GOM OI 2017-04-26: Oil Slick Remote Sensing Data from Gulf of Mexico

NOAA's Deepwater Horizon Lessons Learned Studies collected these data to develop methods for estimating oil slick coverage and thickness. The research involved synoptic collection of satellite and airborne imagery, surface oil characterization, and subsurface data at the MC20 site, which has experienced a chronic oil discharge since 2004. Data shown here are part of field research undertaken in 2016, 2017, and 2018, funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior and NOAA.

Use Cases

• Training models for oil slick detection based on satellite and airborne imagery mentioned in the description
• Analyzing oil emulsion mixtures and thickness using surface characterization data
• Studying chronic oil discharge patterns at a specific Gulf of Mexico site (MC20)
• Developing synoptic data collection methodologies for environmental response

Strengths

• Data is part of a structured NOAA study funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior and BSEE
• Research spans multiple years (2016, 2017, 2018) at a known chronic discharge site
• Integrates multiple data collection methods: satellite, airborne, surface, and subsurface

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Primary file formats are PDF and HTML, which may require extraction for analysis

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Field research involving synoptic collection of satellite imagery, airborne imagery, surface oil characterization, and subsurface data.

Time Range

Field research undertaken in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:31:23.640004; freshness should be verified

Geography

Mississippi Canyon lease block #20 (MC20) in the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, North America.