Oil Spill Response: Advances in Detection Capabilities Webinar
About this Webinar
Originally presented April 10, 2024.
Thousands of oil spills occur every year in the United States, posing a major health, environmental, and economic threat to the Nation. Historically, visual observation is an emergency responder's first tool in identifying oil spills.
EPA researchers and their partners have been working to advance efforts in monitoring and detecting oil spills through improvements in various platforms (e.g., drone, vessel, submersible) and on-site sensor technologies. Oil sensing tools such as those that use fluorescence, scattering, radiometry, reflectance, and acoustics provide responders with methods to measure droplet size, hydrocarbon and gas concentration, and are a good representation for dispersion efficiency.
This critical information assists decision-makers during oil spill response and damage assessment efforts. This webinar will present an overview of technologies and projects for tracking hydrocarbons underwater or in floating slicks. It will highlight the need for measurements that provide a better understanding of behavior and transport of spilled oil in water environments.
About the Presenters
Robyn Conmy is a research scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Cincinnati, Ohio. She leads Oil Spill Response Support research for the Office of Research and Development's Homeland Security Research Program. Robyn also holds a visiting scientist position at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She serves as the EPA member on the U.S. Interagency Coordinating Committee for Oil Pollution Research (ICCOPR) and the National Response Team Science & Technology Committee. Dr. Conmy serves as a technical expert for federal regulations, oil spill response efforts and federal trials. Robyn received her Ph.D. in Marine Chemistry from the University of South Florida, College of Marine Science.