SMART: A Guided Tour - Part 5

An explosion and in situ burn on the New Carissa, grounded offshore of Coos Bay, Oregon. SMART monitoring teams were deployed to nearby towns (visible in background) to monitor for particulate concentration trends at ground level. USCG Photo.

Monitoring In Situ Burning Operations

Another spill response option is in situ burning (ISB). "In situ" is Latin for "in place," so in situ burning means burning the oil in place, at the site of a spill.

ISB may be conducted on the open ocean, on land, or on a ship, as was done recently in Oregon during the response to the grounding of a freighter, the New Carissa. Burning the oil can be quite efficient, and can significantly decrease the amount of oil impacting the shoreline and causing harm to the environment.

ISB, however, generates black smoke that contains small particulates. These particulates, at high concentrations, may cause respiratory problems to sensitive people. Therefore, the smoke may be of concern if it blows toward population centers.

A team calibrating instruments before an ISB monitoring exercise in Mobile, Alabama, September 1998.

Unified Command

When in situ burning is conducted, the Unified Command (UC) may use SMART to obtain real-time data on particulate concentration trends downwind of the burn. SMART relies on mobile and flexible teams to conduct monitoring for in situ burning operations.

When in situ burning is considered, the teams are notified and arrive on location. Ideally, all the instruments are checked and calibrated together.

A SMART team deploys to its monitoring site by boat. This photo was taken during a test burn monitoring exercise in Mobile, Alabama in 1998.

Monitoring by Boat

After the instruments have been checked and calibrated, the teams deploy to the monitoring sites. ISB monitoring operations may be done in different environments. Usually the monitoring will take place at sensitive locations, such as population centers, where deployment may be done by vehicle. Other times, the teams may deploy to the monitoring sites by boat or helicopter.