Baghdady Salma M, Abdelsalam Ali A
Biological, Marine and Agriculture Environmental Sciences Department, Environmental Studies Institute, Arish University, El-Arish, Egypt.
Department of Marine Science, National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS), Cairo, Egypt.
Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 5;14(1):18057. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-67983-x.
The Eastern Mediterranean region, a vital conduit for global maritime trade, faces significant environmental challenges due to marine pollution, particularly from oil spills. This is the first study covering the long period of comprehensive monitoring of oil pollution using the full mission of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data in the Mediterranean Sea, so this research aims to detect and analyze comprehensively the occurrence of oil spills in the Eastern Mediterranean over a decade (2014-2023). This study focuses on identifying geographical distribution patterns, proximity to shorelines, frequency across maritime zones, and potential sources of these spills, especially around major ports and maritime routes. This study utilizes SAR data from the Sentinel-1 satellite. The methodology included automated detection algorithms within the Sentinel application platform (SNAP) and integration with GIS mapping to study oil spill patterns and characteristics. Over 1000 Sentinel-1 scenes were investigated in the northern Mediterranean waters off the coast of Egypt, to detect and analyze 355 oil spill events with a total impacted area of more than 6000 km. The analysis of temporal spill distribution reveals significant fluctuations from year to year. Within the entire timeline of the study, 2017 had the largest spatial areas covering one thousand square kilometers. In contrast, the single largest spill recorded during the study period occurred in 2020, covering 198.73 square kilometers. The results identified a non-uniform distribution of oil spills and primarily exhibiting elongated patterns aligned with the navigation routes. The distinct increase of oil spill incidents was within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), obviously drifted to the coastline and around major ports. The study emphasizes the critical role of remote sensing technologies in addressing environmental challenges caused by the maritime transport sector, advocating for enhanced monitoring and regulatory enforcement to protect marine ecosystems and support sustainable naval activities. The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted continuous monitoring and rapid response strategies in high-traffic maritime areas, particularly around the EEZ and major ports.
东地中海地区是全球海上贸易的重要通道，由于海洋污染，尤其是石油泄漏，面临着重大的环境挑战。这是第一项利用哨兵-1合成孔径雷达（SAR）数据的全任务对地中海石油污染进行长期全面监测的研究，因此本研究旨在全面检测和分析东地中海地区十年来（2014 - 2023年）石油泄漏的发生情况。本研究重点在于确定地理分布模式、与海岸线的距离、各海域的发生频率以及这些泄漏的潜在来源，特别是在主要港口和海上航线周围。本研究利用了哨兵-1卫星的SAR数据。该方法包括哨兵应用平台（SNAP）内的自动检测算法，并与GIS制图相结合，以研究石油泄漏模式和特征。在埃及海岸附近的地中海北部水域，对1000多个哨兵-1场景进行了调查，以检测和分析355起石油泄漏事件，总受影响面积超过6000平方公里。对泄漏时间分布的分析显示，每年都有显著波动。在整个研究时间范围内，2017年的空间覆盖面积最大，达一千平方公里。相比之下，研究期间记录的单次最大泄漏发生在2020年，面积为198.73平方公里。结果确定了石油泄漏的分布不均匀，主要呈现与航行路线一致的细长模式。石油泄漏事件在专属经济区（EEZ）明显增加，并明显向海岸线和主要港口周围漂移。该研究强调了遥感技术在应对海上运输部门造成的环境挑战方面的关键作用，主张加强监测和监管执法，以保护海洋生态系统并支持可持续的海上活动。研究结果突出了在高流量海域，特别是在专属经济区和主要港口周围，有针对性地进行持续监测和快速反应策略的迫切需求。
