Multi-sensor satellite survey of natural oil slicks in the southeastern Black Sea

Results of satellite observations of the Southeastern Black Sea are presented. Our work is aimed to the development and enhancement of satellite remote sensing technics for monitoring of sea surface oil pollution caused by the natural seepages of hydrocarbons from the seabed. We showed that multi-sensor approach to the satellite remote sensing survey contributes to a more comprehensive interpretation of the data and helps in developing a better understanding of the sea surface film pollution pattern. By using high-resolution satellite data, we were able to get a clear picture of a spatial and temporal variability of surface oil films and to show that their geographical distribution correlates with geographical locations of natural hydrocarbon seeps in this region. We used SAR for the precise estimation of the actual seafloor source location. We investigated the effect of surface winds and currents on transport, spreading, evolution, and persistence of oil slicks on the sea surface. We further demonstrated the importance of the effects of dynamic and circulation processes and natural factors (current meandering, vortical activity, and wind patterns) on the trajectory and fate of the released oil. We put together detailed maps of the sea surface oil pollution caused by natural hydrocarbons showings from the sea bottom in the south-eastern of the Black Sea and outlined the regions of the heaviest pollution.

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