Oil Spill Response
Know where it's going, while it's still happening
During an active spill, response teams need a trajectory forecast fast and one that stays accurate as conditions change. STFM's Deterministic mode runs with the actual currents, winds, and waves for the event, producing a single defined trajectory that updates as new forcing data comes in.
Because weathering (evaporation, emulsification, dispersion) is calculated alongside transport, the forecast also indicates how the oil's behavior is changing informing whether skimming, dispersants, or in-situ burning is still viable at a given point in the response.
Environmental Licensing
Evidence built for regulatory review
Environmental impact assessments for offshore projects pipelines, terminals, drilling operations need to demonstrate a credible worst-case picture, not just one scenario. STFM's Probabilistic mode runs many simulations with varied spill timing, producing a probability map of oil presence across the study area.
That output is built on a published, peer-reviewed Lagrangian particle-tracking methodology, developed at the University of São Paulo evidence that can be referenced and defended in a licensing submission, not a black box.
Coastal Risk Assessment
Prioritize where it matters most
Ports, terminals, and coastal infrastructure operators need to know which stretches of coastline are actually exposed to spill risk, and by how much. Running STFM probabilistically across a range of source points and seasonal conditions produces a coastal distribution analysis: which segments get reached, how often, and in what quantity.
That ranking is what turns a generic contingency plan into one with real priorities where to stage equipment, where to focus training exercises, and where a fast response matters most.
Research & Education
A working platform, not just a paper
STFM is a live platform for studying transport and fate processes in water, suited to both graduate research and teaching. Its Time-reverse mode is especially useful for forensic-style studies: starting from an observed slick and tracing back toward a likely source, rather than only forecasting forward.
Because near-field and far-field physics live in the same model, it's also a practical way to teach how the two regimes actually connect instead of treating them as separate problems, the way most transport models do.
