This work presents a method based on the utilisation of texture algorithms for the discrimination of oil spill areas from the surrounding features, e.g. sea surface and look-alikes, using RADARSAT-1 SAR Wide beam mode (W1), Standard beam mode (S2) and Standard beam mode (S1) data acquisition under different wind speeds. The results show that entropy texture algorithm is able to discriminate bet...

The sinking of the oil tanker Prestige off the coast of Galicia was not only the worst ecological disaster ever to affect Spain, it also led to thousands of people who participated in the cleanup of the contaminated areas being exposed to potentially dangerous toxic substances. As the airway is one of the principal routes of entry into the body of these toxic compounds, the possible effects of ...

Consumers’ image of a destination plays a crucial role in the travel industry. Some researchers, including Asli D. A. Tasci and William C. Gartner in their 2007 study “Destination Image and Its Functional Relationships,” relate the importance of proper image development to the overall success of a destination in tourism. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of the Deepwater Ho...

Funding injections by British Petroleum this summer are fueling studies in the Gulf Coast, raising hopes that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill might provide answers to long-standing questions on the nature of cellular toxicity. Rebecca Alvania investigates.

We use age distributions of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) found dead on beaches of western Prince William Sound, Alaska, between 1976 and 1998 in conjunction with time-varying demographic models to test for lingering effects from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Our results show that sea otters in this area had decreased survival rates in the years following the spill and that the effects of the ...

Recent supply shocks in the Gulf of Mexico—including hurricanes, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the seasonal appearance of a large dead zone of low oxygen water (hypoxia)—have raised concerns about the economic viability of the U.S. shrimp fishery. The ability for U.S. shrimpers to mediate supply shocks through increased prices hinges on the degree of market integration, both among shrimp...

Large numbers of Common Murres Uria aalge have been killed by oil spills off central California since the early 20th century (Carter et al. 2001). Common Murres are abundant near breeding colonies on the continental shelf in the Gulf of the Farallones region where oil spills occur from marine vessels visiting San Francisco Bay (Ainley & Lewis 1974, Briggs et al. 1987, Ainley et al. 1996, Manuwa...

The unprecedented nature of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill required the application of research methods to estimate the rate at which oil was escaping from the well in the deep sea, its disposition after it entered the ocean, and total reservoir depletion. Here, we review what advances were made in scientific understanding of quantification of flow rates during deep sea oil well blowouts. We a...

Creel surveys were performed over a three week period in late spring, 2011, in the Lafourche and Calcasieu area estuaries of the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Weights and lengths were measured for black drum (Pogonias cromis), red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), and spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), and relative condition factors were calculated relative to expected weights from the long term (5 year...

The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the psychometric properties of the 14-item Resilience Scale (RS-14; Wagnild, 2009a). Exploratory and confirmatory factor-analytic methods were employed, including an analysis of measurement invariance models by sex and race/ethnicity. Descriptive statistics, reliability, and validity data were also calculated. Analyses were based on 2 samp...