Observation of oil spills on the sea surface by using 'Almaz-1' and Ers-1 synthetic aperture radar

摘要

The paper presents analysis of the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of oil spills in the Norwegian Sea acquired quasi-synchronously by SAR aboard Russian satellite "Almaz-1" and European satellite ERS-1 during the Dedicated Oil Spill Experiment (DOS E'91). The conclusion is drawn that the process of SAR image formation is essentially influenced by the survey geometry (incidence angle), wind speed (sea state) and age of a spill. The analysis of the "Almaz-1" SAR image revealed the effect of short wind wave component intensification both inside the slick and near its upwind side resulting in normalized radar cross-section contrast increasing up to 1-1.5 dB. Possibilities of SARs for oil spill monitoring as well as conditions of their detection and identification are discussed.