Stevens Institute of Technologies Launches New Public Service for Environmental Spill Forecasts in Tri-State Area Waters


Hoboken, N.J. (PRWEB) July 01, 2013

Stevens Institute of Technologies launched TRACES, a new educational service and web site on environmental spill forecasting in and about the port of New York and New Jersey waters. In coordination with personnel from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Office of Response and Restoration (NOAA OR&ampR) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG), Dr. Nickitas Georgas, Investigation Assistant Professor, and Dr. Alan Blumberg, Director of the Davidson Laboratory/Center for Maritime Systems (CMS), have combined the genuine-time extensive forecast model of ocean currents they have developed with the Common NOAA Operational Modeling Atmosphere (GNOME) to track the movement and fate of waterborne pollution, such as an oil spill.

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The Emergency Response Division of NOAA OR&ampR and the USCG Workplace of Search &amp Rescue (USCG/SAR) have been utilizing Stevens New York Harbor Observing and Prediction Technique (NYHOPS) forecasts of ocean currents for drift simulations in assistance of pollutant tracking and search and rescue organizing, respectively, because 2006. The NYHOPS model that Georgas and Blumberg developed at CMS forecasts the evolution of the ocean current fields 72 hours in advance, subject to tides, atmospheric climate, and river and urban watershed discharges. The forecast currents are input into the NOAA GNOME software exactly where spill scenarios can be set up to:

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Predict how currents and other processes may well move and spread oil spilled on the waters of the New York/New Jersey Harbor and surrounding ocean over the next two to three days&#13

Discover how these predictions of exactly where and how oil may move are impacted by uncertainty in the NYHOPS forecasts for ocean currents and wind&#13

See how spilled oil is anticipated to modify chemically and physically although it remains on the water surface (a process recognized as weathering).&#13

Georgas and Dave Runnels, Senior Analysis Engineer at CMS, developed the new TRACES internet site, which includes how to motion pictures, that now allows anybody to:

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Download GNOME&#13

Download the latest NYHOPS model predictions for currents more than the next couple of days, and input them in GNOME&#13

Describe a spill scenario by getting into data into GNOME.&#13

GNOME then creates and displays an oil spill film displaying the predicted trajectory of the oil spilled in the scenario. In addition to this animation, GNOME estimates the amount of oil beached, nevertheless floating, or evaporated, at particular times. 1 can even use NYHOPS in GNOME to backtrack exactly where waterborne particles may have originated from, or forecast the transport of conservative substances such as floatable trash and other passive buoyant articles drifting with the surface currents.

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Over the past a number of years, we and our colleagues have used GNOME and NYHOPS forecasts to inform occasion response in many occasions, mentioned Georgas. We are now opening up the service to any person interested, including 1st responders, NGOs, Riverkeepers and the basic public. Reports that have turn into obtainable in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy speak of over 450,000 gallons of oil from numerous concurrent oil spills, three.5 billion gallons of untreated sewage, and an huge amount of floatable trash and marine debris entering our waters as a direct outcome of the storm. Gaining understanding of environmental processes to be prepared for future environmental cleanup efforts is one particular significant aim of this service.

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NYHOPS TRACES is offered at http://www.stevens.edu/TRACES.

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About Stevens Institute of Technology

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Stevens Institute of Technologies, The Innovation University

Crowley Honored with Marine Environmental Organization of the Year Award


Seattle, WA (PRWEB) June 05, 2013

Crowley Maritime Corp. was recently honored with the Marine Environmental Enterprise of the Year Award for the duration of the 62nd Annual Maritime Festival Luncheon in Seattle. Crowleys Gordon Brink, administrative assistant, harbor ship assist and tanker escort solutions, accepted the award from the Port of Seattles CEO Tay Yoshitani on behalf of the business.

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Each and every year the award is granted to a company that demonstrates environmental initiative and leadership through its commitment to assisting the Port of Seattle keep a low-carbon footprint. Crowley received the award for demonstrating a strong culture of environmental stewardship by means of its initiatives to keep Puget Sound and other bodies of water clean.

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The company’s early interest in keeping harbors and oceans clean has created into a powerful business culture of EcoStewardship. Recent examples of the company’s environmental function contain: the repowering of the companys tugboat Tioga, in the Pacific Northwest, and the Goliah, in Northern California, to meet Tier III emission standards a year ahead of government requirements certification to the international standard ISO 14001 Environmental Management Method and the construction of the initial two double-hulled, environmentally friendly barges to serve Western Alaska.

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Crowley has also received unique recognition by several environmentally focused organizations, such as the Chamber of Shipping of America’s Jones F. Devlin Awards for Safety, the U.S. Coast Guard’s William Benkert award for environmental excellence, the Washington Division of Ecology’s Exceptional Compliance Plan (ECOPRO) Award, the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Activity Force’s Legacy Award, and the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan Air Good quality Award.

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“We are thrilled to be recognized after a lot more for our past and ongoing environmental stewardship efforts,” said the companys Scott Hoggarth, basic manager, harbor ship assist and tanker escort services. “For Crowley, the work to safeguard and enhance the atmosphere is not only a business-wide endeavor, but a way of life. We are proud to be a element of this choose group that strives to make the globe a greener spot.”

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The companys extended history of environmental protection and stewardship consists of the publication of a Crowley Security in Towing Handbook in 1970, roughly 20 years before the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which consists of operational procedures to prevent spills that many years later became law. Additionally, Crowleys environmental security leadership, which began years ago with the companys powerful commitment to spill management, has been recognized by key west coast ports as well as national and regional governments.

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Crowley has twice been named runner up for the award, first in 2010 and once more in 2011.

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The Maritime Festival Luncheon serves as the concluding ceremony of the Seattle Maritime Festival, a four-day occasion held annually on the waterfront in Seattle, Wash. Crowley has participated in the festival for a lot more than 17 years. The festival is sponsored every year by Vigor Industrial, the Propeller Club of Seattle, the Port of Seattle and others to raise awareness about the maritime sector although also supporting two neighborhood non-profit organizations, Seattle Sea Scouts and United Port Ministries.

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Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding business of the 121-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family members and employee-owned company. The organization supplies project solutions, transportation and logistics solutions in domestic and international markets by signifies of six operating lines of enterprise: Puerto Rico/Caribbean Liner Solutions, Latin America Liner Solutions, Logistics Services, Petroleum Solutions, Marine Solutions and Technical Services. Provided within these operating lines of enterprise are: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation ship assist and escort power help salvage and emergency response through its TITAN Salvage subsidiary vessel management vessel construction and naval architecture via its Jensen Maritime subsidiary government solutions, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Further information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may possibly be found on the World wide web at http://www.crowley.com.

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