Abstract
This internship project focuses on developing an enhanced algorithm for the automatic detection of surface film signatures on ocean surfaces, including oil spills, discharge slicks, and natural films, using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. The proposed algorithm, implemented in Python 3, enables precise delineation of boundaries for oil slicks and other surface films in raw SAR images. The algorithm facilitates calculations of total surface film area and precise localization, which are critical for timely response and mitigation efforts. The algorithm successfully identified oil film boundaries and computed the corresponding coverage area and was exported to ArcGIS for viewing. To test the versatility of the algorithm to detect other signatures in SAR images, it was used to make a land mask instead of an oil mask given a coastline. The algorithm was successfully able to delineate land signatures from ocean surface signatures, proving its multi-use capabilities for SAR analysis.