Oil spills: method for measuring their extent on the sea surface

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Remote Sensing
• Oceanography

Background:

• Accurate estimation of oil spill parameters like area, coverage, and volume is crucial for effective response.
• Current methods for measuring spill extent are often inaccurate, impacting the reliability of other estimates.
• Uncertainties in areal measurements significantly degrade the accuracy of spill volume and flow rate calculations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a reliable and cost-effective system for measuring the areal extent of marine oil spills.
• To improve the accuracy and repeatability of oil spill area measurements.
• To address the limitations of existing methods in quantifying oil spill dimensions.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing overflights equipped with a thermal infrared imaging system to capture spill data.
• Applying densitometric color enhancement techniques to infrared images for better visualization.
• Implementing automatic digital planimetry for precise measurement of oil-covered areas based on image density.

Main Results:

• The developed system provides repeatable and economical measurements of oil spill areal extent.
• The system achieves acceptable levels of accuracy in quantifying the affected area.
• Integration of thermal imaging, image enhancement, and digital planimetry offers a robust solution.

Conclusions:

• The new system effectively resolves the problem of inaccurate oil spill area estimation.
• This approach enhances the reliability of data used for oil spill modeling and management.
• The combination of technologies offers a significant advancement in marine oil spill monitoring capabilities.