NASA: Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico

[Pathfinder]

Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico



(10 MB, JPEG) acquired June 19, 2010


On Saturday, June 19, 2010, oil spread northeast from the leaking Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil appears as a maze of silvery-gray ribbons in this photo-like image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite.

The location of the leaking well is marked with a white dot. North of the well, a spot of black may be smoke; reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say that oil and gas continue to be captured and burned as part of the emergency response efforts.

The large image provided above is at MODIS’ maximum spatial resolution (level of detail). Twice-daily images of the Gulf of Mexico are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team in additional resolutions and formats, including a georeferenced version that can be used in Google Earth.

June 18, 2010
Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico


http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=44375

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: NASA: Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico

<IFRAME id=_atssh917 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; Z-INDEX: 100000; LEFT: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; WIDTH: 1px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 0px; HEIGHT: 1px" name=_atssh917 src="//s7.addthis.com/static/r07/sh19.html#cb=0&ab=-&dh=www.flutrackers.com&dr=&du=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flutrackers.com%2Fforum%2Fnewreply.php%3Fdo%3Dpostreply%26t%3D148282&dt=&inst=1&lng=en-us&pc=men250&pub=xa-4a5e804627659a64&ssl=0&sid=4c279396b6f05d9a&srd=1&srf=0.02&srp=0.2&srx=0&ver=250&xck=0&rev=78223" width=1 height=1 frameborder="0"></IFRAME>
<IFRAME id=_atssh882 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; Z-INDEX: 100000; LEFT: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; WIDTH: 1px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 0px; HEIGHT: 1px" name=_atssh882 src="//s7.addthis.com/static/r07/sh19.html#cb=0&ab=-&dh=www.flutrackers.com&dr=&du=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flutrackers.com%2Fforum%2Fnewreply.php%3Fdo%3Dpostreply%26t%3D148282&dt=&inst=1&lng=en-us&pc=men250&pub=xa-4a5e804627659a64&ssl=0&sid=4c27935b1ceba23e&srd=1&srf=0.02&srp=0.2&srx=0&ver=250&xck=0&rev=78223" frameBorder=0 width=1 height=1></IFRAME>
Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico



(883 KB, JPEG) acquired June 25, 2010
<!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><STYLE type=text/css> #at20mc {margin: 0; padding: 0; font: 11px/18px 'Lucida Sans', 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif;} #at15s_head {display: none;} #at16pf {display: none;} #at15s {padding: 0px; border: 1px solid #808080!important;} #at_hover .at_item, #at_share .at_item {color: #333333!important;} #at_hover .at_item:hover,#at_hover .at_item.athov,#at_share .at_item:hover,#at_share .at_item.athov{text-decoration: none; color:#333333!important; border:1px solid #f0f4f7!important; background: #f0f4f7!important;} #at_msg, #at16p label, #at_share .at_item, #at16p, #at15s, #at16p form input, #at16p form textarea {font: 11px/18px 'Lucida Sans', 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif!important;} #share {margin: 18px 0 -18px 18px; padding: 0 0 0 0;} .image-caption ul.highres {padding: 18px 0 0 0;} </STYLE>
<!-- AddThis Button END --><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> var addthis_options = 'email, digg, delicious, myspace, google, facebook, live, twitter, stumbleupon, more'; var addthis_exclude = 'print'; var addthis_offset_top = 3; var addthis_offset_left = -9; var addthis_hover_delay = 400; var addthis_localize = { share_caption: "Recommend this image" }; // var addthis_config = { data_use_flash: false }; </SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js?pub=xa-4a5e804627659a64" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>Oil from the Deepwater Horizon rig remained visible on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico on June 25, 2010. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Terra captured this natural-color image the same day. The oil appears as interlocking curved tendrils varying in color from white to dark gray.

When the Sun is at the right angle, sunglint makes the oil visible. Oil smoothes the surface of the water, making it a better mirror of sunlight. Close to the Sun?s reflection, oil is lighter than surrounding ocean water, and farther away from the Sun?s reflection, oil is darker than oil-free water. The relative brightness of any spot, however, is not a perfect indicator of the oil slick?s location or amount. Not all oil appears brighter or darker than nearby water, and not all relatively bright or dark areas are necessarily oil-slicked. Please see the links below for more information.

1. Related Resources
2. Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response, the official site of the Deepwater Horizon unified command.
3. Current information about the extent of the oil slick is available from the Office of Response and Restoration at the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration.
4. Information about the impact of the oil slick on wildlife is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Michon Scott.


<DL class=details><DT>Instrument: <DD>Terra - MODIS </DD></DL>http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=44452