Oil spills in the Barents Sea based on satellite monitoring using SAR: spatial distribution and main sources

• Published in: International journal of remote sensing Vol. 39; no. 13; pp. 4484 - 4498
• Main Authors: Ivanov, A.Yu, Filimonova, N.A., Kucheiko, A.Yu, Evtushenko, N.V., Terleeva, N.V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Taylor & Francis 03-07-2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Cargo ships; Fishing; Fishing fleets; Image detection; Monitoring; Offshore; Offshore engineering; Oil pollution; Oil spills; Physical oceanography; Pollution monitoring; Pollution sources; Radar; Radar imaging; Remote sensing; SAR (radar); Satellite imagery; Satellite monitoring; Satellites; Shipping; Ships; Spaceborne remote sensing; Spatial distribution; Synthetic aperture radar; Vulnerability; Water pollution; Barents Sea
• ISSN: 0143-1161; 1366-5901
• DOI: 10.1080/01431161.2017.1371869

The results of the satellite monitoring of oil spills in the Barents Sea are analysed and discussed. For the first time, in 2015-2016, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images occurred regularly using the European Space Agency Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B satellites. To effectively analyse the SAR images and their detected dark patches, a geoinformation approach, specifically, a web-based GeoMixer application, was used. This involves the creation of a dedicated geoportal with a large volume of oceanographic, physical-geographical, and industrial information about the water basin, including the offshore oil and gas infrastructures and coastal vulnerability. Using this approach, as well as data from automatic ship identification systems, it is shown that the main sources of oil pollution (spills from 0.5 to 90 km
2
) are cargo shipping and fishing fleets. Summary maps of the detected and identified oil spills are presented and discussed.