Remote sensing for

operational pollution
monitoring, source
detection and
identification
Frascati , Italy
14th/15th September 2010
Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
Content
• Technique & methodology for monitoring and
detection
• Oil slick detection with SAR
• How man made oil spills look like
• Look-alikes
• The ‘West Cork’ case
• Monitoring Baku off-shore area
• The Adriatic case - I
• The Adriatic case - II
• Lessons learnt
Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
Technique & methodology for monitoring and
detection
• Visual
• Air borne
– SLAR (Side looking airborne Radar)
– LFS (Laser Fluorosensor)
– MWR (Microwave radiometry)
– IR/UV (Infrared/ultraviolet line scanner)
– FLIR (Forward looking infrared)
– Camera/video
• Satellite
– SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar)
– Optical Sensors
Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
Oil slick detection with SAR
• SAR emits electromagnetic pulses and measures the level of the backscattered signal.
• SAR sensors provide information on the ocean surface roughness. Ocean’s roughness
is driven by the wind which creates ripples at the sea surface.
• The presence of a film on the sea surface damps out small waves and reduces the
measured backscattered energy which results in darker areas in the SAR imagery.

Low wind: Weak backscattered signal – No

contrast between oil slicks and surrounding waters.
Moderate winds favorable for oil detection – Oil
slicks appear as dark features in SAR imagery.
High winds: Useful signal lost in the ambient noise
– Oil slicks often broken and dispersed into the
by O. Trieschmann water column.
Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
How man made oil spills look like

Courtesy of ESA (2007 - 2010)

Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
Look-alikes
• Unfortunately oil slicks are not the only
phenomenon which can be detected in similar
manner.
– fresh water slicks
– calm areas (wind slicks)
– ship wakes
– wave shadows behind land or structures
– vegetation or weed beds which calm the
water just above them
– glacial flour
– biogenic oils
– whale and fish sperm
• This is particularly exacerbated in low wind
conditions where natural surfactants can easily
Courtesy of ESA (2007 - 2010)
be confused for spills.
Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
The ‘West Cork’ Case
• Russian convoy consisted of the aircraft
carrier Admiral Kuznetsov – 14/02/2009.
• The spill is estimated up to 400 - 500 tons
of oil spilled.

Photo by Irish Coast Guard ENVISAT/ASAR (14/02/2009 – 10:53 UTC)

Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
The ‘West Cork’ Case
• Oil spill initially detected ~80 km southeast of Fastnet
Rock off the West Cork coast by EMSA CSN.

Photo by Irish Coast Guard

ENVISAT/ASAR (14/02/2009 – 22:51 UTC)

Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
The ‘West Cork’ Case
• Polluter Identification and backtracking.

Metocean data, slicks and calculated vessel drift. Backtracking results.

Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
Monitoring Baku Off-shore area (2007 – 2010)

Photo by B. Girin

ENVISAT/ASAR (01/08/2010 - 06:42 UTC)

Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
Monitoring Baku Off-shore area (2007 – 2010)

ENVISAT/ASAR (31/07/2010 - 18:31 UTC) MODIS/Aqua (31/07/2010 – 09:45 UTC)

Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
Monitoring Baku Off-shore area (2007 – 2010)

ENVISAT/ASAR (04/08/2010 – 06:47 UTC) MODIS/Terra (04/08/2010 – 07:40 UTC)

Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
The Adriatic Case (I) – ENVISAT/ASAR 21/07/2006 - offshore Ancona (Central Adriatic)

ENVISAT/ASAR (21/07/2006 - 09:26 UTC) MODIS/Terra (21/07/2006 - 10:25 UTC)

Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
The Adriatic Case (I) – ENVISAT/ASAR 21/07/2006 - offshore Ancona (Central Adriatic)

Offshore platform ‘DARIA A-B’ and EQUASIS ship database. AIS of ‘ASSO DICIANNOVE’ – 21/07/2006.
Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
The presented scenarios are instantiated in cooperation with:

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Maritime

Studies and Transport

Vessel Surveillance and Port security (VESPO)

Joint Research Centre (JRC)

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)

Guardia Costiera Italia

Irish Coast Guard

Remote sensing for operational pollution
monitoring, source detection and identification
Lessons learnt
• Near Real Time (NRT)
• Multi sensor approach
• Spatial Resolution
• Supplementary data
• Verification
• Feedback
• Training of air crews
Thank you

Dr. Oliver MÜLLENHOFF

BMT ARGOSS
Voorsterweg 28, 8316 PT Marknesse
The Netherlands
oliver.muellenhoff@bmtargoss.com

Special acknowledgment to:

Marko Perkovic
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport

Vessel Surveillance and Port security (VESPO) team

Joint Research Centre (JRC)