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Monitoring large oil slick dynamics with moderate resolution multispectral satellite data

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Abstract

Accidental release of crude oil into the sea due to human activity causes water pollution and heavy damages to natural ecosystems killing birds, fish, mammals and other organisms. A number of monitoring systems are used for tracking the spills and their effects on the marine environment, as well as for collecting data for feeding models. Among them, Earth observation technologies play a crucial role and moderate spatial resolution satellite systems are able to collect images with a very short revisit time or even daily. This paper describes the use of Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data for monitoring large oil slicks with the fluorescence/emissivity index and object-based image analysis. Two case studies are presented: the Deepwater Horizon (2010) and the Campos Basin (2011) oil spill accidents. Results show that it is possible to track the dynamics of the slick both for massive and long-lasting accidents and for smaller and very quick accidents. The main advantages of the method proposed are a straightforward implementation, a fast and semi-automated data processing and the capability of integration of daytime and nighttime acquisitions, as well as its adaptability to different sensors.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to NASA for making available MODIS L1B data through LAADS. The authors would like also to thank NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) and in particular Jennifer Belge for providing the reference data utilized in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Remote Sensing (L@RS), Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Pieralberto Maianti, Giorgio Dalla Via, Federico Frassy, Andrea Marchesi, Francesco Rota Nodari & Marco Gianinetto

  2. ERM Italia S.p.A., Via San Gregorio 38, 20124, Milan, Italy

    Marco Rusmini

  3. Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI, 49931-1295, USA

    Riccardo Tortini

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  1. Pieralberto Maianti
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  2. Marco Rusmini
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  3. Riccardo Tortini
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  4. Giorgio Dalla Via
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  7. Francesco Rota Nodari
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Correspondence to Pieralberto Maianti or Marco Gianinetto.

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Maianti, P., Rusmini, M., Tortini, R. et al. Monitoring large oil slick dynamics with moderate resolution multispectral satellite data. Nat Hazards 73, 473–492 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-014-1084-9

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