In the summer of 1994, a group of organizations sponsoring research related to the environmental effects of chemical oil spill treating agents organized a working group to coordinate their research activities in this area. The purpose of Chemical Response to Oil Spills: Ecological Effects Research Forum (CROSERF), as defined at the first meeting, was to provide a mechanism for the exchange of ideas and coordination of research to state, federal, and international agencies; industry; academic researchers; and consultants engaged in research on the ecological effects of oil spill response chemicals, especially dispersants. Each of the primary sponsors had its own objectives for the program, and contributed to the design of the cooperative research efforts. Over the past 7 years, there have been nine CROSERF meetings, each serving to direct the research efforts and resolve issues of importance to all of the participants. Most of the program objectives were achieved, but declining research funds limited the scope of the toxicity-testing program. Nevertheless, the forum provided the means for resolving dispersant and dispersed oil toxicity issues and encouraging communication among participants. The laboratory toxicity data generated by CROSERF is the most complete information currently available for multiple oils and species.

The status and possible research directions of oil spill modeling are presented here. The physical and chemical processes that take place in oil spills are explained as is their role in the design of an ideal oil spill model. An ideal oil spill model for forecasting must support rapid response, contingency planning, and training. Accurate, full-dimension, real-time prediction of hydrodynamic calculations and oil movements require intensive computations and computing power. Presently the most promising computational platform appears to be a vector supercomputer that has been given essential geographical, bathymetric, and tidal data before the spill. Parallel processing machines could be used in the same way; but present codes, written for sequential machines, must be changed substantially to take advantage of the parallel architecture. Super minicomputer technology is advancing rapidly and should soon be able to run the numerically intensive hydrodynamic codes, bringing the advantages of portability and low cost. Since the present personal computer oil spill models are not able to make accurate hydrodynamic current predictions, they cannot match the accuracy of more computationally intensive models.

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In April 1998 the first full-scale oil spill experiment was run at the Coastal Oilspill Simulation System (COSS) Facility in Corpus Christi, Texas. The facility contains nine 110-foot long, eight-foot deep wave tanks for simulated nearshore or intertidal habitat experiments. Features include an adjustable 2-foot tidal range, variable flow rate, and random wave capability. Sediment can be added to create bottom habitat and to develop an intertidal “shoreline.” The project compared the ecological effects when oil is allowed to strand on the beach to the effects when dispersed oil is present in very shallow areas. Untreated and dispersed weathered Arabian Medium crude oil was released in three tanks each. Two other tanks served as controls. The fate and effects of the oil or dispersed oil were evaluated over ten days using caged marine species and detailed hydrocarbon chemistry. The tests were successfully completed, demonstrating the facility's impressive potential for similar experiments. Preliminary data analyses indicate that water column effects of dispersed oil were not significantly different from those of untreated oil, and the use of dispersant led to a clear reduction in shoreline accumulation of oil.

A large wave tank prototype known as the Coastal Oil-spill Simulation System was designed, constructed, and tested, yielding a basic facility that accurately models nearshore physical conditions. This tank design has direct application in testing chemical and biological oil spill treating agents.