A Study of Fluid Flow in Sediments and the Effect of Tidal Pumping

Offshore drilling and production operations can result in spills or leaks of hydrocarbons into seabed sediments, which can potentially contaminate these sediments with oil. If this oil later mi- grates to the water surface it has the potential for negative environmental impacts. For proper contin- gency planning and to avoid larger consequences in the environment, it is essential to understand me- chanisms and rates for hydrocarbon migration from oil containing sediments to the water surface as well as how much will remain trapped in the sediments. It is believed that the amount of oil transported out of the sediment can be affected by tidal pumping, a common form of subterranean groundwater dis- charge （SGD）. However, we could find no study experimentally investigating the phenomenon of fluid flow in subsea sediments containing oil and the effects of tidal pumping. This study presents an experi- mental investigation of tidal pumping to determine if it is a possible mechanism that may contribute to the appearance of an oil sheen on the ocean surface above a sediment bed containing oil. An experimen- tal apparatus was constructed of clear PVC pipe allowing for oil migration to be monitored as it flowed out of a sand pack containing oil, while tidal pressure oscillations were applied in three different man- ners. The effect of tidal pumping was simulated via compression of air above the water （which simulated the increasing static head from tidal exchange）. Experimental results show that sustained oil release oc- curred from all tests, and tests with oscillating pressure produced for longer periods of time. Further- more, the experimental results showed that the oil migration rate was affected by grain size, oil satura- tion, and oscillation wave type. In all oscillating experiments the rate and ultimate recovery was less than the comparable static experiments. For the conditions studied, the experimental results indicate that with an oscillating pressure on top of a sand pack, movement of a non-replenishing source of oil is sup- pressed by pressure oscillation.

Estimating submarine groundwater discharge at a subtropical river estuary along the Beibu Gulf,China

In certain regions,submarine groundwater discharge(SGD)into the ocean plays a significant role in coastal material fluxes and their biogeochemical cycle;therefore,the impact of SGD on the ecosystem cannot be ignored.In this study,SGD was estimated using naturally occurring radium isotopes(^(223)Ra and ^(224)Ra)in a subtropical estuary along the Beibu Gulf,China.The results showed that the Ra activities of submarine groundwater were approximately 10 times higher than those of surface water.By assuming a steady state and using an Ra mass balance model,the SGD flux in May 2018 was estimated to be 5.98×10^(6) m^(3)/d and 3.60×10^(6) m^(3)/d based on 224Ra and 223Ra,respectively.At the same time,the activities of Ra isotopes fluctuated within a tidal cycle;that is,a lower activity was observed at high tide and a higher activity was seen at low tide.Based on these variations,the average tidal pumping fluxes of SGD were 1.15×10^(6) m^(3)/d and 2.44×10^(6) m^(3)/d with 224Ra and 223Ra,respectively.Tidaldriven SGD accounts for 24%-51%of the total SGD.Therefore,tidal pumping is an important driving force of the SGD in the Dafengjiang River(DFJR)Estuary.Furthermore,the SGD of the DFJR Estuary in the coastal zone contributes significantly to the seawater composition of the Beibu Gulf and the material exchange between land and sea.