GOM TRACS: Oil Slick Thickness and Emulsion Data from the Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico data collected for NOAA's Deepwater Horizon Lessons Learned Studies on oil slick detection. The dataset includes synoptic satellite and airborne imagery, surface oil characterization, and subsurface data from the chronic MC20 oil discharge site. Research was funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior and NOAA, with field work undertaken in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Use Cases

• Train remote sensing models to detect oil slicks based on satellite and airborne imagery mentioned in the description
• Analyze oil emulsion mixtures and thickness based on surface characterization data
• Study chronic oil discharge patterns from the MC20 site based on multi-year field research

Strengths

• Data is part of a multi-year study with field research in 2016, 2017, and 2018
• Research funded by authoritative U.S. agencies including NOAA and the Department of the Interior
• Dataset is hosted on NOAA's Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) platform

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific Gulf of Mexico study site

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Field research undertaken in 2016, 2017, and 2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:29:44.810525; freshness should be verified

Geography

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