Specific gravity is a physical property used in many industrial applications. Broadly speaking, for liquids or solids, it is a unit-less ratio of the substance’s density to the density of water at a specified temperature, oftentimes chosen to be 4oC. If a substance’s specific gravity is greater than one, it is more dense than water; if less than one, it is less dense than water. For instance, over the temperature range of 4oC to 20oC, the specific gravity of seawater is 1.03; on the other hand, the specific gravity of typical fresh or brackish water lakes and/or rivers can range down to near 1.00.
a. If 1 gallon of pure water at 4°C has a mass of 8.35 lbs, what is the mass (in kg) of a sea-going barge’s cargo carrying 24,500 gallons of a liquid chemical (specific gravity = 1.01) known to not mix well with water?
b. If the barge ruptures its hull on a submerged obstacle, the liquid that leaks out of the barge may sink or float, thereby creating different environmental scenarios. If such an incident occurred where the river empties into the ocean, would surface cleanup be feasible? In other words, could surface booms potentially be used to collect the leaked liquid?
