GOM TRACS: Oil Slick Thickness and Emulsion Data from MC20 Field Research

NOAA's Deepwater Horizon Lessons Learned Studies collected data on oil slick coverage and thickness using satellite and airborne imagery. This dataset is part of field research at the Mississippi Canyon lease block #20 (MC20), a site of a chronic oil discharge since 2004, undertaken in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The research was funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and NOAA.

Use Cases

• Train models for oil slick detection based on satellite and airborne imagery mentioned in the description
• Analyze oil emulsion mixtures based on surface oil characterization data mentioned in the description
• Study chronic oil discharge patterns based on data from the ongoing MC20 site mentioned in the description
• Validate remote sensing platforms for environmental response based on the study's stated objectives

Strengths

• Data originates from a NOAA-led study funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior and BSEE
• Research spans multiple years (2016, 2017, 2018) at a specific, documented field site (MC20)
• Integrates multiple data collection methods: satellite imagery, airborne imagery, and surface characterization

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Available file formats are PDF and HTML, which may not be directly machine-readable 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, oil and water chemistry, and subsurface oil slick data.

Time Range

2016, 2017, 2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:20:32.635449; freshness should be verified

Geography

Mississippi Canyon lease block #20 (MC20), Gulf of Mexico