"This report documents remote sensing activities related to the oceanography component of the World Class Tanker Safety Program with the aim of investigating spatial and temporal patterns of suspended particulate matter concentration (SPM, g/m3) in the surface waters of Douglas Channel using ocean colour satellite images. Douglas Channel is one of the principal inlets on the north-west coast of British Colombia that is part of the Kitimat fjord system. It is about 140 km-long and is used as a shipping route that extends from the ocean (Hecate Strait) to the Kitimat international port located at its head. Further plans for development include a proposed oil pipeline with a terminal at Kitimat, from where the oil would be shipped along the channel by marine tankers, which has raised environmental concerns regarding oil spills. Our study of the SPM distribution complements scientific investigations addressing oil spills in the region, since suspended particles under certain conditions can interact with oil droplets by forming sinking oil-particle aggregates that can transport oil from the surface to the bottom"--Introd., p. 1.