Remote Sensing of Slicks as Indicators for Marine Processes in the Coastal Zone

Monomolecular surface films (“sea slicks”) are well known to dampen small-scale waves at the water surface, and thereby to influence transport processes at the air-sea interface. Because of their strong wave-damping capabilities they can often be delineated on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, but also on satellite imagery acquired in the visible and infrared spectral ranges. Since sea slicks tend to accumulate at the water surface along shear current lines, fronts, eddies, etc., they can be used as a proxy for observing such marine processes from space. In order to document the dynamics of marine surface films under different environmental conditions we present the main results of our experimental efforts, as well as a selection of ERS and ENVISAT SAR images that demonstrate how well sea slicks are suited to indicate marine processes in the coastal zones.