Satellites

Archived page: © 2001 Environmental Legal Information Systems (ELIS). All rights reserved. The information contained in this site is for demonstration and educational purposes, and while every effort has been made to simulate a potential real response to an oil spill, the storyline is not based on actual events. Developed by Kenneth J. Markowitz for the 2nd International Symposium on Digital Earth, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada (June 25, 2001). The external links on this page may no longer be functional.

Earth System Science and Technology

These images of Piney Point MD and the surrounding Chesapeake Bay were captured by Landsat 7 in the Spring of 2001. Click on the images for larger views.

Satellite Sensors

Satellites and Sensors	Capabilities
Passive Sensors
SeaWiFS	SeaWiFS is specialized for ocean monitoring and is capable of tracking water parameters such as turbidity, sediment load and transport, primary production by marine phytoplankton, spring algal blooms, chlorophyll content, dissolved oxygen and pH Other applications include managing coral reefs, monitoring pollution and oil spills, characterizing and monitoring short-term and long-term fish habitat
Terra: MODIS and ASTER	Sensor observes entire planet’s surface every one to two days, has a spatial resolution of 1 km-250 m, and a spectral resolution of 36 spectral bands (High Spectral Resolution). Measures chlorophyll a (ocean productivity), Ocean temperature, Clouds and Fires. Should be able to provide daily coverage and high spectral resolution for the rapid identification of spreading contamination and identify oil hydrocarbons by their distinct thermal infrared spectral signal
GOES POES DMSP	Weather observation satellite applications include predicting local weather; tracking weather in real time globally and locally; understanding and predicting hurricanes and other severe weather; studying phenomena such as El Niño, La Niña, the Gulf Stream and other global current patterns; and observing the dynamic between the land temperature, ocean processes, and the atmosphere.
NOAA's Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES): AVHRR	The AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) sensor is carried on NOAA's POES satellite. AVHRR provides global (pole-to-pole) data collection for all spectral channels. The POES satellite orbits the Earth 14 times each day and the AVHRR sensor provides data with a 1.1 km spatial resolution. AVHRR data can indicate various geophysical parameter data sets such as sea surface temperature.	Click here for updated real time Sea Surface Temperature (AVHRR) in the Chesapeake Bay Area from Rutgers University.
SPOT	The French satellite SPOT has been used to create up-to-date maps of coastal features, wave patterns, nearby development and environmentally sensitive areas. Input of satellite-derived digital maps into a GIS has enabled rapid access to maps of coastal areas and tidal processes. In the event of an oil spill, this information can be retrieved in seconds to help authorities plan the quickest route to the spill and formulate an effective environmental protection plan.
Landsat 7: EMT+	EMT+ data can be used to delineate wetland areas and make topographical observations.
Active Sensors:
RADARSAT (Canadian)	Active sensing technologies are capable of measuring sea level, wave height, surface wind speed, current fronts, eddies, and surface temperature, as well as locating ocean floor features such as trenches and sea mounts, and can also be used to track oil spills, effluent discharges, and algal blooms. Unlike passive systems, active systems are not limited by either cloud cover (as would be encountered in stormy conditions) or nighttime. However, data from active sensors is more difficult to analyze and process than that from passive sensors. For an image of an oil slick produced by RADARSAT, follow this link. For ERS image of an oil spill, click here.
ERS-2 (European Space Agency)

The images below compare the abilities of passive and active satellites in imaging oil spills.

Passive (SeaWiFS)

Active (ERS)

This ERS-2 SAR image was acquired on 12th April 1996 at the South China Sea where oil spills from a fleet of ships are clearly observed. Taken by ERS-2. Copyright ESA (1996)

Satellite Images of the Chesapeake Area from the SeaWiFS Satellite (Provided by the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/GSFC and ORBIMAGE) : Washington Area, Chesapeake Area, Chesapeake Area, Baltimore Harbor.

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