GOM WM RS2 SAR TCNNA: Satellite and Airborne Imagery for Oil Slick Analysis, 2016-2018

NOAA's Deepwater Horizon Lessons Learned Studies collected satellite and airborne imagery, surface oil characterization, and subsurface data to estimate oil slick coverage and thickness. The research was conducted at the Mississippi Canyon lease block #20 (MC20), a site of a chronic oil discharge since 2004. This dataset represents field research from 2016, 2017, and 2018, funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior and NOAA.

Use Cases

• Train computer vision models to detect oil slicks based on satellite and airborne imagery.
• Develop methods for estimating oil thickness and emulsion mixtures based on remote sensing data.
• Analyze chronic oil discharge patterns over time based on multi-year field research at a specific site.
• Validate oil spill response and preparedness strategies based on synoptic environmental data collection.

Strengths

• Data collection includes multiple modalities: satellite imagery, airborne imagery, surface characterization, and subsurface data.
• Research is part of a multi-year study (2016, 2017, 2018) at a known, active oil discharge site (MC20 since 2004).
• Funded and conducted by authoritative U.S. agencies: NOAA, Department of the Interior, and BSEE.

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 (PDF, HTML) suggest the dataset may contain reports or documentation rather than raw structured data.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Synoptic collection of satellite imagery, airborne imagery, surface oil characterization, oil and water chemistry, and subsurface oil slick data.

Time Range

Field research from 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:30:51.944807; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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