Predictions for oil slicks detected from satellite images using MyOcean forecasting data

[摘要] The pan-European capacity for the Ocean Monitoring and Forecasting (MyOcean)Marine Core Service, implementing the Global Monitoring for Environment andSecurity (GMES) objectives, targets the provision of ocean stateobservations from various platforms and analysis and forecasting products toassist, among other downscaling activities, the needs of the operationalresponse to marine safety, particularly concerning oil spills. The MEDSLIKoil spill and trajectory prediction system makes use of the MyOcean regionaland Cyprus Coastal Ocean Forecasting and Observing System (CYCOFOS)downscaled forecasting products for operational application in theMediterranean and pre-operational use in the Black Sea. Advanced SyntheticAperture Radar (ASAR) satellite remote sensing images from the European SpaceAgency (ESA) and European Maritime Safety Agency CleanSeaNet (EMSA-CSN)provide the means for routine monitoring of the southern European seas forthe detection of illegal oil discharges. MEDSLIK offers various ways, to bedescribed in this paper, of coupling the MyOcean forecasting data with ASARimages to provide both forecasts and hindcasts for such remotely observedoil slicks. The main concern will be the drift of the oil slick and also, inthe case of the forecast mode, its diffusive spreading, although someattempt is also made to estimate the changes in the state of the oil. Thesuccessful link of the satellite-detected oil slicks with their operationalpredictions using the MyOcean products contributes to the operationalresponse chain and the strengthening of maritime safety for accidental orillegal spills, in implementation of the Mediterranean Decision Support Systemfor Marine Safety (MEDESS-4MS) regarding oil spills.

[学科分类] 海洋学与技术