Conmy Robyn N.

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Conmy
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Robyn N.
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  • Article
    Autonomous water sampler for oil spill response
    (MDPI, 2022-04-11) Gomez-Ibanez, Daniel ; Kukulya, Amy L. ; Belani, Abhimanyu ; Conmy, Robyn N. ; Sundaravadivelu, Devi ; DiPinto, Lisa
    A newly developed water sampling system enables autonomous detection and sampling of underwater oil plumes. The Midwater Oil Sampler collects multiple 1-L samples of seawater when preset criteria are met. The sampler has a hydrocarbon-free sample path and can be configured with several modules of six glass sample bottles. In August 2019, the sampler was deployed on an autonomous underwater vehicle and captured targeted water samples in natural oil seeps offshore Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
  • Article
    Methods of oil detection in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
    (The Oceanography Society, 2016-09) White, Helen K. ; Conmy, Robyn N. ; MacDonald, Ian R. ; Reddy, Christopher M.
    Detecting oil in the northern Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill presented unique challenges due to the spatial and temporal extent of the spill and the subsequent dilution of oil in the environment. Over time, physical, chemical, and biological processes altered the composition of the oil, further complicating its detection. Reservoir fluid, containing gas and oil, released from the Macondo well was detected in surface and subsurface environments. Oil monitoring during and after the spill required a variety of technologies, including nimble adaptation of techniques developed for non-oil-related applications. The oil detection technologies employed varied in sensitivity, selectivity, strategy, cost, usability, expertise of user, and reliability. Innovative technologies ranging from remote sensing to laboratory analytical techniques were employed and produced new information relevant to oil spill detection, including the chemical characterization, the dispersion effectiveness, and the detection limits of oil. The challenge remains to transfer these new technologies to oil spill responders so that detection of oil following a spill can be improved.
  • Article
    Photochemical oxidation of oil reduced the effectiveness of aerial dispersants applied in response to the Deepwater Horizon spill
    (American Chemical Society, 2018-04-25) Ward, Collin P. ; Armstrong, Cassia J. ; Conmy, Robyn N. ; French-McCay, Deborah P. ; Reddy, Christopher M.
    Chemical dispersants are one of many tools used to mitigate the overall environmental impact of oil spills. In principle, dispersants break up floating oil into small droplets that disperse into the water column where they are subject to multiple fate and transport processes. The effectiveness of dispersants typically decreases as oil weathers in the environment. This decrease in effectiveness is often attributed to evaporation and emulsification, with the contribution of photochemical weathering assumed to be negligible. Here, we aim to test this assumption using Macondo well oil released during the Deepwater Horizon spill as a case study. Our results indicate that the effects of photochemical weathering on Deepwater Horizon oil properties and dispersant effectiveness can greatly outweigh the effects of evaporative weathering. The decrease in dispersant effectiveness after light exposure was principally driven by the decreased solubility of photo-oxidized crude oil residues in the solvent system that comprises COREXIT EC9500A. Kinetic modeling combined with geospatial analysis demonstrated that a considerable fraction of aerial applications targeting Deepwater Horizon surface oil had low dispersant effectiveness. Collectively, the results of this study challenge the paradigm that photochemical weathering has a negligible impact on the effectiveness of oil spill response and provide critical insights into the “window of opportunity” to apply chemical dispersants in response to oil spills in sunlit waters.