A multi-sensor approach and ranking analysis procedure for oil seeps detection in marine environments

Accidents involving oil spills from petroleum exploration, production, and transportation facilities have stained the history of major companies. The implementation of monitoring systems as an aid to contingency planning is crucial to guarantee proper environmental performance in offshore activities. On the other hand, natural oil and gas seeps have historically provided invaluable information to oil explorers in frontier areas. The use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) orbital systems is commonly used for oil slicks detection in the marine environment. Such information can be applied to petroleum exploration (oil seeps detection) and environmental assessment (oil spills monitoring). In combination with SAR satellite images (RADARSAT-1 and ENVISAT ASAR), and essential meteorological and oceanographic data, the proposed technology enhances the detection of oil slicks in the ocean surface based on radar texture.