REPORT DATE: 05-16-2023
REPORT TIME: 1330 UTC
REGION: GULF OF MEXICO
SUB REGION: N/A
AREA/BLOCK: Main Pass MP0032
IMAGE DATE: 05-15-2023
IMAGE TIME: 1633 UTC
DATA SOURCE: PLANETSCOPE 
MODE: Multispectral  
RESOLUTION: 3 meter
LOCATION: 29°27'37" N/89°24'54" W
AREA: 3.26 square kilometers
CONFIDENCE: High
REMARKS: Possible, unconfirmed oil was observed in satellite imagery.  The anomaly was 5.6 nm long and .3 nm at its widest, and appeared dark with shimmering areas characteristic of thicker oil. The anomaly was located in the Main Pass area approximately 5 nm off the Louisiana coast. It appeared to emanate from an oil facility that was possibly the subject of NRC 1367300, taken 5/15/2023. Winds were N 6 kts.

UNCERTAINTIES: The anomaly was located in close proximity to a canal outfall, and the suspended sediments may have confused the signature of darker oil and overall extent. Additionally, biogenic material could not be ruled out as the imagery did not allow for vegetation testing. These two factors may result in false positives for oil. There were also multiple wells in the area surrounding the suspected source, but given the NRC and thicker oil signature the confidence for this report remains high.

Maps and shapefiles can be accessed at: www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/marinepollution/

ERMA: https://erma.noaa.gov/gulfofmexico/erma.html#/layers=1+51765&x=-89.3680455&y=29.4416695&z=11&panel=layer

If you would like to share any feedback about this report or have questions, please contact the operational analyst at (301) 683-1403 or send to oceanmap@noaa.gov. Email alerts are available only for federal and state government officials involved in response efforts. Requests to be added to the email alerts should also be sent to oceanmap@noaa.gov. Please allow up to 2 business days to process the request.

For further information on oil spill response and assessment go to:https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills 

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