Presentation by Shruti
Title:
Quantifying severity of plant stress induced by oil spill contamination in the Gulf of Mexico using hyperspectral remote sensing
Abstract:
Saltmarshes of the Gulf of Mexico were differentially impacted by the Macondo Oil Spill in 2010. We used AVIRIS hyperspectral data flown over Bay Jimmy in Barataria Bay during September 2010 and a year later in August 2011 to quantify impact of oil contamination on health of the saltmarsh. In September 2010, oil impact extended 12m inland from the shore. Four plant stress indexes (NDVI, mNDVI, ANIR, ARed) and three water content indices (NDII, WA980, WA1240) each showed that plant stress was significantly higher in the zone closest to oiled shore and decreased with increasing distance from the shore. Indices along oiled shore indicated higher stress than oil-free shore index values in September 2010. A year later, the vegetation had mostly recovered from the impact of oil. Data collected in the field documenting severity of oiling was used to examine whether penetration of oil contamination (inland from the shore) was related to recovery, a year after the oil spill. This study marks the contribution of remote sensing in detecting stress and monitoring recovery after an oil spill.
