Automatic refocus and feature extraction of single-look complex SAR signatures of vessels

In recent years, spaceborne synthetic aperture radar ( SAR) technology has been considered as a complement to cooperative vessel surveillance systems thanks to its imaging capabilities. In this paper, a processing chain is presented to explore the potential of using basic stripmap single-look complex ( SLC) SAR images of vessels for the automatic extraction of their dimensions and heading. Local autofocus is applied to the vessels' SAR signatures to compensate blurring artefacts in the azimuth direction, improving both their image quality and their estimated dimensions. For the heading, the orientation ambiguities of the vessels' SAR signatures are solved using the direction of their ground-range velocity from the analysis of their Doppler spectra. Preliminary results are provided using five images of vessels from SLC RADARSAT-2 stripmap images. These results have shown good agreement with their respective ground-truth data from Automatic Identification System ( AIS) records at the time of the acquisitions.Postprint (published version

Applications of Satellite Earth Observations section - NEODAAS: Providing satellite data for efficient research

The NERC Earth Observation Data Acquisition and Analysis Service (NEODAAS) provides a central point of Earth Observation (EO) satellite data access and expertise for UK researchers. The service is tailored to individual users’ requirements to ensure that researchers can focus effort on their science, rather than struggling with correct use of unfamiliar satellite data

Satellite monitoring of harmful algal blooms (HABs) to protect the aquaculture industry

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can cause sudden and considerable losses to fish farms, for example 500,000 salmon during one bloom in Shetland, and also present a threat to human health. Early warning allows the industry to take protective measures. PML's satellite monitoring of HABs is now funded by the Scottish aquaculture industry. The service involves processing EO ocean colour data from NASA and ESA in near-real time, and applying novel techniques for discriminating certain harmful blooms from harmless algae. Within the AQUA-USERS project we are extending this capability to further HAB species within several European countries

Technique-Based Exploitation Of Low Grazing Angle SAR Imagery Of Ship Wakes

The pursuit of the understanding of the effect a ship has on water is a field of study that is several hundreds of years old, accelerated during the years of the industrial revolution where the efficiency of a ship’s engine and hull determined the utility of the burgeoning globally important sea lines of communication. The dawn of radar sensing and electronic computation have expanding this field of study still further where new ground is still being broken. This thesis looks to address a niche area of synthetic aperture radar imagery of ship wakes, specifically the imaging geometry utilising a low grazing angle, where significant non-linear effects are often dominant in the environment. The nuances of the synthetic aperture radar processing techniques compounded with the low grazing angle geometry to produce unusual artefacts within the imagery. It is the understanding of these artefacts that is central to this thesis. A sub-aperture synthetic aperture radar technique is applied to real data alongside coarse modelling of a ship and its wake before finally developing a full hydrodynamic model for a ship’s wake from first principles. The model is validated through comparison with previously developed work. The analysis shows that the resultant artefacts are a culmination of individual synthetic aperture radar anomalies and the reaction of the radar energy to the ambient sea surface and spike events

Use and assessment of remote sensing for the safety of maritime shipping

Αντικείμενο της εργασίας είναι η εφαρμογή της δορυφορικής τηλεπισκόπησης για τον υπολογισμό και την εκτίμηση φυσικών παραμέτρων συνδεόμενων με κινδύνους για τη ναυτιλία. Ειδικότερα, μέσω της χρήσης δορυφορικών εικόνων σε διάφορες φασματικές περιοχές, θα εξαχθούν οι κατάλληλες παράμετροι, ώστε να μελετηθεί η κίνηση των θαλασσίων ρευμάτων, η μεταβλητότητα στην παγοκάλυψη σε διαύλους ναυσιπλοΐας, ο εντοπισμός πετρελαιοκηλίδων και η παρουσία επικίνδυνων φορτίων. Στο πλαίσιο της εργασίας, θα διαμορφωθεί η εργαλειοθήκη που θα συμβάλει στην ασφάλεια της ναυσιπλοΐας και θα αξιολογηθεί η εφαρμοστικότητά της και η δυνατότητα επιχειρησιακής χρήσης, βάσει των διαθέσιμων δεδομένων και μελλοντικών δορυφορικών αποστολών.The scope of this work is the implementation of satellite remote sensing for the calculation and estimation of physical parameters associated with risk for maritime shipping. In particular, through the use of satellite imagery in different spectral regions and the exploitation of the advantages of passive and active remote sensing, the appropriate parameters will be extracted, in order to study the wind speed and direction, the variability of sea ice coverage in marine channels, oil spillages and the presence of dangerous cargoes. As part of the work, Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) and QGIS will be configured, which based on satellites observations, will contribute to marine navigation. Finally, the thesis will evaluate the applicability of the toolbox to business function depending on the available satellite data and the future satellite missions

Ocean Remote Sensing with Synthetic Aperture Radar

The ocean covers approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface, 90% of the biosphere and contains 97% of Earth’s water. The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can image the ocean surface in all weather conditions and day or night. SAR remote sensing on ocean and coastal monitoring has become a research hotspot in geoscience and remote sensing. This book—Progress in SAR Oceanography—provides an update of the current state of the science on ocean remote sensing with SAR. Overall, the book presents a variety of marine applications, such as, oceanic surface and internal waves, wind, bathymetry, oil spill, coastline and intertidal zone classification, ship and other man-made objects’ detection, as well as remotely sensed data assimilation. The book is aimed at a wide audience, ranging from graduate students, university teachers and working scientists to policy makers and managers. Efforts have been made to highlight general principles as well as the state-of-the-art technologies in the field of SAR Oceanography

OIL SPILL ALONG THE TURKISH STRAITS SEA AREA; ACCIDENTS, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS AND PROTECTION

The Turkish Straits Sea Area (TSSA) is a long water passage that is consisted of the Sea of Marmara, an inland sea within Turkey's borders, and two narrow straits connected to neighboring seas. With a strategic location between the Balkans and Anatolia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, and dominated by the continental climate, the region hosted many civilizations throughout the centuries. This makes the region among the busiest routes in the world, with sea traffic three times higher than that in the Suez Canal. The straits are the most difficult waterways to navigate and witnessed many hazardous and important collisions and accidents throughout history. In addition, this area has vital roles as a biological corridor and barrier among three distinctive marine realms. Therefore, the region is rather sensitive to damages of national and international maritime activities, which may cause severe environmental problems. This book addresses several key questions on a chapter basis, including historical accidents, background information on main dynamic restrictions, oil pollution, oil spill detection, and clean-up recoveries, its impacts on biological communities, socioeconomic aspects, and subjects with international agreements. This book will help readers, public, local and governmental authorities gain a deeper understanding of the status of the oil spill, mostly due to shipping accidents, and their related impacts along the TSSA, which needs precautionary measures to be protected.CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I - HISTORY OF ACCIDENTS AND REGULATIONS Remarkable Accidents at the Istanbul Strait Hasan Bora USLUER and Saim OĞUZÜLGEN …………………………………...... 3 History of Regulations before Republican Era along the Turkish Straits Sea Area Ali Umut ÜNAL …………………………………………………………………….. 16 Transition Regime in the Turkish Straits during the Republican Era Osman ARSLAN ……….……………………………………………………….……26 26 The Montreux Convention and Effects at Turkish Straits Oktay ÇETİN ………………………………………………………………….…….. 33 Evaluation of the Montreux Convention in the Light of Recent Problems Ayşenur TÜTÜNCÜ ………………………………………………………………… 44 A Historical View on Technical Developments on Ships and Effects of Turkish Straits Murat YAPICI ………………………………………………………………………. 55 CHAPTER II - GEOGRAPHY, BATHYMETRY AND HYDRO-METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS Geographic and Bathymetric Restrictions along the Turkish Straits Sea Area Bedri ALPAR, Hasan Bora USLUER and Şenol AYDIN ……………………..…… 61 Hydrodynamics and Modeling of Turkish Straits Serdar BEJİ and Tarkan ERDİK ………………………………………………….… 79 Wave Climate in the Turkish Sea of Marmara Tarkan ERDİK and Serdar BEJİ …………………………………………………..… 91 CHAPTER III - OIL POLLUTION, DETECTION AND RECOVERY Oil Pollution at Sea and Coast Following Major Accidents Selma ÜNLÜ ……………………………………………………………………….101 Forensic Fingerprinting in Oil-spill Source Identification at the Turkish Straits Sea Area Özlem ATEŞ DURU ……………………………………………………………… 121 xi Oil Spill Detection Using Remote Sensing Technologies-Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) İbrahim PAPİLA, Elif SERTEL, Şinasi KAYA and Cem GAZİOĞLU ……..……. 140 The Role of SAR Remote Sensing to Detect Oil Pollution and Emergency Intervention Saygın ABDIKAN, Çağlar BAYIK and Füsun BALIK ŞANLI ……….….……….. 157 Oil Spill Recovery and Clean-Up Techniques Emra KIZILAY, Mehtap AKBAŞ and Tahir Yavuz GEZBELİ …………………… 176 Turkish Strait Sea Area, Contingency Planning, Regulations and Case Studies Emra KIZILAY, Mehtap AKBAŞ and Tahir Yavuz GEZBELİ …………………... 188 Dispersant Response Method to Incidental Oil Pollution Dilek EDİGER, Leyla TOLUN and Fatma TELLİ KARAKOÇ ………………….... 205 CHAPTER IV - THE EFFECTS / IMPACTS OF OIL SPILL ON BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES – INCLUDING SAMPLING AND MONITORING Marine Microorganisms and Oil Spill Sibel ZEKİ and Pelin S. ÇİFTÇİ TÜRETKEN …………...………………………… 219 Estimated Effects of Oil Spill on the Phytoplankton Following “Volgoneft-248” Accident (Sea of Marmara) Seyfettin TAŞ ………………………………..…………………………………….... 229 Interactions between Zooplankton and Oil Spills: Lessons Learned from Global Accidents and a Proposal for Zooplankton Monitoring İ. Noyan YILMAZ and Melek İŞİNİBİLİR ……………………………………..….. 238 The Effects of Oil Spill on the Macrophytobenthic Communities Ergün TAŞKIN and Barış AKÇALI …………………………….…………….……. 244 Potential Impacts of Oil Spills on Macrozoobenthos in the Turkish Straits System Güley KURT-ŞAHİN …………………………………………………………….… 253 The Anticipated Effects of Oil Spill on Fish Populations in Case of an Accident along the Turkish Straits System – A review of Studies after Several Incidents from the World M. İdil ÖZ and Nazlı DEMİREL …………………………………………………….261 Estimated Impacts of an Oil Spill on Bird Populations along the Turkish Straits System Itri Levent ERKOL …………………………………………………………….…… 272 The Effect of Oil Spills on Cetaceans in the Turkish Straits System (TSS) Ayaka Amaha ÖZTÜRK ………………………………………………………….. 277 Changes in the Ichthyoplankton and Benthos Assemblages following Volgoneft-248 Oil Spill: Case Study Ahsen YÜKSEK and Yaprak GÜRKAN …………………………………….……. 280 Assessing the Initial and Temporal Effects of a Heavy Fuel Oil Spill on Benthic Fauna Yaprak GÜRKAN, Ahsen YÜKSEK ………………………………………..…….. 287 CHAPTER V - SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS Socio-economic Aspects of Oil Spill Özlem ATEŞ DURU and Serap İNCAZ ……………………………………….…… 301 Effects of Oil Spill on Human Health Türkan YURDUN ………………………………………………………………..…. 313 Crisis Management of Oil Spill, A Case Study: BP Gulf Mexico Oil Disaster Serap İNCAZ and Özlem ATEŞ DURU …………………………….………….……324 CHAPTER VI - CONVENTIONS RELATING TO PREVENTION OF OIL SPILL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil (OILPOL), 1954 and its Situation Related with Turkey Emre AKYÜZ, Metin ÇELİK and Ömer SÖNER …………………………...……... 334 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as Modified by the Protocol of 1978 Relating Thereto and by the Protocol of 1997 (MARPOL) Özcan ARSLAN, Esma UFLAZ and Serap İNCAZ ………………………….……. 342 Applications of MARPOL Related with Oil Spill in Turkey Emre AKYÜZ, Özcan ASLAN and Serap İNCAZ ………………………………… 356 Ship Born Oil Pollution at the Turkish Straits Sea Area and MARPOL 73/78 Duygu ÜLKER and Sencer BALTAOĞLU………………………….…………….. 363 International Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties (INTERVENTION 1969) and its Applications Related with Oil Spill in Turkey Şebnem ERKEBAY ……………………………….……………………………….. 371 International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC) 1990 and its Applications Related with Oil Spill in Turkey Kadir ÇİÇEK ………………………………………………………………………. 381 Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to Pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances, 2000 (OPRC-HNS Protocol) and its Effects in Turkey Aydın ŞIHMANTEPE and Cihat AŞAN ……………….…………………………. 392 The International Convention on Salvage (SALVAGE) 1989 Related with Oil Spill in Turkey İrşad BAYIRHAN ……………………………………….………………..……….. 408 CHAPTER VII - CONVENTIONS COVERING LIABILITY AND COMPENSATION RELATED WITH OIL SPILL International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC), 1969 and its Applications Serap İNCAZ and Pınar ÖZDEMİR ……………………………………..………… 416 1992 Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (FUND 1992) and its Applications Related with Oil Spill in Turkey Ali Umut ÜNAL and Hasan Bora USLUER …………………………….………… 424 International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea (HNS), 1996 (and its 2010 Protocol) and its Applications Related with Oil Spill in Turkey Bilun ELMACIOĞLU ……………………………………………………………… 437 Bunkering Incidents and Safety Practices in Turkey Fırat BOLAT, Pelin BOLAT and Serap İNCAZ …………………………………... 447 "Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007" and its Effects on Turkey Şafak Ümit DENİZ and Serap İNCAZ ……………………….……………………. 457