MC20 Oil On Water Sampling Track: Remote Sensing and Field Data for Chronic Oil Discharge

A NOAA field research dataset from the MC20 site, part of a study on detecting oil thickness and emulsion mixtures using remote sensing platforms. The data were collected during research campaigns in 2016, 2017, and 2018, primarily funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. It includes synoptic collections of satellite imagery, airborne imagery, surface oil characterization, and water chemistry.

Use Cases

• Training oil slick detection models based on satellite and airborne imagery mentioned in the description
• Analyzing relationships between surface oil characterization and remote sensing signatures
• Developing methods for estimating oil slick coverage and thickness based on synoptic field data
• Studying chronic oil discharge patterns at the MC20 site based on multi-year field research

Strengths

• Data collected as part of a formal NOAA 'Lessons Learned' study with defined research objectives
• Multi-year temporal coverage from field campaigns in 2016, 2017, and 2018
• Multi-modal data collection integrating satellite, airborne, surface, and subsurface measurements

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 MC20 study site

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 22:20:56.811125; freshness should be verified

Geography

Mississippi Canyon lease block #20 (MC20), Louisiana, North America