical analytical tool to support Korea's national oil spill response planning and integrated coastal zone management strategies.
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Jan 12–15
2027
XMAS 2027
