Oil spills: A large scale monitoring from Landsat

Abstract

International audienceOil pollution at sea using the Landsat multispectral scanner channel was detected. The variations of the reflection coefficient between rough sea and the oil spill was measured. The oil spill flattens the sea and reflects in only one direction while the capillary waves of rough sea scatter the light: a fraction of the incident light only reaches the satellite. An underestimate of pollution is expected during winter because of low solar elevation angles. This method is used to inventory pollution by hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean Sea. An estimation from 800 images shows the cumulative area covered by hydrocarbons, spread over the Mediterranean Sea each year, as 175 000 sq km