PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF COPERNICUS DATA FOR NATURAL HAZARDS MONITORING OF THE BULGARIAN BLACK SEA COASTAL ZONE

The Bulgarian coastal zone is exposed to wide variety of natural hazards, where their complex impact may cause negative social and economic consequences and environmental changes. To improve the understanding of such dangerous and destructive processes, a new knowledge and techniques are required. Satellite imagery is critical to deliver a clear picture on the extent of devastation after any disaster that is happening on Bulgarian territory. In recent years, with becoming operational, Copernicus data and products become as well freely available to the scientific community and end users. To address the national needs and priorities, set out in the National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2017-2030, this paper provides a systematic analysis of the Copernicus data for the purposes of compiling different cartographic products and maps for monitoring of equatorial and adjacent terrestrial ecosystems. A comparative review of optical and radar satellite images comprising the data archive since the beginning of 90th and data from Copernicus initiative till now covering the western Black Sea area is presented. The data analysis will contribute to develop wide-range monitoring of the potential endangered areas, detection of slow surface movements and delineation of destructive natural hazard events. We complimented the analysis with tracking time changes of the coastal area for the last three decades for the test risk region of northern Bulgarian coast. This region is undergone on the recent vertical crustal movements, active landslide processes, and coastal abrasion; it is one of the regions in Bulgaria with a high seismic risk. The importance of Sentinel data for monitoring in Bulgaria is discussed, taking into account that the Bulgarian National program for disasters preparedness and risk mitigation is harmonized with the EU policy of natural hazard risk mitigation.