Satellite Radar Observations of the DeepWater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

The University of Miami’s satellite ground station located at the Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS) collected daily synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images from an extensive set of radar satellites including TerraSAR-X, RadarSat-1 and RadarSat-2, Cosmo-SkyMed constellation, ENVISAT ASAR, ERS-2 and PALSAR. During the 118 days CSTARS collected over 650 SAR image in long strips covering the entire Gulf of Mexico from the east coast of Texas to the west coast of Florida. The satellite data and analysis was provided to the U.S. Government response team for mitigation and control planning. The SAR data was also used extensively by NOAA to produce daily oil spill coverage maps. CSTARS delivered the data in near real time (within 1 hour) after downlinking the data to its ground station in southern Miami-Dade County and produced specialized products for intercepting oil on beaches and sensitive wetlands. The presentation will include an overview of the satellite collections, imaging challenges and results of specialized products.