Multisensor satellite monitoring of seawater state and oil pollution in the northeastern coastal zone of the Black Sea

A new approach aimed at a better understanding of the state of pollution of the Black Sea coastal zone is suggested. It consists of the combined use of all available quasi-concurrent satellite information (NOAA AVHRR, TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Terra/Aqua MODIS, Envisat ASAR, ERS-2 SAR and QuikSCAT) and was first applied during an operational seawater monitoring campaign in the coastal zone of the northeastern Black Sea conducted in 2006. The monitoring is based on daily receiving, processing and analysis of data different in nature (microwave radar images, optical and infrared data), resolution and surface coverage. These data allow us to retrieve information on seawater pollution, sea surface and air-sea boundary layer conditions, seawater temperature and suspended matter distributions, chlorophyll-a concentration, mesoscale water dynamics, near-surface wind, and surface wave fields. Such an approach helps in oil spill detection with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), especially in distinguishing oil slicks from look-alikes. The focus is on coastal seawater circulation mechanisms and their impact on the evolution of pollutants.