| parts per thousand or g/kg (used for salinity) | |
| µg/g | microgram per gram |
| µg/L | microgram per liter |
| µm | micrometers |
| 96-h LC50 | 96-hour lethal concentration for 50% of the test organisms |
| ABS | Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene |
| ACR | acute-to-chronic ratio |
| ACS | American Chemical Society |
| ADCP | acoustic Doppler current profiler |
| ADEC | Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation |
| ADIOS | Automated Data Inquiry for Oil Spills |
| AF | application factor |
| AhR | aryl hydrocarbon receptor |
| AI | artificial intelligence |
| AIP | AhR-interacting protein |
| AIS | Automatic Identification System |
| AMOP | Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program |
| AMRA | Arctic marine risk assessment |
| ANS | Alaska North Slope crude oil |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute |
| API | American Petroleum Institute |
| Arnt | AhR nuclear translocator protein |
| ARTES | Alternative Response Tool Evaluation System |
| ASEA | National Agency for Safety of Energy and Environment |
| ASTM | American Society for Testing and Materials |
| AU | assessment unit |
| AUV | autonomous underwater vehicle |
| AVIRIS | airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer |
| BAF | bioaccumulation factor |
| BaP | benzo(a)pyrene, a 5-ringed PAH |
| BAT | best available technology economically achievable |
| BAU | business as usual |
| bbl | barrel or barrels |
| bbl/d | barrels per day |
| BC | British Columbia |
| BCF | bioconcentration factor |
| BCT | best conventional pollutant control technology |
| BIOS | Baffin Island Oil Spill |
| BOA | bacteria-oil aggregate |
| BOD | biological oxygen demand |
| BOE | barrel of oil equivalents |
| BOEM | U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management |
| BOMA | bacteria-oil microaggregates |
| BOP | blowout preventer |
| BOPD | barrels of oil per day |
| BP | British Petroleum |
| BSEE | U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement |
| BTEX | benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers |
| °C | degrees Celsius (temperature) |
| C | carbon |
| C-NLOPB | Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board |
| C:N:P | Redfield ratio; carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus |
| Ca2+ | calcium ion |
| CAFE | Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects |
| CAPP | Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers |
| CARD-FISH | catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization |
| casq1, casq2 | SR calcium-buffering proteins |
| CBBO | Cosco Busan bunker oil |
| CDOM | colored (or chromophoric) dissolved organic matter |
| CER | Canada Energy Regulator |
| CERA | Consensus Ecological Risk Assessment |
| CEWAF | chemically enhanced water-accommodated fraction of oil |
| CFD | computational fluid dynamics |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
| cm | centimeter |
| cm/s | centimeter per second |
| CMO | Churchill Marine Observatory (Manitoba, Canada) |
| CO2 | carbon dioxide |
| COD | chemical oxygen demand |
| COP | common operating procedure |
| COS | Center for Offshore Safety |
| COTP | Captain of the Port |
| COW | crude oil washing |
| CRA | comparative risk assessment |
| CROSERF | Chemical Response to Oil Spills Ecological Research Forum |
| CRRC | Coastal Response Research Center |
| CTD | conductivity, temperature, and depth |
| CYP1A | cytochrome P450-1A |
| d | day or days |
| D | diameter |
| DFO | Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada) |
| DHS | U.S. Department of Homeland Security |
| DIVER | Data Integration Visualization Exploration and Reporting (developed by NOAA) |
| DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid |
| DNAPL | dense nonaqueous phase liquids |
| DNS | dynamic numerical simulation |
| DO | dissolved oxygen |
| DOE | U.S. Department of Energy |
| DOI | U.S. Department of the Interior |
| DOM | dissolved organic matter |
| DOR | dispersant:oil ratio |
| DOSS | dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate |
| DOT | U.S. Department of Transportation |
| DWH | Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
| DWOP | Drill the Well on Paper |
| DWT | dead weight tonnes |
| E&P | exploration and production |
| EAL | environmentally acceptable lubricant |
| EBSA | ecologically and biologically significant area |
| EC | excitation–contraction |
| EC50 | median effective concentration |
| ECA | emission control area |
| ECCC | Environment and Climate Change Canada |
| EDCF | effects-driven chemical fractionation |
| EEM | environmental effects monitoring |
| EEZ | Exclusive Economic Zone |
| EHSS | ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate |
| EIA | environmental impact assessment |
| EIA | U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| EMSA | European Maritime Safety Agency |
| EOS | equation of state (thermodynamics) |
| EPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| EPS | extracellular polymeric substance |
| ERA | ecological risk assessment |
| ERG | ether-a-go-go related gene |
| ERMA® | Environmental Response Management Application |
| EROD | ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase |
| ESEM | environmental scanning electron microscopy |
| ESI | Environmental Sensitivity Index |
| ETS | environmental tobacco smoke |
| ETS | erythroblast transformation-specific [-related gene (ERG)] |
| EVOS | Exxon Valdez oil spill |
| EXDET | Exxon Dispersant Effectiveness Test |
| FAA | U.S. Federal Aviation Administration |
| FAC | fluorescent aromatic compound |
| FDA | U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
| FID | flame ionization detector |
| FOG | fat, oils, and greases |
| FT-ICR-MS | Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer |
| FW | freshwater |
| g | gram |
| g/acre | gram per acre |
| g/cm3 | gram per centimeter cubed |
| GC | gas chromatography |
| GC×GC | two-dimensional gas chromatography |
| GC×GC-MS | two-dimensional gas chromatography with mass spectrometry |
| GC-FID | gas chromatography with flame ionization detector |
| GC-MS | gas chromatography with mass spectrometry |
| GFF | glass fiber water |
| GIS | geographic information system |
| GoMRI | Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative |
| GOR | gas-to-oil ratio |
| GPR | ground penetration radar |
| GRHOP | Gulf Region Health Outreach Program |
| GRIIDC | Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative |
| GROS | genome repository of oil systems |
| GRP | Gulf Research Program |
| GSI | Gonad Somatic Index |
| GSRN | Global Subsea Response Network |
| GST | glutathione transferase |
| GT | gross tonnes |
| GTH | glutathione |
| H | hydrogen |
| H2S | hydrogen sulfide |
| ha | hectare |
| HC | hazard concentration |
| HC | hydrocarbon |
| HDPE | high-density polyethylene |
| HECEWAF | high energy chemically enhanced water-accommodated fraction |
| HEWAF | high-energy water-accommodated fraction (of oil) |
| HFO | heavy fuel oil (e.g., Bunker C) |
| HGL | hydrogen gas liquids |
| High Mag FT-ICR-MS | High Magnetic Field Fourier Transform–Ion Cyclotron Resonance–Mass Spectrometry or Ultra High Resolution Mass Spectrometry |
| HLB | hydrophilic-lipophilic balance |
| HMW | high molecular weight |
| HO2 | hydroperoxy radical |
| HP/HT | high pressure/high temperature |
| HPLC | high-performance liquid chromatography |
| HPWT | high-pressure water tunnel |
| hr | hour |
| HSFO | high sulfur fuel oil |
| hv | light |
| IBP | ice-binding protein |
| ICAO | International Civil Aviation Organization |
| ICCOPR | Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research |
| ICE | Interspecies Correlation Estimation |
| ICES | International Council for the Exploration of the Seas |
| ICS | Incident Command System |
| IEA | International Energy Agency |
| IFO | intermediate fuel oil (e.g., IFO 180) |
| IM | interfacial material |
| IMH | Incident Management Handbook |
| IMO | International Maritime Organization |
| IMS-MS | ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry |
| IOC | International Oceanographic Commission |
| IOGP | International Oil & Gas Producers |
| IOSC | International Oil Spill Conference |
| IP | intraperitoneal |
| IP | induced polarization |
| IPCC | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
| IPIECA | International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association |
| IR | infrared |
| ISB | in situ burning (of oil on water) |
| ISO | International Organization for Standardization |
| ITAC | Industry Technical Advisory Committee |
| ITOPF | International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation |
| JEM | job exposure matrix |
| K+ | potassium ion |
| Kow | octanol-water partition coefficient |
| kg/m3 | kilogram per cubic meter (measure of density) |
| kHz | a unit of frequency equal to one thousand cycles per second |
| km | kilometers |
| km2 | kilometers squared |
| km2 y–1 | kilometers squared per year |
| kPa | kilopascal; unit of pressure equivalent to one newton per square meter |
| L | liter |
| l/ha | liter per hectare |
| LAB | linear alkylbenzenes |
| LAS | linear alkylbenzenesulfonates |
| LC50 | median lethal concentration |
| LDPE | low-density polyethylene |
| LES | large eddy simulation (an approach to modeling turbulent flow) |
| LEWAF | low energy water accommodated fractions |
| LH | lipid |
| LISST | laser in situ scattering and transmissivity |
| LL | lethal loading |
| LMW | low molecular weight |
| LNAPL | light non-aqueous phase liquid |
| LNG | liquefied natural gas |
| LOC | levels of concern |
| LOEC | lowest observable effect concentration |
| LOET | lowest observable effects time |
| LOOH | peroxidation |
| LOWC | loss of well control |
| LSC | Louisiana sweet crude |
| LSFO | low-sulfur fuel oil |
| LTCC | L-type calcium channel |
| m | meters |
| m3 | meters cubed |
| m/s | meters per second |
| M-BACI | multivariate before and after/control and impact |
| MAG | metagenome-assembled genome |
| MARPOL | International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships |
| MARSIS | Marine Safety Information System |
| MAS | marine autonomous system |
| MC-20 | Mississippi Canyon, Block 20 |
| MC-252 | Macondo crude oil spilled in Deepwater Horizon event |
| MCF | 1,000 cubic feet of gas |
| MCFD | 1 million standard cubic feet per day |
| MERIS | Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer |
| MEWAF | mid energy water accommodated fraction |
| MG | million gallons |
| mg/cm3 | milligrams per cubic centimeter |
| mg L−1 | milligrams per 1 liter solution |
| MISLE | Marine Information for Safety and Law Enforcement |
| MISR | Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer |
| MIZ | Marginal Ice Zone |
| mL | milliliter |
| mm | millimeter |
| MMCF | 1 million cubic feet of gas |
| MMS | Minerals Management Service |
| MNA | monitored natural attenuation |
| MoA | mode of action |
| MOA | mechanism of action |
| MODIS | Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer |
| MODU | mobile offshore drilling unit |
| MOS | marine oil snow |
| MOSSFA | marine oil snow sedimentation and flocculent accumulation |
| MP | microplastic |
| MPa | megapascal; one million pascals (Pa, unit of pressure) |
| MPRI | Multi-partner Research Inititiative |
| MPSR | Marine Pollution Surveillance Report (NOAA) |
| MS | mass spectrometry |
| MSO | marine safety office |
| MT | metric tonnes |
| MT/yr | metric tonnes per year |
| N | nitrogen |
| NA | naphthenic acids |
| NA | not applicable |
| NA+ | sodium ion |
| NAE | U.S. National Academy of Engineering |
| NAPL | non-aqueous phase liquid |
| NAS | U.S. National Academy of Sciences |
| NASF | non-accidental structural failures |
| ND | not determined |
| NEB | National Energy Board (Canada) |
| NEBA | net environmental benefits analysis |
| NESDIS | National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service |
| ng/g | nanogram per gram |
| NGO | nongovernmental organization |
| NGS | next generation sequencing (of nucleic acids) |
| NHANES | U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey |
| Ni | nickel |
| NIEHS | U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences |
| NIOSH | U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health |
| NIST | U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| nm | nanometer |
| NMR | nuclear magnetic resonance |
| NMVOC | non-methane volatile organic compound |
| No. | number |
| NOAA | U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| NOBE | Newfoundland Offshore Burn Experiment |
| NOEC | no observable effect concentration |
| NOEL | no observed effect loading |
| NOIA | U.S. National Ocean Industries Association |
| NOPW | Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers |
| NOx | nitrogen oxide |
| NPDES | Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System |
| NRC | National Research Council (in both Canada and the United States) |
| NRDA | Natural Resource Damage Assessment |
| NRT | National Response Team |
| NS&T | National Status and Trends Program (NOAA) |
| NTSB | U.S. National Transportation Safety Board |
| NWQMC | U.S. National Water Quality Monitoring Council |
| NZ2050 | net zero by 2050 |
| O | other |
| O | oxygen |
| O2 | molecular oxygen |
| o/w | oil-in-water emulsion |
| O&G | oil and gas |
| OCIMF | Oil Companies International Marine Forum |
| OCS | Outer Continental Shelf |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| OH | hydroxyl radical |
| OHCB | obligate hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria |
| OITS | Oil in the Sea |
| OMA | oil-mineral aggregate |
| ONR | U.S. Office of Naval Research |
| OPA | oil-particle aggregate |
| OPA 90 | Oil Pollution Act of 1990 |
| OPRC | International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation |
| OPS | Office of Pipeline Safety (PHMSA) |
| OPT/LFT | optical and laser flourosensor |
| OR&R | Office of Response and Restoration (NOAA) |
| ORA | oil-related aggregate |
| OSA | oil-sediment aggregate |
| OSCAR | Oil Spill Contingency and Response |
| OSHA | U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| OSIM | Oil in Sea Ice Mesocosm facility at Churchill Marine Observatory, Hudson Bay |
| OSLTF | Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund |
| OSPRI | Oil Spill Preparedness Regional Initiative |
| OSRO | oil spill removal organization |
| OSRV | oil spill response vessel |
| OWD | oil-water dispersion |
| P | phosphorus |
| P&A | plugged and abandoned |
| PAC | polycyclic aromatic compound |
| PAH | polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon |
| PAR | photosynthetically active radiation |
| PARAFAC | parallel factor analysis |
| PBCO | Prudhoe Bay Crude Oil |
| PCB | polychlorinated biphenyls |
| PCR | polymerase chain reaction |
| PEC | predicted environmental concentration |
| PET or PETE | polyethylene terephthalate |
| PETROTOX | model that can predict the toxicity of any oil |
| PHE | phenanthrene |
| PHMSA | U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration |
| PIV | particle image velocimetry |
| PLIF | planar laser induced fluorescence |
| PM | particulate matter |
| PNEC | predicted no effect concentrations |
| POC | particulate organic carbon |
| POM | particulate organic matter |
| PP | polypropylene |
| ppb | parts-per-billion |
| PPE | personal protective equipment |
| ppm | parts-per-million |
| ppt | parts-per-thousand |
| PR | Peng-Robinson |
| PROFEPA | Federal Attorney for the Protection of the Environment |
| PROMAM | Mexican Navy’s Marine Environment Protection Division |
| PS | polystyrene |
| PSU | practical salinity unit; a unit based on the properties of sea water conductivity equivalent to per-thousand (o/00) or g/kg |
| PTLM | Phototoxic Target Lipid Model |
| PTSD | posttraumatic stress disorder |
| PVC | polyvinyl chloride |
| PWS | Prince William Sound |
| QA/QC | quality assurance/quality control |
| Quad BTU | quadrillion British thermal unit |
| R | n-hexadecane free radical |
| RANS | Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes |
| RBCC | red blood cell count |
| RH | n-hexadecane |
| RNA | ribonucleic acid |
| RO | response organization |
| RO | oxygenated n-hexadecane radical |
| RO2 | n-hexadecane peroxy radical |
| RO2H | n-hexadecanoic acid |
| ROH | n-hexadecanol |
| ROS | reactive oxygen species |
| ROSV | remotely operated surface vehicle |
| ROV | remotely operated vehicle |
| RP | responsible party |
| RPAS | remotely piloted aircraft system |
| RQ | risk quotient |
| RRI | Response Resource Inventory |
| RRT | Regional Response Team |
| RTG-2 | rainbow trout gill (cell line) |
| RULET | Remediation of Underwater Legacy Environmental Threats project |
| RyR | ryanodine receptor |
| S | sulfur |
| SAB | Satellite Analysis Branch |
| SAG | single-cell amplified genome |
| SAR | synthetic aperture radar |
| SARA | saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes |
| SCAT | Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique |
| SE | standard error of mean |
| SEMS | safety and environmental management system |
| SENER | Ministry of the Energy (Secretaría de Energía) |
| SERMARNAT | Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries |
| SHE-WAF | super high energy water accommodated fractions |
| SIR | standardized incidence ratio |
| SIRE | Ship Inspection Report Program |
| SIMA | spill impact mitigation assessment |
| SIMAP | Spill Impact MAPping |
| SLAR | side-looking airborne radar |
| SMART | Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies |
| SMFF | salvage and marine firefighting |
| SMS | safety management system |
| SOA | secondary organic aerosol |
| SOA | sediment-oil aggregate |
| SOD | superoxide dismutase |
| SOM | sediment-oil mat |
| SOM | submerged oil mat |
| SONS | spills of national significance |
| SOPEP | shipboard emergency plan |
| SOx | sulfur oxide |
| SPE | Society of Petroleum Engineers |
| SR | sarcoplasmic reticulum |
| SRB | sulfate-reducing bacteria |
| SRB | surface residual ball |
| SRM | submerged residual oil mat |
| SRP | sulfate-reducing prokaryotes |
| SRP | surface residue patty |
| SSD | species sensitivity distribution |
| SSDI | subsea dispersant injection |
| SW | saltwater |
| SWA | surface washing agent |
| t | tonne |
| t/d | tonnes per day |
| TCCA | Transport Canada Civil Aviation |
| TEP | transparent exopolymer particle |
| Tg | teragrams |
| TGLO | Texas General Land Office |
| THC | total hydrocarbon (sum of concentrations of all hydrocarbon measured) |
| TLM | target lipid model |
| TPAH | total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon |
| TPAH50 | 50 parent and/or more total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon |
| TPH | total petroleum hydrocarbons |
| TROPICS | TRopical Oil Pollution Investigations in Coastal Systems |
| TSS | total suspended solid |
| TU | toxic unit |
| TWA | time-weighted average |
| UAV | unmanned aerial vehicle |
| UCM | unresolved complex mixture |
| ULSFO | ultra-low sulfur fuel oils |
| UME | unusual mortality event |
| UNEP | United Nations Environment Programme |
| U.S. EPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| USARC | U.S. Arctic Research Commission |
| USCG | United States Coast Guard |
| USDA | U.S. Department of Agriculture |
| USFW | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
| USGS | U.S. Geological Survey |
| UUV | unmanned underwater vehicle |
| UV | ultraviolet |
| UV/IR | ultraviolet infrared [sensors] |
| UVE | UV epifluorescence microscopy |
| UVR | ultraviolet radiation |
| v/v | volume to volume (dilution) |
| VEC | valuable ecosystem component |
| VECS | vapor emission control system |
| VGP | Vessel General Permit |
| VHC | volatile hydrocarbon |
| VHS | viral hemorrhagic septicemia |
| VIDA | Vessel Incidental Discharge Act |
| VLSFO | very low sulfur fuel oil |
| VOC | volatile organic compound |
| VRP | vessel response plan |
| VTS | vessel traffic service |
| WAF | water-accommodated fraction of oil |
| We* | Weber number |
| WET | whole effluent toxicity |
| WGR | water-to-gas ratio |
| WOR | water-to-oil ratio |
| WQP | Water Quality Portal |
| WSF | water-soluble fraction of oil |
| X | xanthone |
| X* | xanthone triplet |
| XH | hydrated xanthone radical |
| XRE | xenobiotic response elements |
| ZFE | zone-of-flow-establishment |