MC20 Oil On Water Sampling Track: Field Research Data 2016-2018

2016-2018 field research data collected at the Mississippi Canyon lease block #20 (MC20) site of a chronic oil discharge. The data were part of a NOAA study on methods to estimate oil slick coverage and thickness, involving satellite imagery, airborne imagery, surface oil characterization, and water chemistry. This research was funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and the Oil Spill Preparedness Division.

Use Cases

• Calibrating remote sensing algorithms for oil thickness estimation based on satellite and airborne imagery mentioned in the description
• Analyzing the chemical composition and emulsion mixtures of surface oil slicks based on the water chemistry data mentioned
• Studying chronic oil discharge patterns and environmental impacts at a specific offshore site (MC20)
• Validating synoptic data collection methods that combine imagery with in-situ surface and subsurface measurements

Strengths

• Data collection spans three years (2016, 2017, 2018) for temporal analysis.
• Integrates multiple data sources: satellite imagery, airborne imagery, surface characterization, and chemistry.
• Part of a formal NOAA study funded by U.S. 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.
• Primary file formats are 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

2016-2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:28:08.235958; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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