THE ONSHORE TRANSPORT OF AN OIL-SPILL BY INTERNAL WAVES

Internal waves generated by tidal currents concentrated and transported on oil spill (liquid asphalt) onshore. Plankton net samples were collected in front of and behind a set of internal waves as well as in the convergence and divergence zones over the waves. Tar 'balls' were most abundant (greater than 30-fold) in the samples from the convergence zone. Comparison of the abundance of tar balls in front of and behind the set of waves suggests that the internal waves 'caught' about 68% of the asphalt encountered and concentrated and swept shoreward tar balls from almost 8 kilometers of ocean.