Satellite SAR analysis and interpretation of oil spill in the offshore water of Hong Kong

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been proven to be a useful tool for ocean oil spill detection due to its large coverage, independence of the day and night, and all-weather capability. In this article, we present a case study of the satellite SAR analysis and interpretation of oil spill in the offshore water of Hong Kong in the north of South China Sea in May 2010. The oil spill information, such as the location and coverage, was visually interpreted from two SAR images with a difference of 3 days. The probable oil spill drift and displacement were also analyzed using the two SAR images combined with several other data, such as the sea surface wind and the current directions. The preliminary results show that the detection of oil spill, determination of their characteristics, location of the pollution sources, and tracking trajectories of the oil spill could be illustrated by the two SAR images, which were provided by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Ground Receiving Station, supported by other auxiliary data. The operational satellite SAR for ocean oil spill monitoring will play an important role in the marine environment protection in the offshore water of Hong Kong.