Statistical analysis of polarimetric characteristics for oil spill classification: The special case of DWH

In this paper a polarimetric SAR data study is undertaken over the critical and peculiar case of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill accident occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. It is a complex case that still calls for deeper physical/chemical characterization due to its special nature. Such an oil spill accident is in fact related to a deep/ultra-deep sea drilling, that although of paramount interest in gas and oil exploitation, need special care and safety actions to manage high oil pressure and potential vast environmental oil spill long-term and short-term impact.