Quantitative characterization of marine oil slick by satellite near-infrared imagery and oil drift modelling: the Fun Shai Hai case study

Near infrared (NIR) satellite images of the oil spill event occurred by the Fu Shan Hai wreck on 31 May 2003 in the waters between Sweden and Denmark were compared with numerical simulations provided by the MIKE 21 oil drift model. Assuming a skewed pdf of oil parcel thicknesses, a model of the NIR image oil-water contrast reflectance was developed to characterize the expected oil slick distribution in terms of average and maximum oil slick thickness. Since MIKE 21 SA also lets non uniform distribution of oil volume within the oil slick, both distributions were thus compared in coincidence to the MODIS Aqua acquisition, which imaged the oil slick three days after the oil spill started. Results showed excellent agreement in the numerical values of both the expected average and maximum thickness as well. In addition, repartition of the oil volume within the slick in the usual thin (sheen) and thick (brown) parts resulted consistent with the empirical rule of 20% and 80% of the total oil volume, respectively.