Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing in the Yellow Sea:1)Ocean Surface Waves, 2) Oil Spill Detection and Prediction

Abstract

In the present article, we introduce the applications of ocean satellite remote sensing: 1) improvement of oil spill prediction using satellite data and oil-spill model, 2) wave height estimation using SAR data.In the case of oil spill accident at sea, information concerning the movement of spilled oil is important in making response strategies. Aircraft and the satellites have been utilized for monitoring of spilled oil. In these days, numerical models are using to predict the movement of the spilled oil. In the future a coupling method of modeling and remote sensing data should be needed to predict more correctly the spoiled oil. Environmental Fluid Dynamics Computer Code was used to predict the movement of the oil spilled from Hebei Spirit incident occurred in Taean Coastal area on December 7, 2007. Two satellite images were also used(Fig. 1). The model results showed an improvement for the prediction of the spilled oil by suing the initial condition deduced from satellite image data than the initial condition specified at the oil spill incident site in the respects of the distributed spilled area(Fig. 2).Analysis of ocean waves using SAR images is an important issue in oceanography, not only for an academic interest but also for validation and improvement of wave forecasting models and for the utilization in shipping industry and in the field of maritime disaster prevention. We have estimated the dominant wavelength from the image of range waves, and from the wave phase velocity computed from the dispersion relation, the image intensity is computed by using the velocity bunching model. The comparison of the result with the second image at right angle strongly suggests the evidence of velocity bunching. Furthermore, it is shown that the waveheight, 1.4 m, estimated in this way is similar to the height of 1.5 m simulated using the MM5 numerical weather model and data assimilation by JWA.