Dispersant Application Monitoring: Tier I Visual ObservationField Guide
This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone using dispersants to combat oil spills at sea to provide a qualitative assessment of the efficacy of dispersant operations using visual observations. Included are the safety considerations for dispersant use and a description of the variables involved. Additionally guidance is given on the visual observations that indicate whether dispersant is effective at dispersing the surface oil slick.
Monitoring is important to determine:
- That the dispersant was applied at the appropriate dosage in the correct locations
- Whether the dispersant is effective.
Decision makers need to be briefed on the observed efficacy of the operation, so that they can make an informed decision on response strategy.
