Delineation of hydrocarbon contaminated soils using optical and radar images in a costal region

Oil industry represents one of the main incomes for many countries. However, this industry is not exempt of accidents such as oil spills. Satellite remote sensing is a useful tool in delineating polluted areas due to its characteristic to cover large areas. This paper proposes a methodology combining information from both optical (Landsat) and radar (Envisat-ASAR) images to delineate polluted soils by hydrocarbons in the coast of Paraiso, Tabasco, Mexico. Landsat images identified polluted areas over the beach (bare soil); nevertheless, they did not reach the soil under vegetation conditions. In contrast, radar images did not indentify polluted areas in the beach mainly because of the extreme dry conditions in the soil. But, in vegetated areas, the radar penetrated the vegetation cover and identified the polluted soils. Both optical and radar information showed complementarities to delineate polluted areas under heterogeneous conditions.