Automatic Detection of Oil Spill Disasters Along Gulf of Mexico Using RADARSAT-2 SAR Data

In this work, the genetic algorithm is utilised for automatic detection of oil spills under wind speed conditions larger than 20 ms−1. The procedure is implemented using sequences of RADARSAT-2 SAR ScanSAR Narrow single beam data acquired in the Gulf of Mexico. The study demonstrates that implementing crossover allows for generation of accurate oil spills pattern. This conclusion is confirmed by the receiver–operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The ROC curve indicates that the existence of oil slick footprints can be identified with the area under the ROC curve and the no-discrimination line of 85 %, which is greater than that of other surrounding environmental features. In conclusion, the genetic algorithm can be used as a tool for the automatic detection of oil spills and the ScanSAR Narrow single beam mode serves as an excellent sensor for oil spill detection and surveying under wind speed larger than 20 ms−1.