Acronyms and Abbreviations
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parts per thousand or g/kg (used for salinity) |
µg/g | microgram per gram |
µg/L | microgram per liter |
µm | micrometers |
96-h LC50 | 96-hour lethal concentration for 50% of the test organisms |
ABS | Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene |
ACR | acute-to-chronic ratio |
ACS | American Chemical Society |
ADCP | acoustic Doppler current profiler |
ADEC | Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation |
ADIOS | Automated Data Inquiry for Oil Spills |
AF | application factor |
AhR | aryl hydrocarbon receptor |
AI | artificial intelligence |
AIP | AhR-interacting protein |
AIS | Automatic Identification System |
AMOP | Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program |
AMRA | Arctic marine risk assessment |
ANS | Alaska North Slope crude oil |
ANSI | American National Standards Institute |
API | American Petroleum Institute |
Arnt | AhR nuclear translocator protein |
ARTES | Alternative Response Tool Evaluation System |
ASEA | National Agency for Safety of Energy and Environment |
ASTM | American Society for Testing and Materials |
AU | assessment unit |
AUV | autonomous underwater vehicle |
AVIRIS | airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer |
BAF | bioaccumulation factor |
BaP | benzo(a)pyrene, a 5-ringed PAH |
BAT | best available technology economically achievable |
BAU | business as usual |
bbl | barrel or barrels |
bbl/d | barrels per day |
BC | British Columbia |
BCF | bioconcentration factor |
BCT | best conventional pollutant control technology |
BIOS | Baffin Island Oil Spill |
BOA | bacteria-oil aggregate |
BOD | biological oxygen demand |
BOE | barrel of oil equivalents |
BOEM | U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management |
BOMA | bacteria-oil microaggregates |
BOP | blowout preventer |
BOPD | barrels of oil per day |
BP | British Petroleum |
BSEE | U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement |
BTEX | benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers |
°C | degrees Celsius (temperature) |
C | carbon |
C-NLOPB | Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board |
C:N:P | Redfield ratio; carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus |
Ca2+ | calcium ion |
CAFE | Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects |
CAPP | Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers |
CARD-FISH | catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization |
casq1, casq2 | SR calcium-buffering proteins |
CBBO | Cosco Busan bunker oil |
CDOM | colored (or chromophoric) dissolved organic matter |
CER | Canada Energy Regulator |
CERA | Consensus Ecological Risk Assessment |
CEWAF | chemically enhanced water-accommodated fraction of oil |
CFD | computational fluid dynamics |
CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
cm | centimeter |
cm/s | centimeter per second |
CMO | Churchill Marine Observatory (Manitoba, Canada) |
CO2 | carbon dioxide |
COD | chemical oxygen demand |
COP | common operating procedure |
COS | Center for Offshore Safety |
COTP | Captain of the Port |
COW | crude oil washing |
CRA | comparative risk assessment |
CROSERF | Chemical Response to Oil Spills Ecological Research Forum |
CRRC | Coastal Response Research Center |
CTD | conductivity, temperature, and depth |
CYP1A | cytochrome P450-1A |
d | day or days |
D | diameter |
DFO | Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada) |
DHS | U.S. Department of Homeland Security |
DIVER | Data Integration Visualization Exploration and Reporting (developed by NOAA) |
DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid |
DNAPL | dense nonaqueous phase liquids |
DNS | dynamic numerical simulation |
DO | dissolved oxygen |
DOE | U.S. Department of Energy |
DOI | U.S. Department of the Interior |
DOM | dissolved organic matter |
DOR | dispersant:oil ratio |
DOSS | dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate |
DOT | U.S. Department of Transportation |
DWH | Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
DWOP | Drill the Well on Paper |
DWT | dead weight tonnes |
E&P | exploration and production |
EAL | environmentally acceptable lubricant |
EBSA | ecologically and biologically significant area |
EC | excitation–contraction |
EC50 | median effective concentration |
ECA | emission control area |
ECCC | Environment and Climate Change Canada |
EDCF | effects-driven chemical fractionation |
EEM | environmental effects monitoring |
EEZ | Exclusive Economic Zone |
EHSS | ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate |
EIA | environmental impact assessment |
EIA | U.S. Energy Information Administration |
EMSA | European Maritime Safety Agency |
EOS | equation of state (thermodynamics) |
EPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
EPS | extracellular polymeric substance |
ERA | ecological risk assessment |
ERG | ether-a-go-go related gene |
ERMA® | Environmental Response Management Application |
EROD | ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase |
ESEM | environmental scanning electron microscopy |
ESI | Environmental Sensitivity Index |
ETS | environmental tobacco smoke |
ETS | erythroblast transformation-specific [-related gene (ERG)] |
EVOS | Exxon Valdez oil spill |
EXDET | Exxon Dispersant Effectiveness Test |
FAA | U.S. Federal Aviation Administration |
FAC | fluorescent aromatic compound |
FDA | U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
FID | flame ionization detector |
FOG | fat, oils, and greases |
FT-ICR-MS | Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer |
FW | freshwater |
g | gram |
g/acre | gram per acre |
g/cm3 | gram per centimeter cubed |
GC | gas chromatography |
GC×GC | two-dimensional gas chromatography |
GC×GC-MS | two-dimensional gas chromatography with mass spectrometry |
GC-FID | gas chromatography with flame ionization detector |
GC-MS | gas chromatography with mass spectrometry |
GFF | glass fiber water |
GIS | geographic information system |
GoMRI | Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative |
GOR | gas-to-oil ratio |
GPR | ground penetration radar |
GRHOP | Gulf Region Health Outreach Program |
GRIIDC | Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative |
GROS | genome repository of oil systems |
GRP | Gulf Research Program |
GSI | Gonad Somatic Index |
GSRN | Global Subsea Response Network |
GST | glutathione transferase |
GT | gross tonnes |
GTH | glutathione |
H | hydrogen |
H2S | hydrogen sulfide |
ha | hectare |
HC | hazard concentration |
HC | hydrocarbon |
HDPE | high-density polyethylene |
HECEWAF | high energy chemically enhanced water-accommodated fraction |
HEWAF | high-energy water-accommodated fraction (of oil) |
HFO | heavy fuel oil (e.g., Bunker C) |
HGL | hydrogen gas liquids |
High Mag FT-ICR-MS | High Magnetic Field Fourier Transform–Ion Cyclotron Resonance–Mass Spectrometry or Ultra High Resolution Mass Spectrometry |
HLB | hydrophilic-lipophilic balance |
HMW | high molecular weight |
HO2 | hydroperoxy radical |
HP/HT | high pressure/high temperature |
HPLC | high-performance liquid chromatography |
HPWT | high-pressure water tunnel |
hr | hour |
HSFO | high sulfur fuel oil |
hv | light |
IBP | ice-binding protein |
ICAO | International Civil Aviation Organization |
ICCOPR | Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research |
ICE | Interspecies Correlation Estimation |
ICES | International Council for the Exploration of the Seas |
ICS | Incident Command System |
IEA | International Energy Agency |
IFO | intermediate fuel oil (e.g., IFO 180) |
IM | interfacial material |
IMH | Incident Management Handbook |
IMO | International Maritime Organization |
IMS-MS | ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry |
IOC | International Oceanographic Commission |
IOGP | International Oil & Gas Producers |
IOSC | International Oil Spill Conference |
IP | intraperitoneal |
IP | induced polarization |
IPCC | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
IPIECA | International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association |
IR | infrared |
ISB | in situ burning (of oil on water) |
ISO | International Organization for Standardization |
ITAC | Industry Technical Advisory Committee |
ITOPF | International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation |
JEM | job exposure matrix |
K+ | potassium ion |
Kow | octanol-water partition coefficient |
kg/m3 | kilogram per cubic meter (measure of density) |
kHz | a unit of frequency equal to one thousand cycles per second |
km | kilometers |
km2 | kilometers squared |
km2 y–1 | kilometers squared per year |
kPa | kilopascal; unit of pressure equivalent to one newton per square meter |
L | liter |
l/ha | liter per hectare |
LAB | linear alkylbenzenes |
LAS | linear alkylbenzenesulfonates |
LC50 | median lethal concentration |
LDPE | low-density polyethylene |
LES | large eddy simulation (an approach to modeling turbulent flow) |
LEWAF | low energy water accommodated fractions |
LH | lipid |
LISST | laser in situ scattering and transmissivity |
LL | lethal loading |
LMW | low molecular weight |
LNAPL | light non-aqueous phase liquid |
LNG | liquefied natural gas |
LOC | levels of concern |
LOEC | lowest observable effect concentration |
LOET | lowest observable effects time |
LOOH | peroxidation |
LOWC | loss of well control |
LSC | Louisiana sweet crude |
LSFO | low-sulfur fuel oil |
LTCC | L-type calcium channel |
m | meters |
m3 | meters cubed |
m/s | meters per second |
M-BACI | multivariate before and after/control and impact |
MAG | metagenome-assembled genome |
MARPOL | International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships |
MARSIS | Marine Safety Information System |
MAS | marine autonomous system |
MC-20 | Mississippi Canyon, Block 20 |
MC-252 | Macondo crude oil spilled in Deepwater Horizon event |
MCF | 1,000 cubic feet of gas |
MCFD | 1 million standard cubic feet per day |
MERIS | Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer |
MEWAF | mid energy water accommodated fraction |
MG | million gallons |
mg/cm3 | milligrams per cubic centimeter |
mg L−1 | milligrams per 1 liter solution |
MISLE | Marine Information for Safety and Law Enforcement |
MISR | Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer |
MIZ | Marginal Ice Zone |
mL | milliliter |
mm | millimeter |
MMCF | 1 million cubic feet of gas |
MMS | Minerals Management Service |
MNA | monitored natural attenuation |
MoA | mode of action |
MOA | mechanism of action |
MODIS | Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer |
MODU | mobile offshore drilling unit |
MOS | marine oil snow |
MOSSFA | marine oil snow sedimentation and flocculent accumulation |
MP | microplastic |
MPa | megapascal; one million pascals (Pa, unit of pressure) |
MPRI | Multi-partner Research Inititiative |
MPSR | Marine Pollution Surveillance Report (NOAA) |
MS | mass spectrometry |
MSO | marine safety office |
MT | metric tonnes |
MT/yr | metric tonnes per year |
N | nitrogen |
NA | naphthenic acids |
NA | not applicable |
NA+ | sodium ion |
NAE | U.S. National Academy of Engineering |
NAPL | non-aqueous phase liquid |
NAS | U.S. National Academy of Sciences |
NASF | non-accidental structural failures |
ND | not determined |
NEB | National Energy Board (Canada) |
NEBA | net environmental benefits analysis |
NESDIS | National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service |
ng/g | nanogram per gram |
NGO | nongovernmental organization |
NGS | next generation sequencing (of nucleic acids) |
NHANES | U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey |
Ni | nickel |
NIEHS | U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences |
NIOSH | U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health |
NIST | U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology |
nm | nanometer |
NMR | nuclear magnetic resonance |
NMVOC | non-methane volatile organic compound |
No. | number |
NOAA | U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
NOBE | Newfoundland Offshore Burn Experiment |
NOEC | no observable effect concentration |
NOEL | no observed effect loading |
NOIA | U.S. National Ocean Industries Association |
NOPW | Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers |
NOx | nitrogen oxide |
NPDES | Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System |
NRC | National Research Council (in both Canada and the United States) |
NRDA | Natural Resource Damage Assessment |
NRT | National Response Team |
NS&T | National Status and Trends Program (NOAA) |
NTSB | U.S. National Transportation Safety Board |
NWQMC | U.S. National Water Quality Monitoring Council |
NZ2050 | net zero by 2050 |
O | other |
O | oxygen |
O2 | molecular oxygen |
o/w | oil-in-water emulsion |
O&G | oil and gas |
OCIMF | Oil Companies International Marine Forum |
OCS | Outer Continental Shelf |
OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
OH | hydroxyl radical |
OHCB | obligate hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria |
OITS | Oil in the Sea |
OMA | oil-mineral aggregate |
ONR | U.S. Office of Naval Research |
OPA | oil-particle aggregate |
OPA 90 | Oil Pollution Act of 1990 |
OPRC | International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation |
OPS | Office of Pipeline Safety (PHMSA) |
OPT/LFT | optical and laser flourosensor |
OR&R | Office of Response and Restoration (NOAA) |
ORA | oil-related aggregate |
OSA | oil-sediment aggregate |
OSCAR | Oil Spill Contingency and Response |
OSHA | U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
OSIM | Oil in Sea Ice Mesocosm facility at Churchill Marine Observatory, Hudson Bay |
OSLTF | Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund |
OSPRI | Oil Spill Preparedness Regional Initiative |
OSRO | oil spill removal organization |
OSRV | oil spill response vessel |
OWD | oil-water dispersion |
P | phosphorus |
P&A | plugged and abandoned |
PAC | polycyclic aromatic compound |
PAH | polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon |
PAR | photosynthetically active radiation |
PARAFAC | parallel factor analysis |
PBCO | Prudhoe Bay Crude Oil |
PCB | polychlorinated biphenyls |
PCR | polymerase chain reaction |
PEC | predicted environmental concentration |
PET or PETE | polyethylene terephthalate |
PETROTOX | model that can predict the toxicity of any oil |
PHE | phenanthrene |
PHMSA | U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration |
PIV | particle image velocimetry |
PLIF | planar laser induced fluorescence |
PM | particulate matter |
PNEC | predicted no effect concentrations |
POC | particulate organic carbon |
POM | particulate organic matter |
PP | polypropylene |
ppb | parts-per-billion |
PPE | personal protective equipment |
ppm | parts-per-million |
ppt | parts-per-thousand |
PR | Peng-Robinson |
PROFEPA | Federal Attorney for the Protection of the Environment |
PROMAM | Mexican Navy’s Marine Environment Protection Division |
PS | polystyrene |
PSU | practical salinity unit; a unit based on the properties of sea water conductivity equivalent to per-thousand (o/00) or g/kg |
PTLM | Phototoxic Target Lipid Model |
PTSD | posttraumatic stress disorder |
PVC | polyvinyl chloride |
PWS | Prince William Sound |
QA/QC | quality assurance/quality control |
Quad BTU | quadrillion British thermal unit |
R | n-hexadecane free radical |
RANS | Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes |
RBCC | red blood cell count |
RH | n-hexadecane |
RNA | ribonucleic acid |
RO | response organization |
RO | oxygenated n-hexadecane radical |
RO2 | n-hexadecane peroxy radical |
RO2H | n-hexadecanoic acid |
ROH | n-hexadecanol |
ROS | reactive oxygen species |
ROSV | remotely operated surface vehicle |
ROV | remotely operated vehicle |
RP | responsible party |
RPAS | remotely piloted aircraft system |
RQ | risk quotient |
RRI | Response Resource Inventory |
RRT | Regional Response Team |
RTG-2 | rainbow trout gill (cell line) |
RULET | Remediation of Underwater Legacy Environmental Threats project |
RyR | ryanodine receptor |
S | sulfur |
SAB | Satellite Analysis Branch |
SAG | single-cell amplified genome |
SAR | synthetic aperture radar |
SARA | saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes |
SCAT | Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique |
SE | standard error of mean |
SEMS | safety and environmental management system |
SENER | Ministry of the Energy (Secretaría de Energía) |
SERMARNAT | Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries |
SHE-WAF | super high energy water accommodated fractions |
SIR | standardized incidence ratio |
SIRE | Ship Inspection Report Program |
SIMA | spill impact mitigation assessment |
SIMAP | Spill Impact MAPping |
SLAR | side-looking airborne radar |
SMART | Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies |
SMFF | salvage and marine firefighting |
SMS | safety management system |
SOA | secondary organic aerosol |
SOA | sediment-oil aggregate |
SOD | superoxide dismutase |
SOM | sediment-oil mat |
SOM | submerged oil mat |
SONS | spills of national significance |
SOPEP | shipboard emergency plan |
SOx | sulfur oxide |
SPE | Society of Petroleum Engineers |
SR | sarcoplasmic reticulum |
SRB | sulfate-reducing bacteria |
SRB | surface residual ball |
SRM | submerged residual oil mat |
SRP | sulfate-reducing prokaryotes |
SRP | surface residue patty |
SSD | species sensitivity distribution |
SSDI | subsea dispersant injection |
SW | saltwater |
SWA | surface washing agent |
t | tonne |
t/d | tonnes per day |
TCCA | Transport Canada Civil Aviation |
TEP | transparent exopolymer particle |
Tg | teragrams |
TGLO | Texas General Land Office |
THC | total hydrocarbon (sum of concentrations of all hydrocarbon measured) |
TLM | target lipid model |
TPAH | total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon |
TPAH50 | 50 parent and/or more total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon |
TPH | total petroleum hydrocarbons |
TROPICS | TRopical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems |
TSS | total suspended solid |
TU | toxic unit |
TWA | time-weighted average |
UAV | unmanned aerial vehicle |
UCM | unresolved complex mixture |
ULSFO | ultra-low sulfur fuel oils |
UME | unusual mortality event |
UNEP | United Nations Environment Programme |
U.S. EPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
USARC | U.S. Arctic Research Commission |
USCG | United States Coast Guard |
USDA | U.S. Department of Agriculture |
USFW | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
USGS | U.S. Geological Survey |
UUV | unmanned underwater vehicle |
UV | ultraviolet |
UV/IR | ultraviolet infrared [sensors] |
UVE | UV epifluorescence microscopy |
UVR | ultraviolet radiation |
v/v | volume to volume (dilution) |
VEC | valuable ecosystem component |
VECS | vapor emission control system |
VGP | Vessel General Permit |
VHC | volatile hydrocarbon |
VHS | viral hemorrhagic septicemia |
VIDA | Vessel Incidental Discharge Act |
VLSFO | very low sulfur fuel oil |
VOC | volatile organic compound |
VRP | vessel response plan |
VTS | vessel traffic service |
WAF | water-accommodated fraction of oil |
We* | Weber number |
WET | whole effluent toxicity |
WGR | water-to-gas ratio |
WOR | water-to-oil ratio |
WQP | Water Quality Portal |
WSF | water-soluble fraction of oil |
X | xanthone |
X* | xanthone triplet |
XH | hydrated xanthone radical |
XRE | xenobiotic response elements |
ZFE | zone-of-flow-establishment |