ASTM_F_1779_-_08_2014.pdf

Designation:F177908(Reapproved 2014)Standard Practice forReporting Visual Observations of Oil on Water1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F1779;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice covers methods of reporting and recordingvisual observations of oil on water and related responseactivities.1.2 This practice applies only to visual observations of oilon water from an airplane or helicopter.While a similar set ofcodes could be used for classifying oil on beaches,this subjectis not discussed in this practice.It does not cover the use ofremote-sensing equipment from aircraft,which is discussed ina separate standard.This does not include observations ofdispersed oil.1.3 This practice is applicable for all types of oil under avariety of environmental and geographical situations.1.4 Visual observations of oil on water from the air involvea number of safety issues associated with the operation ofairplanes or helicopters at low altitudes.These are not dealtwith in this practice,but the observer should be aware of thehazards of such operations.1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2F2534 Guide for Visually Estimating Oil Spill Thickness onWater3.Significance and Use3.1 This practice can be used by surveillance and trackingstaff to report visual observations.The data produced fromsuch observations will provide the basis for preparing maps ofthe oil-slick location.3.2 This practice provides a procedure for reporting thevisual observation of oil on water in a systematic manner andin a common format.3.3 This practice deals with the possibility that materialsother than oil might be confused with oil when using visualobservation methods.4.Observational Methods4.1 The basic information needed from a visual observationprogram includes the slick size and location,as well as itscharacteristics and shape.The location(preferably determinedby GPS)and some aspects of the effectiveness of a responseoperation can be easily determined from an aerial platform.Reports on the presence of wildlife and the proximity of oil toenvironmentally sensitive areas are useful information that canbe generated from overflights.4.2 Observers of oil on water will generally use either ahelicopter or a small fixed-wing airplane.The planes shall becapable of slow-speed flight(120 to 240 km/h;60 to 120 knots)for extended periods of time and have good forward and sidevisibility.The aircraft shall have adequate range and enduranceconsistent with the size and location of the spill.4.3 Standard maps shall be provided to the observers,so thattheir data can be easily transferred to a single map or map setfor reporting and dissemination.The same maps should beused by the command team and the observers.These maps canbe based on marine charts,topographic maps or special mapsproduced for the spill.Useful scales vary from 1:10000 to1:50000.It is difficult to plot information to the requiredaccuracy using maps of a larger scale.4.4 The flight path shall be shown on all maps.The actualflight path should be recorded on GPS and can be transferredto the map(s)later.An initial proposed flight path should beprepared prior to the flight.During the flight,deviations fromthis plan may be necessary in order to observe the total area ofthe slick.1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F20 on HazardousSubstances and Oil Spill Responseand is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeF20.16 on Surveillance and Tracking.Current edition approved March 1,2014.Published March 2014.Originallyapproved in 1997.Last previous edition approved in 2008 as F1779 08.DOI:10.1520/F1779-08R14.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 4.5 Typical flight altitudes range from 100 to 1000 mdepending on the type of the spill and on the cloud ceiling atflight time.There are flight safety considerations associatedwith low-altitude flying.4.6 The best angle to observe an oil slick is directly aboveit looking straight down.This is known as a nadir observation.The flight path should be adjusted,wherever