Automated Detection of Oceanic Slicks with SAOCOM Near Mar del Plata's Shoreline

This study presents a method for detecting and segmenting ocean slicks using SAOCOM SAR images. It was tested in the coastal area of Mar del Plata, Argentina. The process includes selecting SAOCOM tiles, applying a custom segmentation script, and refining the results through morphological operations such as dilation and erosion. Four SAOCOM images from three different dates were tested, two polarizations were analyzed, VV and HH, and the results were compared with a Landsat image that coincided in date with one of the SAOCOM images acquired. Surface reflectance RGB composite and surface temperature products allowed to confirm the slick. The L-band-based approach successfully identifies and delineates ocean slicks with high spatial resolution. This method has great potential for generating operational ocean slicks monitoring systems from L-band SAR data.