The LISST-100X submersible laser sensor from Sequoia Scientific has been used intensively by the oil spill research community in the last few years in order to measure the size and concentration of oil droplets and estimate dispersant effectiveness.

At present, all available LISST-100X rental units are deployed in the Gulf of Mexico as part of the spill monitoring efforts after the Deepwater Horizon accident, where scientists and consultants from SL Ross in Ottawa, Ontario and Cooger (DFO) in Nova Scotia are using the LISST-100X for their monitoring efforts in the Gulf. Some scientific papers that have been published in peer-reviewed literature, demonstrating the use of LISST-100X for this purpose, include:

  • Lewis A, Trudel BK, Belore RC, Mullin JV (2010): ‘Large-Scale Dispersant Leaching and Effectiveness Experiments with Oils on Calm Water’. Marine Pollution Bulletin 60: 244-254. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.09.019
  • Belore RC, Trudel K, Mullin JV, Guarino A (2009): ‘Large-Scale Cold Water Dispersant Effectiveness Experiments with Alaskan Crude Oils and Corexit 9500 and 9527 Dispersants’. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58:118-128. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.08.013
  • Li Z, Lee K, Kepkay P, King T, Yeung W, Boufadel MC, Venosa AD (2008): ‘Wave Tank Studies on Chemical Dispersant Effectiveness: Dispersed Oil Droplet Size Distribution’. In: Davidson WF, Lee K, Cogswell A (Eds.): Oil Spill Response: A Global Perspective – NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security, Springer, pp. 143 – 157.
    doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-8565-9
  • Li ZK, Kepkay P, Lee K, King T, Boufadel MC, Venosa AD (2007): ‘Effects of Chemical Dispersants and Mineral Fines on Crude Oil Dispersion in a Wavetank Under Breaking Waves’. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54:983–993. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.02.012
  • Sterling MC, Bonner JS, Ernest ANS, Page CA, Autenrieth RL (2004): ‘Characterizing Aquatic Sediment-Oil Aggregates Using In Situ Instruments’. Marine Pollution Bulletin 48: 533-542. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2003.10.005
  • Sterling MC Jr, Bonner JS, Ernest ANS, Page CA, Autenrieth RL (2004): ‘Chemical Dispersant Effectiveness Testing: Influence of Droplet Coalescence’. Marine Pollution Bulletin 48:969–977. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2003.12.003

For more information about the LISST-100X, email sales and marketing manager Dr Ole Mikkelsen.