Introduction to the Concepts and Use of ERA Acute

Abstract

Introducing the main concepts of ERA Acute, this chapter describes the overall framework and purpose of the methodology. ERA Acute is a recently developed oil spill risk assessment (OSRA) methodology for quantification of oil spill impacts and risk (Environmental Risk Assessment, ERA). It covers four environmental compartments; sea surface (seabirds, turtles, marine mammals), water column (fish eggs/larvae), shoreline and seafloor (species and habitats) using continuous impact functions and introduces the Resource Damage Factor (RDF). The methodology depends on external oil spill modelling and input data related to the presence and vulnerability of Valued Ecosystem Components (VECs). ERA Acute is developed to provide an improvement over the currently used “MIRA” method on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) and is better suited for risk management, decision-making and analyses from screening studies to full environmental risk assessments.