Russian seas ecology satellite-based monitoring

20 June 2009, 2:09pm

2009-06-20 - The first results of the satellite radar imagery of the five seas around Russia have been summed up. The project is being accomplished by “ScanEx” RDC since May 21 in the interests of the state with the objective to estimate ecological condition of the Baltic, Black, White, Caspian and Okhotsk seas.

After processing more than 50 images from RADARSAT-1 (Canada) and ENVISAT-1 (ESA) satellites it was revealed that the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea have the biggest problems in terms of oil products pollution. No spills were found in the White Sea.

The Baltic Sea is under thorough control of the European Union countries. In 2007 the European Maritime Security Agency (EMSA) launched CleanSeaNet information service. It allows controlling of oil spills in the seas around Europe with the help of space imagery. But Russian sectors of the Baltic and the Black Seas do not enter into the European geoservice coverage zone.

The results of the imagery performed by ScanEx RDC showed that the Russian sector of the Gulf of Finland was the most polluted of the observed water areas. Anthropogenic pollutions were detected in 9 out of 17 satellite images.

The overwhelming portion of detected pollutions refers to ship oil spills. One of the spills from MCS Malin vessel was confirmed by the results of imagery on June 2 and received broad coverage in the press (Information Agency PortNews. According to a message sent through State Maritime Rescue Service an oil slick 180 m wide and 3 miles long was observed in the Gulf of Finland at Seskar Island.

The radar image received from RADARSAT-1 at 08:34 (Moscow time) on June 2 confirmed an oil spill in the area of Seskar Island, 100 km west of St. Petersburg. The spill consisted of several spots. The biggest was about 5 km long and up to 400 m wide.

Our expert Victoria Zatyagalova, ScanEx RDC real time monitoring section manager, believes that the registered spill is of a form characteristic of ship spills and is located close to a waterway. It consists of a number of spots extended into lines which have blurred outlines. Therefore, it can be characterized as an old spill which had existed on the sea surface for more than 8-12 hours prior to imagery. Total area of the pollution is about 1.3 sq. km.

Anthropogenic pollutions were also found in the Luzhski Bay in the area of Ust-Luga port currently under construction.

— Intensification of oil products transportation by ships across the Gulf of Finland requires employment of up-to-date satellite-based technologies for ecological situation control. Today such technologies are available in Russia, - said Olga Gershenzon, ScanEx RDC vice-president.

The main part of human-induced pollutions detected in the Black Sea refers to ship spills, most of which are located in the Ukrainian and Russian sectors along waterways in the area of approach channels to the Strait of Kerch and Novorossiysk.

The biggest ship spills were registered in the evening of May 27 at the border of Turkish and Russian sectors along Bosphorus-Tuapse waterway. The spill contained tail fractions of oil products and stayed on the surface for more than 2 days till May 29. Maximum length of the spill equaled 47 km. On May 28 an additional discharge of oil products from a bypassing ship was registered in this area.

Three ship oil spills were registered in the Sea of Okhotsk. They were in Aniva Bay at Korsakov port approach channels. A long oil slick was found on May 30 in the Sea of Japan next to Vladivostok. Spills were also noted in the Caspian Sea.

It is believed that the main contribution to sea pollution is the result of large-scale accidental oil spills similar to that of Kerch catastrophe of 2007. But according to UN data the total contribution of accidental oil spills constitutes only 10-15%, while everyday pollutions from river flows, enterprise and ship discharges of waste water continue to be the main sources of pollution.

In general, the results of the monitoring turned out to be quite unexpected. Satellite imagery showed a high level of pollution of the Gulf of Finland water area along waterways. Earlier it was believed that the Baltic Sea is under thorough control and that restrain captains of the ships from violations of ecological legislation.

More information about the Russian space technology innovations, in particular about satellite-based monitoring of water areas, will be available at the 4th International Conference “Earth from Space – the Most Effective Solutions” that will take place on December 1-3, 2009 at the Moscow Region “Vatutinki” recreation center of the Russian President Administration.

ScanEx R&D Center

Information Agency PortNews

Geo: International