CSI New London: U.S. Coast Guard forensic oil spill analysis

Though many oil spills come from identifiable sources, some oil spills also occur where no obvious source is known. The Marine Safety Laboratory identifies oil spill sources for the U.S. Coast Guard. It performs forensic investigations to determine the source of the spill. This article presents the history of the Marine Safety Laboratory. It also discusses the methods and analytical techniques used in forensic investigations, to determine oil spill sources. Gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are some of the analytical techniques used by the Marine Safety Lab, and all are described.

• Authors:
  • Gronlund, Wayne R
• Publication Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 47-50
• Serial:
  • Coast Guard Journal of Safety & Security at Sea, Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council
  • Volume: 69
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: U.S. Coast Guard
  • Serial URL: http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Chemical analysis; Crash analysis; Crash investigation; Crash locations; Forensic science; Oil spills
• Identifier Terms: Marine Safety Laboratory; United States Coast Guard
• Uncontrolled Terms: Sources
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I80: Accident Studies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01489427
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 8 2013 4:22PM