Oil source-fingerprinting in support of polarimetric radar mapping of Macondo-252 oil in Gulf Coast marshes
Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) data exhibited dramatic, spatially extensive changes from June 2009 to June 2010 in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. To determine whether these changes were associated with the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, twenty-nine sediment samples were collected in 2011 from shoreline and nearshore–interior coastal marsh locations where oil was not observed visually or with optical sensors during the spill. Oil source-fingerprinting and polytopic vector analysis were used to link DWH oil to PolSAR changes. Our results prove that DWH oil extended beyond shorelines and confirm the association between presence of DWH oil and PolSAR change. These results show that the DWH oil spill probably affected much more of the southeastern Louisiana marshland than originally concluded from ground and aerial surveys and verify that PolSAR is a powerful tool for tracking oil intrusion into marshes with high probability even where contamination is not visible from above the canopy.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2014 |
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Title | Oil source-fingerprinting in support of polarimetric radar mapping of Macondo-252 oil in Gulf Coast marshes |
DOI | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.10.032 |
Authors | Elijah W. Ramsey, Buffy M. Meyer, Amina Rangoonwala, Edward Overton, Cathleen E. Jones, Terri Bannister |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
Index ID | 70134501 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | National Wetlands Research Center; Wetland and Aquatic Research Center |