Hydrodynamics play a critical role in determining the trajectory of an oil spill. Currents, stratification and mesoscale processes all contribute to how a spill behaves. Using an industry‑leading oil spill model, we compare forecasts of oil dispersion when forced with two different hydrodynamic models of the North-West European Shelf (7 km and 1.5 km horizontal resolution). This demonstrates how the trajectory of a deep water (>1000 m) release in the central Faroe-Shetland Channel is influenced by explicitly resolving mesoscale processes. The finer resolution hydrodynamic model dramatically enhances the horizontal dispersion of oil and transports pollutant further afield. This is a consequence of higher mesoscale variability. Stratification influences the depth of subsurface plume trapping and subsequently the far-field transport of oil. These results demonstrate that the choice of hydrodynamic model resolution is crucial when designing particle tracking or tracer release experiments.

流体力学在确定漏油轨迹方面起着至关重要的作用。潮流，分层和中尺度过程都对溢漏的行为有影响。使用行业领先的漏油模型，我们将西北欧洲陆架的两个不同流体动力学模型（水平分辨率为7 km和1.5 km）对被迫时油分散的预测进行了比较。这证明了显着解决中尺度过程如何影响法罗-设得兰群岛中部通道深水（> 1000 m）的释放轨迹。分辨率更高的流体动力学模型极大地增强了油的水平扩散，并进一步将污染物运至更远的地方。这是中尺度变异性较高的结果。分层会影响地下羽流的捕集深度，进而影响油的远场传输。