Oil spills in the Barents Sea: The results of multiyear monitoring with synthetic aperture radar

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2022-06, Vol.179, p.113677-113677, Article 113677
• Main Authors: Ivanov, A.Yu, Kucheiko, A.Yu, Ivonin, D.V., Filimonova, N.A., Terleeva, N.V., Evtushenko, N.V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Fishing; Fishing zones; Geographic information systems; Geographical information systems; GIS approach; Identification; Information systems; Inland seas; Marine environment; Marine pollution; Monitoring; Multiyear monitoring; Ocean basins; Offshore; Offshore engineering; Oil pollution; Oil spill distribution; Oil spills; Pollution monitoring; Pollution sources; Radar; Radar imaging; Remote sensing; SAR (radar); SAR images; Satellites; Seepages; Shipping; Ships; Spill sources; Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; Summary maps; Synthetic aperture radar; Temporal distribution; The Barents Sea
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113677

This paper presents the results of multiyear satellite monitoring of oil pollution in the Barents Sea conducted in 2015–2020. Monitoring was based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B satellites. During monitoring, more than 26,000 SAR images were collected and analyzed for oil pollution in the form of oil spills. A geographic information system (GIS) and a conventional interactive technique were used to efficiently analyze a substantial number of SAR images covering the Barents Sea. Our approach employed online geoportal based on GIS technology with a large volume of additional information (oceanographic, physical-geographical, and industrial) about the marine basin, including those for offshore oil and gas infrastructure. As a result, multiyear oil spill distribution map was generated and analyzed, and the most oil-polluted regions of the sea and natural seeps were identified. The analysis focused on the general characteristics of the spatial and temporal distribution and the main sources of oil pollution of the Barents Sea. Sources of oil spills with areas ranging from 0.5 to 90 km2 were interpreted based on data from the automatic ship identification systems used to monitor shipping and fishing. Based on the monitoring results, the general level of oil pollution in the Barents Sea is established, statistics were calculated, and risk zones identified. The most polluted marine areas are in the southern part of the sea, where maritime shipping continuous; moderate levels of pollution appear in the fishing zones in the central part of the sea. Finally, the study results show that overall oil pollution in the Barents Sea is still relatively low compared to other marginal and inland seas of Europe.