Monitoring of Oil Films

Louisiana Shelf

The dark slicks/patches are oil films from oil seeps on the ocean floor, and they disappear in a couple of days due to various processes.

GEO-CAPE can better monitor these oil films, quantify their amount and fate.

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EW

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0 50 100

Kilometers

Gulf of Mexico

Blooms of the blue-green algae Blooms of the blue-green algae or cyanobacterium, or cyanobacterium, Trichodesmium spp.Trichodesmium spp., occur , occur every year on the west Florida every year on the west Florida Shelf. This marine organism can Shelf. This marine organism can adjust its buoyancy and adjust its buoyancy and vertically migrate. vertically migrate.

GEO-CAPE can provided GEO-CAPE can provided unprecedented capability to unprecedented capability to stare at the vertical migration of stare at the vertical migration of Trichodesmium Trichodesmium and other toxic and other toxic algae for a better understanding algae for a better understanding of bloom dynamics. of bloom dynamics.

Satellite (MODIS) imageAug. 30, 2005, 16:47 GMT

Satellite (MODIS) imageAug. 27, 2005, 19:26 GMT

470 km2 (120000 acres) under water

Before Katrina

After Katrina

GEO-CAPE can provide

timely information on flooding

GEO-CAPE can see estuaries more clearly

SeaWiFS, 10/31/2000SeaWiFS, 10/31/200017:57 GMT, 1-km17:57 GMT, 1-km

MODIS, 11/1/2000MODIS, 11/1/200016:30 GMT, 250-m16:30 GMT, 250-m