Oil spill trajectory and fates models typically follow a surface slick until it contacts a coastline,
at which time the simulation ceases. The coastal zone oil spill (COZOIL) model described
here is designed to simulate oil spill fates both before and after a coastal contact. Multiple
discrete batches of oil (spillets) are used to represent the surface slick. Spillets are circular
while offshore but become elliptical upon contact with the shoreline. Onshore-offshore
foreshortening is governed by a balance between wind stress and gravity spreading forces …