Spill Central at University of Miami

As Florida Governor Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency in parts of the Panhandle today, scientists at the Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS) at the University of Miami continue to actively collaborate with several international satellite data providers to acquire critical environmental imagery for the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon oil platform caught fire after an explosion on April 20 at approximately 22:00 EDT, resulting in a the release of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and oil into the Gulf. On April 22, the oil platform sank and oil has continued to leak into the environment.

Scientists at CSTARS immediately began processing and analyzing valuable images to identify the extent of the spill and to support recovery efforts. Images collected at the state-of-the-art facility located in South Dade County, Florida are being displayed and updated daily at www.cstars.rsmas.miami.edu.

"Like in the recent Haiti disaster, we are collecting sophisticated satellite images from several global providers that we can provide to government entities that are directly involved in disaster relief efforts," said Dr. Hans Graber, executive director of CSTARS, and chair and professor of Applied Marine Physics at the University of Miami. "We are fortunate to have a strong infrastructure whereby we can help organizations like NOAA, FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. Southern Command and others who are involved in these massive emergency response efforts."

Provided by University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science