Oil spill preparedness in the coastal zone- using lidar to define vulnerable areas and simulate spills

As distribution of oil products expands to Maritime Canada via new pipelines and processing plants, tanker traffic and risk of oil spills also increases. Several programs have been established for preparing for spills in terms... [ view full abstract ]

As distribution of oil products expands to Maritime Canada via new pipelines and processing plants, tanker traffic and risk of oil spills also increases. Several programs have been established for preparing for spills in terms of defining response capacity, environmentally sensitive areas, and level of risk. Airborne topo-bathymetric lidar surveys generate multiple nearshore datasets that are valuable for preparing for oil spills. Cow Bay, NS, was surveyed in 2016 with The Nova Scotia Community College’s Chiroptera II topo-bathymetric lidar sensor. Lidar products were combined with 5 cm aerial photos collected during the lidar survey to classify the shoreline and seabed based on texture and spectral characteristics. The shoreline classification distinguished between boulders, cobble, sand, and vegetated material, providing planners the ability to target certain areas for response time based on vulnerability to contamination. A full bottom classification of multiple submerged vegetation and substrate types was derived with >80% accuracy compared to ground truth data. A hydrodynamic model was developed with 3 m resolution in the most sensitive areas using the lidar bathymetry, and was used to simulate oil spills under various meteorological conditions to show the spatial distribution of oil on land. The combination of the model simulations and maps provided planners with valuable oil spill response planning information