SPATIO-TEMPORAL MONITORING OF OIL SPILLS IN THE BLACK SEA (KERCH STRAIT) USING SENTINEL-1 SAR DATA

Абстракт

Oil pollution of the marine environment is one of the most hazardous forms of anthropogenic impact on ecosystems, leading to long-term environmental, economic, and social consequences. The accidental spill of fuel oil resulting from damage to Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait caused large-scale contamination of the Black Sea waters and highlighted the need for timely and objective monitoring of oil spill propagation. This study presents the results of a spatio-temporal analysis of oil pollution in the Black Sea based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite imagery acquired by Sentinel-1. The research methodology is based on the processing of a time series of Sentinel-1 SAR GRD products using the ESA SNAP software. The processing workflow included radiometric calibration and geometric correction using a digital elevation model, reprojection to a common coordinate system, and elimination of geometric distortions. To improve data quality and reduce image granularity, speckle noise filtering was applied. Oil spill detection was carried out through the analysis of radar backscatter characteristics by constructing intensity profiles along the trajectories of pollution spread and examining signal variability within contaminated areas. This approach enabled the experimental determination of threshold pixel values corresponding to signal attenuation zones caused by the damping of capillary waves by the oil film. As a result, the spatial extent and temporal dynamics of oil slick propagation within the Kerch Strait and adjacent areas of the Black Sea were identified. The findings confirm the high effectiveness of Sentinel-1 SAR data for monitoring oil spills regardless of weather conditions and illumination. The proposed approach can be applied for environmental monitoring, assessment of the impacts of technogenic accidents, and support of decision-making processes in marine environmental protection.