Dynamics of oil slicks on wavy water surfaces

Abstract We hypothesize that the spread of oil slicks on the water’s surface during oil spills is significantly influenced by water wave motion at the initial or intermediate spreading stages, well before emulsification processes have a substantial impact on the oil film’s state. We demonstrate that the spreading dynamics of an oil slick on the water surface are facilitated by water waves, employing the thin film approximation. It is shown that water wave motion can rapidly deplete any oil slick, reducing the oil layer’s thickness to nearly zero. This mechanism may act as a precursor to emulsification processes, leading to the accelerated depletion of oil spills into a distribution of droplets that form an emulsion.