<em>Alma Matters</em> Archives - Office of Graduate Studies

A Mighty Wind

Antigoni Zafirakou, G00

The answer may be blowing in the wind for Antigoni Zafirakou

A faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, Zafirakou is part of a research project aimed at predicting the movement of ocean-based oil spills. The project is a collaborative effort between Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the University of Athens, the University of the Aegean, and MARAC Electronics. Zafirakou, who is working with fellow professors Christoforos Koutitas and Vassilios Dermissis, has taken a lead role in the development of a computer model which will both simulate and predict the fate and transport of oil spills.

"The model I'm working on was originally created by Professor Koutitas," says Zafirakou, who earned a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Tufts in 2000 and credits former adviser, Professor Richard Vogel, with helping her succeed both as a graduate student and professor. "Our goal is to reformulate the model and merge it with the hydrodynamic and meteorological models of the University of Athens, increase the grid resolution, and provide a more user-friendly graphical interface."

As she shared during a recent phone interview, something as simple as wind can play a major role in the progression of an oil spill.

"Wind speed can affect the height and direction of ocean waves and influence the movement of a spill,"says Zafirakou. "The model we are developing accounts for the initial spreading, advection, dispersion and diffusion, as well as the evaporation, emulsification, beaching and sedimentation of an oil spill."

The computer model is just the first step in the process. Using the results of her research, MARAC Electronics of Greece hopes to develop a device that can be used in the Gulf of Alexandroupolis in the Northeastern (NE) Aegean Sea, where there are plans to construct an oil pipeline.

"MARAC plans to produce floating sensors that will follow an oil spill if an accident occurs,"says Zafirakou, who in addition to her research is currently teaching three environmental engineering courses. "The sensors will report the coordinates of the spill and how it is moving via satellite and GPS. By keeping track of oil spills, these devices may help limit environmental damage to a particular area."

Once complete, Zafirakou believes that this collaborative research and development project could make a difference on a global scale.

"If we can make the model work and MARAC can produce the sensors and portable devices, then these devices can be used in other parts of the world," she says. "We could have a profound environmental impact."

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