Oil spill detection using COSMO-SkyMed over the adriatic sea: The operational potential

In this paper the potential of COSMO-SkyMed is examined for oil spill detection, focusing on the Adriatic Sea. The low revisit time and the radiometric characteristics of COSMO-SkyMed point to good suitability of the instrument for operational oil spill detection in the area. The possibility of querying Automatic Identification System (AIS) data over the area, with almost no coverage gaps, offers a unique instrument to aid verification activities and the eventual identification of the discharging ship.