Abstract
The results of long-term satellite monitoring of oil pollution of the sea surface in the southeastern Baltic Sea (SEB) are discussed in this paper. From June 2004 to December 2020, in total, 2780 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images from different satellites were received and analyzed. There were 788 oil spills detected in the study area. The oil spills were concentrated along the main shipping routes in the SEB. The volume of the detected oil spills was estimated. The average size of the spill was about 2 km2 or 0.8 m3. Seasonal variability of oil pollution shows a decrease in the number of oil detections in the autumn–winter period, which is associated with the prevalence of unfavorable wind conditions that limit the use of SAR technology for oil spill detection and navigation for small ships. In situ measurements show that seasonal variation in the concentration of oil products in seawater is characterized by a maximum in April and a minimum in July. Since 2007, a decrease in oil detections has been observed for the entire Baltic Sea, including the study area. The interannual variability also shows a decrease in the concentration of oil products in the water column. In the southeastern Baltic Sea, the volume of oil products released yearly to the sea surface from ships does not exceed 0.1% of the average instantaneous presence of oil products in the water column.
Highlights
Ships impact the marine environment in multifarious ways
The aim of this paper is to present the updated statistical information on oil pollution in the southeastern Baltic Sea resulting from illegal discharges from vessels detected using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), as well as to estimate the percentage of such oil pollution in the total background oil pollution
We will discuss the characteristics of oil pollution detected only in the limits of the monitoring area shown in Figure 2 and will leave outside the scope of the paper those cases which were detected outside of this region
Summary
Ships impact the marine environment in multifarious ways. The main transport mode for global trade is ocean shipping. The production and transportation of oil by sea accounts for about 20% of the total supply of oil to the world ocean. Accidental spills are not the main source of oil pollution of the marine environment. Their contribution is 10% of the total (global) oil flow into the marine environment [2]. Oil pollution of the sea surface, in most cases, is from deliberate dumping of waste oil. Chronic oil pollution is the result of the illegal “operational” discharges of relatively small volumes of oily waste waters from vessels. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
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