ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the trajectories of ocean surface pollutant, e.g., oil spills in coastal waters from a pipe line (Gulf of Mexico), platforms (Bohai Sea and North Sea), and green tide (i.e., Ulva prolifera) in the Yellow Sea were investigated using satellite imagery and a trajectory model. The occurrence and evolution of the ocean surface pollutant were studied based on a time series of synthetic aperture radar and/or cloud-free Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery using Texture-Classifying Neural Network Algorithm (TCNNA) and Floating Algae Index detection method, respectively. Then the General NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) model, which forced by ocean current and winds, was adopted to produce trajectories of the pollutant. The results show good agreements between simulations and collocated remote sensing images. Particularly, the model was originally designed to simulate the transport of oil spills and could be used to describe the transport of the green tide over the time span of about ten days. Moreover, the impacts of oil spills on satellite altimetry measurements were quantified using Deepwater Horizon oil spill archived data.
