MOSAC-08-02 Shore-based photogrammetry of surface oceanography for oil spill mitigation

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

November 8, 2018

Andrew J. Pershing
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
350 Commercial St.
Portland, ME 04101
607.255.5552
Email Andrew Pershing

Portland is the third largest oil terminal port in the United States, a major portion of the oil arriving in New England comes through Maine. To enter these ports, tankers must traverse some of the most lucrative fishing grounds in the world and pass by fragile wetland and salt marsh habitats. The potential impacts of an oil spill in Maine were made abundantly clear during the 1996 spill of the Julie N in Portland Harbor.

Oil spill response and planning requires detailed information on the movements of the top few centimeters of the ocean. The goal of this one-year pilot study was to assess the feasibility of using low-cost digital cameras to collect information about surface ocean conditions. The project focused on highly reflective areas of smooth water caused by natural oils
in the environment. These “slicks” indicate areas where surface currents converge, and are a good analog for where oil would accumulate following a spill. Cameras installed on the Casco Bay Bridge and at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute collected one image per minute during daylight hours from June 2008 to May 2009. A meteorological station collected wind speed and direction data. Using the imagery, Pershing then developed an algorithm to automatically map areas of high reflectivity indicating slicks, and developed a climatology of the presence of these features in Portland Harbor.

Read the final report.