1. The PRIMI Project: August- September 2009 validation cruise on oil spill detection and fate R. Santoleri and the PRIMI Cruise Group Istituto di Scienze dell’Atmosfera e del Clima – UOS Roma Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100 – 00133 Roma r.santoleri@isac.cnr.it;

2. PRIMI CRUISE The PRIMI project, funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) has implemented an observation and forecast system to monitor marine pollution from hydrocarbon oil spills (OS) in the Italian Seas. PRIMI Partners: E-GOES, CNR-ISAC, INGV, UNIPO, ACS, FlyBy, INNOVA The PRIMI cruise is part of the validation activity of PRIMI project. The PRIMI Cruise was also funded by CNR and organized by CNR-ISAC. PRIMI and non-PRIMI institutions have participated in the PRIMI system validation cruise: CNR-ISAC UOS Roma ASI Centro di Geodesia Spaziale, Matera INGV, Bologna E-GEOS, Matera ENEA, Frascati & Casaccia & Santa Teresa Università Piemonte Orientale Univ. Parthenope, Napoli Univ. Bologna, Bologna CNR-ISSIA, Bari CNR-ISMAR, La Spezia CNR-IAMC UOS Oristano & UOS Napoli

3. CRUISE OBJECTIVES 1.To verify the accuracy of the oil slick detection by satellite 2.To verify the accuracy of the oil slick forecasting system 3.To release drifters into an oil slick and verify how they follow the slicks 4.To acquire in situ RADAR and LIDAR marine data in presence of oil spills 5.To collect oil spill water samples to analyze hydrocarbon composition, density and concentration 6.To acquire bio-ottical data of the area, for satellite algorithm validation (also in and out of OS) 7.To acquire surface mateo-marine data and R/V Urania navigation data for validation of SAR wind and ship detection products 8.To acquire hydrographic, biochemical and bilogical data of the area The main cruise objective was to visit oil slicks detected by the PRIMI SAR and Optical Observation Modules and whose displacement was predicted by the PRIMI Forecast Module, in order to validate PRIMI system during operation. In particular:

4. CRUISE AREA The Cruise area was chosen on the basis of the high frequency of illegal hydrocarbon discharges inferred from historical and PRIMI project monitoring data. The Cruise was carried out in the Seas around Sicily : Southern Tyrrhenian Sea Sardinia Channel Sicily Channel Ionian Sea The Cruise took place from: 6 August to 7 September 2009

5. CRUISE Strategy The cruise Plan aims to verify in situ oil spills detected by the PRIMI observation system in operation. The satellite data acquisition was planned to maximize the satellite data coverage of Cruise area. SAR data: ERS-2, ENVISAT COSMO-SkyMed Optical data: MODIS Aqua MODIS Terra MERIS ENVISAT The cruise plan was organized in order to have the ship within the selected SAR image frames at acquisition time, so as to maximize the number of oil spills that could be monitored. ASAR ENVITSAT COSMO SkyMeD

6. PRIMI Cruise DATA: Hydrological measurements: CTD vertical profiles (pressure, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, light transmission, fluorimetry) Rosette water samples (nutrients, pigments, phytoplankton species, CDOM, DOC, dissolved O 2, the latter to calibrate CTD sensors) Oil spill drift by surface current and wind with lagrangian drifters Bio-optical measurements: SATLANTIC hyperspectral profiles of upwelling radiance and downward irradiance (350-700 nm range); Surface measurements: Continuous meteorological standard observations (p, T, humidity, wind speed and direction); continuous surface T and S recording continuous current vertical profile recording Biological and biogeochemical measurements: Inorganic nutrients and total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations; Chlorophyll concentration; Nutrients Fluorescence measurements for Lidar validation

7. I-SPHERE: Iridium lagrangian drifters SATLANTIC optical profiler Rosette Water Sampler (24 bottles) & CTD INSTRUMENTATION ARGO lagrangian drifters RADAR IN SITU Drifter UNIBO XBT LIDAR

8. PRIMI Cruise stations : In situ station visited oil spills During Cruises: 30 OSs were detected by PRIMI SAR MODULE in 14 SAR passes covering the area, 8 OSs were visited by URANIA

9. OIL SLICK DETECTION FROM SATELLITE PRIMI FORECAST MODULE: MEDITERRANEAN CIRCULATION MODEL (MFS)+ SUB-BASIN MODELS OIL SPILL MODEL SIMULATION DRIFTERS RELEASE ON THE OIL SLICK OIL/WATER SAMPLE COLLECTION OIL SLICK DETECTION, FORECASTING AND SEARCHING OIL SLICK SEARCHING IN THE AREA PREDICTED BY THE OIL SPILL MODEL (VISUAL INSPECTION, RADAR AND LIDAR)

10. OIL SLICK DETECTION & DECISION OS detection SAR reports were received on board, within two hours of acquisition (daytime images) or the following morning (nighttime images). Each image was searched for possible oil spills by the PRIMI observation SAR and optical processing software, located at the ASI facility in Matera, Italy. PRIMI cruise research staff decided which of the slicks should be searched on the basis of the extension of the slicks and of the distance from URANIA’s position.

11. Input data Spill Date2009-08-18 Observation Time09:03 UTC Slick Center Coordinate Lat: 35.282017 Lon: 16.414566 Area4972500 m 2 Thickness (hypothesis) 0.1 mm Density (hypothesis) API=26 (Medium) 0.898 tons/m 3 Volume45 tons Current velocitiesMFS 1 hourly CURRENTS Forecast (surface currents) Wind forcingECMWF 6 hourly Forecast Wind factor0% OIL SLICK 4: FORECASTING INITIAL POSITION AND PREDICTED SLICK POSITION 8 HRS AFTER THE OBSERVATION

12. The ship was moved to the predicted oil spill position. Visual confirmation (predicted position 6 hours after the observation). Radar and lidar data acquistion in and out the slick. Radar al Lidar signal alteration over slick. OIL SLICK 4: SEARCHING

13. Lidar signal alteration over slick. OIL SLICK 4: SEARCHING URANIA: LIDAR instrument

14. It was a well defined slick with iridescence, brown oil patches and floating tar balls. Samples were taken. OIL SLICK 4: SAMPLES COLLECTION PREDICTED SLICK POSITION : 6 HRS AFTER THE OBSERVATION

15. Release a line of alternated 5 ARGO drifters and 4 I-SPHERE floats 250 m apart, along slick length, inside slick. The line pattern was chosen because of slick narrowness (approx. 50-100 m). OIL SLICK 4: DRIFTERS RELEASE PREDICTED SLICK POSITION : 8 HRS AFTER THE OBSERVATION

16. OIL SLICK 1: DETECTION OS in COSMO pass OS 1 seen from URANIA

17. OIL SLICK 7: DETECTION SAR Report OS in MODIS identified by PRIMI Optical system OS in SAR

18. OIL SLICK 7: SAMPLES COLLECTION. 2.0 and 2.3 g kg -1 of hydrocarbons were found in the samples

19. OIL SLICK 7: SEARCHING AND DRIFTERS RELEASE First observation Second observation (12 hrs) Predicted slick (12 hrs) Predicted slick (15 hrs) In situ Validated slick (15 hrs)

20. The PRIMI cruise is the first complete in situ OS validation experiment 8 OS’s were visited out of a total of about 30 slicks detected by SAR in the area. Urania visual inspection and instrumental data confirmed them Some OS detected by SAR were present in MODIS and/or MERIS imagery when the sky was clear. In situ inspection revealed that in some cases the OS was made of a thin hydrocarbon film, detected visually by iridescence and absence of capillary waves and instrumentally by roughness attenuation in the onboard RADAR signal and Raman signal depression in the LIDAR data. The three most polluted OS’s, i.e. those which contained thick, dark oil patches and floating solid hydrocarbon particles were chosen for drifter release. Preliminary results indicate: PRIMI SAR and optical observational sub-Systems are able to correctly detect not only thick but also thin-film oil spills the maturity of the PRIMI oil spill models to forecast the trajectory of the OS.CONCLUSIONS

21. PRIMI Cruise Group ASI : F. Nirchio CNR-ISAC: R. Santoleri, F.Bignami, S. Colella, A. Pisano, E. Böhm, G. Volpe, B. Buongiorno Nardelli CNR-ISAC: R. Santoleri, F. Bignami, S. Colella, A. Pisano, E. Böhm, G. Volpe, B. Buongiorno Nardelli CNR-ISMAR: A. Mercatini, A. Griffa CNR-ISSIA: G. De Carolis, M. Adamo CNR-IAMC: R. Sorgente, M. Sprovieri E-GEOS: RG. Ruggeri, G. Pandiscia ENEA: S. Marullo, F. Colao, V. Debettio, G. Terranova, V. Rupolo, E. Napolitano, R. Iacono INGV: M. De Dominicis,, G. Coppini, N. Pinardi UNIPO: P. Trivero, M. Borasi, M. Cavagnero UNIBO: R. Archetti UNIParth: E. Zambianchi