Computer model simulations of fuel spills near Ballast Point, San Diego Bay

An estuarine/harbor fuel spill computer model was developed using existing hydrodynamic code, TRIM (2) to generate the advective transport, together with newly developed code modeling the dispersion mechanisms. The model predicts transport of two components, a surface slick and a dissolved fraction occupying the upper 2 meters of the water column. For this series of simulations, predictions are made with 20 m horizontal resolution at 6 min time steps over a 43,750 node grid. Several simulations were run with varying starting conditions including: location (Subase South, North and Fuel Piers), spill size (4,000 and 40,000 gal), and phase of tidal cycle (8 phases, 2 slack, 3 flood, 3 ebb were used). Use of booms to isolate slick movements and the effect of wind were also modeled. The study focused on documenting the time from spill start for sensitive environmental areas to be impacted