Sargassum coverage in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico during 2010 from Landsat and airborne observations: Implications for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impact assessment

Chuanmin Hu; Robert Hardy; Eric Ruder; Amelia Geggel; Lian Feng; Sean Powers; Frank Hernandez; George Graettinger; Jill Bodnar; Trent McDonald

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.04.045

Sargassum coverage in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico during 2010 from Landsat and airborne observations: Implications for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impact assessment

Mar Pollut Bull. 2016 Jun 15;107(1):15-21. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.04.045. Epub 2016 May 8.

Authors

Chuanmin Hu¹, Robert Hardy², Eric Ruder³, Amelia Geggel³, Lian Feng⁴, Sean Powers⁵, Frank Hernandez⁶, George Graettinger⁷, Jill Bodnar⁷, Trent McDonald⁸

Affiliations

¹ College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 Seventh Avenue, South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA. Electronic address: huc@usf.edu.
² Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 Eighth Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.
³ Industrial Economics, Incorporated, 2067 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA.
⁴ College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 Seventh Avenue, South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.
⁵ Department of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, 5871 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688, USA.
⁶ Department of Marine Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, 703 East Beach Drive, Ocean Springs, MS 39564, USA.
⁷ NOAA Office of Response & Restoration, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA.
⁸ Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc., 200 S. Second Street, Laramie, WY 82070, USA.

PMID: 27170625
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.04.045

Abstract

Using high-resolution airborne measurements and more synoptic coverage of Landsat measurements, we estimated the total Sargassum coverage in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (NE GOM) during 2010, with the ultimate purpose to infer how much Sargassum might have been in contact with oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Mean Sargassum coverage during the four quarters of 2010 for the study region was estimated to range from ~3148±2355km(2) during January-March to ~7584±2532km(2) during July-September (95% confidence intervals) while estimated Sargassum coverage within the integrated oil footprint ranged from 1296±453km(2) (for areas with >5% thick oil) to 736±257km(2) (for areas with >10% thick oil). Similar to previous studies on estimating Sargassum coverage, a direct validation of such estimates is impossible given the heterogeneity and scarcity of Sargassum occurrence. Nonetheless, these estimates provide preliminary information to understand relative Sargassum abundance in the NE GOM.

Keywords: AVIRIS; Deepwater Horizon; Gulf of Mexico; Landsat; Remote sensing; Sargassum.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring*
Gulf of Mexico
Petroleum Pollution*
Sargassum*