Current / New Projects
- Oil Spill Risk Assessment and Response and Damage Cost Analysis
- (US Army Corps of Engineers)
- Dr. Etkin is conducting an oil spill and vessel accident risk analysis
for the US Army Corps of Engineers project of rock removal in the vicinity
of Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay. She will be assisted in this project
by Herbert Engineering, Inc., of Alameda, California. In addition, she
will work with Applied Science Associates, of Narragansett, Rhode Island,
in estimating response and socioeconomic damage costs associated with
hypothetical oil spill scenarios as played out by ASA’s SIMAP oil
spill trajectory and natural resource damage modeling.
- Environmental Impacts of Dry Cargo Discharges into the Great Lakes
- (US Coast Guard Office of Operating and Environmental Standards and
Potomac Management Group)
- Dr. Etkin is researching and analyzing the environmental impacts of
dry bulk cargo discharges (coal, gravel, grains, iron ore, etc.) from
commercial cargo carriers in the Great Lakes. The primary goal of this
effort is to conduct a study to identify and quantify the impacts of the
cargo residue discharges into the affected areas of the Great Lakes, assess
the current program’s effectiveness, and make recommendations for
regulatory action based on the current program.
- Estimation of Oil Input into Marine Environment
- (International Maritime Organization/United Nations)
- In order to estimate the amount of oil entering the marine environment
in the last decade from tankers and other vessels, pipelines, offshore
exploration and production activities, and coastal facilities due to accidental
spillage, Dr. Etkin analyzed historical data and developed an extrapolation
model to estimate smaller spill input. She analyzed oil spillage rates
in relation to marine transport and oil production to determine whether
oil spillage had been reduced regardless of increased transport and production.
She compared data on the past decade to previous estimates on past oil
input. She also analyzed the data on a regional and international basis
to determine the impacts of various oil spill prevention measures and
conventions.
- Estimation of Oil Input into North American and International Marine Environment
- (National Research Council Ocean Studies Board)
- To update the 1985 studies on oil input into the sea, Dr. Etkin compiled
several databases of oil spills and analyzed oil spillage from all sectors
geographically to develop an estimate of oil spillage rates on a regional
basis. The study focused on North American waters, but include a comparison
to the situation in the international arena.
- Cleanup Cost Estimation Modeling For Mechanical Recovery and Shoreline Response
for US Coast Guard Evaluation of Tanker Designs
- (National Research Council Transportation Research Board)
- Dr. Etkin developed a methodology for use by the US Coast Guard to
estimate the cost of mechanical recovery and shoreline cleanup for various
oil spill scenarios (different locations, spill sizes, and oil types).
The model will be used in evaluating the cost consequences of oil spills
of various sizes from alternative tanker designs.
- Analysis of Washington State Vessel Spillage and Casualty Rates
- (Washington Department of Ecology)
- Dr. Etkin conducted an analysis of the rates of oil spillage and casualty
rates in Washington State compared to the US as a whole and three other
key coastal states in order to assess the impact of Washington’s
oil spill prevention regulations.
- Oil Spill Risk Assessment and Analysis
- (US Coast Guard and Potomac Management Group)
- Dr. Etkin provided risk analysis services and reviewing a large number
of projects for the US Coast Guard Oil Spill Prevention, Preparedness,
and Response Program Broad Risk Assessment Project that is aimed at providing
information to the US Coast Guard for strategic planning for the next
decade.
- Oil Spill Cleanup Cost Modeling and Estimation
- ( Maritime Administration and Research Planning, Inc.)
- Dr. Etkin prepared cleanup cost modeling for the Maritime Administration
for hypothetical spill scenarios related to the reserve fleet in the James
River, Virginia, USA. She is working as part of a team that includes Applied
Sciences Associates, Research Planning Inc., and Gallagher Marine Systems.
- Analysis of Bunker Spills From Tankers and Other Vessels
- (Designers & Planners/Herbert Engineering/US Coast Guard)
- Dr. Etkin collected and analyzed on bunker spills from tankers and
cargo vessels in the US and worldwide data from the US Coast Guard database,
the Environmental Research Consulting database, and other sources, for
a project for the US Coast Guard