The National Research Council report Oil in the Sea III:
Inputs, Fates, and Effects (2003) developed a new methodology
for estimating petroleum inputs to the sea from
both natural and human sources (see figure at right). Oil
inputs from human activities are categorized as those
that originate from: (1) petroleum extraction, exploration,
and production activities; (2) petroleum transportation,
including tanker spills and (3) petroleum use,
including runoff from highways and discharges from
recreational vehicles.