Institute of Transportation, MOTC

　　Oil spills in the ocean often have serious impacts on marine ecosystems and economic activity; however, oil spills can be effectively controlled and cleaned up if their temporal and spatial variations are well known. Due to the large scale detection capability in the space domain, remotely sensed images are often applied to detect the oil spills. Marine X-band radar, which was first used for navigation, is one of the most useful devices to detect the spatio-temporal variations of oil spill. In addition to oil spill detection, accurately forecasting oil spill movement is essential for planning and emergency decision making. The objectives of this project were to develop an oil spill detection technology based on marine X-band radar and to build up an oil spill forecasting system. The study will be performed in three phases. The first phase had proposed the prototype of oil spill sensing technology based on the marine X-band radar and develop the numerical model for tracking oil spills. The second phase will test the radar system and numerical model. The final phase will integrate remote sensed data in the numerical model. The results of this study can be used not only to assist authorities on the maintenance and management of environment safety, but also to improve technology for tracking the oil spills.