Abstract
In recent years, the risk related to oil spill accidents has significantly increased due to a global growth in offshore extraction and oil maritime transport. To ensure sea safety, the implementation of a monitoring system able to provide real-time coverage of large areas and a timely alarm in case of accidents is of major importance. Satellite remote sensing, thanks to its inherent peculiarities, has become an essential component in such a system. Recently, the general Robust Satellite Technique (RST) approach has been successfully applied to oil spill detection (RST-OIL) using optical band satellite data. In this paper, an advanced configuration of RST-OIL is presented, and we aim to extend its applicability to a larger set of observation conditions, referring, in particular, to those in the presence of severe sun glint effects that generate some detection limits to the RST-OIL standard algorithm. To test such a configuration, the DeepWater Horizon platform accident from April 2010 was selected as a test case. We analyzed a time series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images that are usually significantly affected by sun glint in the Gulf of Mexico area. The accuracy of the achieved results was evaluated for comparison with a well-established satellite methodology based on microwave data, which confirms the potential of the proposed approach in identifying the oil presence on the scene with good accuracy and reliability, even in these severe conditions.
Highlights
Among the different pollution sources that may affect marine ecosystems, oil spills are one of the most dangerous from an environmental point of view, especially when they involve a coastal habitat
Results achieved by implementing the ALICE index (Equation (1)) on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 0.8 μm channel (⊗R0.8) for both previous images are shown in Figures 7 and 8, where land and clouds are masked in black and the red point indicates the DWH platform position
The comparison between an image acquired under glint conditions and the corresponding reference fields enables discrimination between the high reflectance values due to sun-satellite geometry and the increase only ascribable to the oil presence
Summary
Among the different pollution sources that may affect marine ecosystems, oil spills are one of the most dangerous from an environmental point of view, especially when they involve a coastal habitat. Considering only spills related to anthropic activity, in the last few decades, the number of large spills (>700 tons) related to tanker accidents, as well as the number of medium-sized ones (7–700 tons), have decreased significantly [3]. Despite such a reduction, large spills are still able to affect, in terms of volume, the total amount of oil dispersed annually in the sea [3]. Even in the case of such accidents, the success of the actions aimed at reducing the environmental after-effects is strictly linked to the timeliness of the identification and the accuracy in predicting the displacement (and/or dispersion) [4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
