ABSTRACT
A number of fairly large oil pollution incidents which involved mousse formation have occurred during the last decade. Because of the wide variety of sediment, headland, and marsh types in the area affected by Amoco Cadiz oil, the authors developed an Oil Vulnerability Index correlating shoreline type with degree of oiling to estimate long-term impacts and fate. From discussions of the various case histories of oil spill events and controlled studies it is apparent that mousse formation is dependent upon the oil type. Furthermore, field observations of mousse behavior tend to parallel laboratory results, with the exception of the behavior of the Bunker C oil from the US/NS Potomac off Greenland. However, this spill occurred in extremely calm seas, and the absence of emulsion formation exemplified the important role played by physical oceanographic conditions. Finally, it is important to note the drastic differences in environmental impact in open ocean versus coastal spills.
