HR: 0800h
AN: OS51B-01    [Abstracts]
TI: Monitoring Hydrocarbons Transfer in the Gulf of Mexico with Synthetic Aperture Radar; Radarsat-1, Envisat, ERS-1, ERS-2 and JERS-1.
AU: * Garcia-Pineda, O G
EM: oscar.garcia@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M Univ. Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: Zimmer, B
EM: beate.zimmer@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M Univ. Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: Mestas-Nunez, A
EM: alberto.mestas@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M Univ. Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: MacDonald, I R
EM: ian.macdonald@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M Univ. Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AB: The Gulf of Mexico contains hundreds of active hydrocarbons seeps. Seepage in the Northern and Southern Gulf of Mexico tend to ‘leak' through conduits generated by salt techtonism and related processes. Hydrocarbons are then transported to the sea surface in oily bubbles, once on the surface the oil spreads into layers approximately .1µm thick, detectable by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments onboard spacecrafts like Radarsat, Envisat, Ers-1, Ers-2 and Jers-1. Since 1992, SAR coverage have been collected over the Gulf of Mexico. In total more than 4000 orbital passes over the Gulf of Mexico generated more than 30,000 images that can be used to examine natural hydrocarbon seepage in this region. Much of these data have been archived by the Alaska Satellite Facility through data sharing agreements with NASA and with satellite operators. We have completed a spatial, temporal and SAR Mode classification of the entire SAR coverage. This catalog can be used to plan studies of natural variation in hydrocarbon seepage and to delineate coverage in areas of special interest. The complete catalog is being made available online to facilitate collaborative research in this field.
DE: 3004 Gas and hydrate systems
DE: 4262 Ocean observing systems
DE: 4275 Remote sensing and electromagnetic processes (0689, 2487, 3285, 4455, 6934)
DE: 6334 Regional planning (1880)
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly