Satellite images enable to detect climate changes

05 June 2009, 11:36am

Using space technologies of Earth remote sensing people managed to assess the waterborne navigation impacts on the atmospheric contents of sulfur and nitrogen dioxides (SO2 and NO2). CLS French company specialists created an integrated map of vessels locations and shipping routes at seas, washing the European subcontinent. ENVISAT-1 (ESA) radar data for 2002-2009 were used when the map was drawn.

When matching the integrated map of shipping situation and the gas concentration layout within the areas of intensive waterborne traffic an increased concentration of SO2 and NO2 can be detected in the atmosphere. It is important to take into account an increased load at the seaports and westerlies dominating over Europe.

Presence of SO2 and NO2 in the atmosphere is the main reason of acid rains: as a result of chemical reaction in the atmosphere the dioxides in subject turn into sulfur and nitrogen acids respectively. Their precipitation has an adverse impact on live forms and ecotope as a whole.

In Russia satellite radar monitoring of the situation in seas around Russia starting 2008 has been initiated by ScanEx RDC. A huge volume of multi-temporal radar imagery data has been piled up, partially available at «Kosmosnimki – Seas of Russia» geoportal. In late May still another project of ScanEx on operational monitoring of ships and ecological situation has been launched for the Russian water areas.

— Intensive ship traffic at Russian seas notably cedes to waterborne navigation pattern around Europe, - said ScanEx Deputy Director Alexei Kucheiko. – Therefore, a more serious problem is the water surface oil pollution for the Russian seas. Oily water dumps from vessels dominate among other pollution sources.

Performed imagery revealed the presence of oil pollutions in Black and Caspian Seas, near Vladivostok and the Sakhalin Island in the Far East and even in the Baltic Sea.

As to the studies of changes of climatic properties under the influence of human-induced factors, a more perspective for Russia will be the study of impacts on climate from production and processing industries, rather than from navigation. Optical imagery will be even more efficient to use in this case.

— Environmental pollution detection methods on the ground, based on satellite imagery data has already been developed by ScanEx specialists, - said ScanEx Vice President Olga Gershenzon. Our Center is open for cooperation, including questions of using satellite data to assess impacts of different man-made and natural factors on the climate.

ScanEx R&D Center

Geo: International