GOM WM UAS Oil Extent: Gulf of Mexico Oil Slick Coverage from UAVs, 2016-2018

NOAA's Deepwater Horizon Lessons Learned Studies collected data on oil slick coverage and thickness at the MC20 site, which has experienced a chronic oil discharge since 2004. The research, primarily funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior and BSEE, involved synoptic collection of satellite and airborne imagery, surface characterization, and chemistry data during field campaigns in 2016, 2017, and 2018. These specific data are part of the MC20 field research and are shown in NOAA's Environmental Response Management Applications (ERMA).

Use Cases

• Develop remote sensing algorithms for oil slick detection based on satellite and airborne imagery.
• Estimate oil thickness and emulsion mixtures based on surface characterization data.
• Monitor chronic oil discharge sites based on multi-year field research data.
• Validate oil spill response models based on synoptic environmental data collection.

Strengths

• Data is part of a multi-year (2016-2018) field research program funded by authoritative agencies like NOAA and BSEE.
• Focuses on a specific, well-documented chronic discharge site (MC20) for longitudinal study.
• Integrates multiple data collection methods including satellite, airborne, surface, and subsurface sensing.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data format is PDF and HTML, which may require extraction for computational 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 22:27:11.035355; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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