Detection of a possible oil spill in the Peruvian sea off Talara through satellite images, February 2017

Abstract

Oil spills have a significant impact on the marine ecosystem, remote sensing is an efficient tool to reveal these events in order to reduce the resulting damage. Images from the optical satellites (Landsat-8, Sentinel-2a, and NPP) and radar (Sentinel-1B) were used to generate the spectral signature, the Sea Surface Temperature (SST), and the band ratio. By 15 February 2017, the spectral signature of the water masses in the area of the possible spill was found on the oceanic water and the SST image showed an increase in temperature (> 0.4 °C) in that area. In addition, the “oil/ water” coefficient had a maximum value of 3.407 for the central wavelength λ = 0.864.6 nm, which implies the greater sensitivity of the channel in relation to oil information. Also, when reviewing images from the Sentinel-1B and Sentinel-2A satellites on 3 and 19 February, a plume was observed detaching from the active oil-drilling platform and moving towards the southwest. This work aims to present a series of techniques for the detection of oil spills at sea by using satellite images, in order to develop a monitoring system for the surrounding areas of oil platforms in the Peruvian sea.