Oil seeps in the southeastern Black Sea studied using satellite synthetic aperture radar images

One of the tasks being completed while oil pollution monitoring in the Black Sea, was a study of natural seepage. Two known oil seeps are located in the southeastern section, the Georgian sector, from which crude oil enters the marine environment. The archives of European Space Agency and ScanEx Research and Development Center have a considerable quantity of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired in 1993–2011 by the ERS-1/2, Envisat, and Radarsat-1 satellites, on which seep oil slicks are clearly visible in this region. Processing of the collected SAR images with detected slicks in combination with the geoinformation approach has revealed a link of these slicks with the bottom sources on the local sedimentary structure in the Southeast Black Sea; their analysis provides both new insight into this phenomenon and new information to help understand nature of these oil seeps. On the basis of an analysis of collected SAR images and detailed bathymetric data, information on the source positions on the bottom and estimates of oil volumes entering the sea surface are obtained.     

Components of Oil Pollution in Water and Bottom Sediments of the Northeastern Part of the Russian Black Sea Region

Oceanology - The results of studies of oil pollution (by the sum of hydrocarbons and resinous substances) of water and bottom sediments in the northeast Black Sea in spring and autumn are...     

Satellite monitoring of oil slicks on the Black Sea surface

This paper summarizes the results of perennial combined satellite monitoring of the Black Sea conducted in order to detect sea-surface oil and oil-product pollution, as well as biogenic and anthropogenic surfactant films. A joint analysis of data obtained by various remote sensing techniques has been performed. The large amount of data has resulted in generalizations and reliable statistics on the spatial and temporal variability of different film manifestations in radar images of the sea surface. Regions most severely polluted by petroleum products have been identified. A hypothesis is suggested linking the surface manifestations of certain types of polluting films with natural gas and oil seeps and mud volcanism in the Black Sea. Improvements in the reliability of interpreting satellite data are discussed.     

On classification of sea surface oil films using TerraSAR-X satellite polarization data

The paper presents the results of applying a new polarization method proposed in [28] to identify the type of surface pollution and differentiate between mineral oil films (crude oil and its emulsion and petroleum products) and films of other origin in sea surface radar images. The method is based on calculation of the quantitative characteristics for the ratios of suppression or intensification of scattered radio signals of different physical nature, viz., caused by capillary ripples several centimeters long, or wave breaking. TerraSAR-X satellite coaxial-polarized (VV/HH) SAR images are used. The data for analysis have been collected in areas where spots and slicks of known origin regularly occur, such as oil spills and natural oil seeps in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caspian Sea, and biogenic films in the Caspian Sea. The results of analyzing radar images from the TerraSAR-X satellite with controlled experimental oil emulsion spills in the North Sea are used for comparison. Based on the analysis of ten TerraSAR-X radar polarization images with surface sensing angles greater than 30°, it is shown that this method makes it possible to distinguish between oil spills and slicks formed by natural oil seeps and biogenic films with an accuracy higher than 80% regardless of the observation area.     

Characterization of oil pollution around the oil rocks production site in the Caspian Sea using spaceborne polarimetric SAR imagery

Based on the processing and analysis of radar imagery received by the Radarsat-2 satellite in summer 2009 over the Oil Rocks (Neftyanyye Kamni or Neft Dashlari) oil production site in the Caspian Sea, it is shown that the images are full-fledged products, making it possible to retrieve information on the oil pollution and, under certain assumptions, estimate volumes of industrial oil spills. To map the space-time distribution of oil patches, the wide-swath mode of the Radarsat-2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with vertical VV polarization of signal is most suitable. The polarimetric regime itself does not improve the identification of oil pollution. The special quad-polarization mode in these experiments has not showed substantial advantages; the maximum contrasts were observed at vertical polarization. Estimates of oil spills volumes are obtained.     

南中国海海水中多环芳烃的分布特征及源分析

利用气相色谱-质谱联用(GC-MS)技术,对2012年10月采自南中国34个站位的表层、500 m层、底层海水中的16种多环芳烃(16PAHs)进行了检测分析。结果显示:南中国海海水中16PAHs的含量相对于其他类似广阔水域较低,分布特征大致呈现500 m层表层底层。经特征PAHs组分分析判定南中国海海水中PAHs主要来源于石油及其产品。     

东海外陆架残留沉积中硫复铁矿的发现及其油气指示意义

1994～1995年间在东海外陆架获取370个柱状样,每个样长约为2～4m.对其底部沉积物作了磁性测试,发现局部地区存在SIRM异常高现象.由磁参数推断导致SIRM异常的矿物为硫复铁矿.将磁性异常地区沉积物作矿物磁选,对磁选所得矿物做扫描电镜、电子探针和能谱、X衍射及穆斯堡尔谱测试,证实了次生硫复铁矿的存在.结合本区新生代油气构造圈闭和残留沉积物可溶铁Fe3+/Fe2+比值异常的分布,用油气渗漏解释了SIRM异常及硫复铁矿的成因,从而认为SIRM异常对深部油气藏具有指示意义.     

渤海溢油污染高风险岸滩判别及清理技术研究

渤海海上油气的开发增大了沿岸岸滩环境的溢油污染风险,针对溢油污染岸滩采取高效的油污清理技术对岸滩环境保护具有重要意义。文章对岸滩类型及其常用清理技术进行介绍,在对渤海溢油污染高风险岸滩进行判别的基础上,针对性地提出各区段岸滩的溢油清理技术手段,如利用油污真空回收车、低压水冲洗和铺设天然吸附物、高低压冷热水冲洗、高压热水冲洗和喷洒消油剂或表面清洗剂等,为渤海沿岸岸滩可能发生的溢油污染的处置工作提供辅助决策。     

莱州湾环境污染遥感信息提取试验

采用Landsat 图像跨度40 多年数据, 利用遥感手段对莱州湾7 大排污口环境污染状况进行了遥感信息提取试验, 结果显示与多年来分析调查的结果一致, 即通过入海排放口水色变化以及像素分析发现自20 世纪90 年代以来, 莱州湾海水污染逐年加重; 通过MODI 数据和ENVISATASAR数据分析提取了莱州湾2011 年的海温变化、叶绿素浓度分布和海面溢油信息, 结果显示该区域近岸海温和叶绿素浓度偏高, 海上溢油风险加大。研究结果表明, 利用遥感技术能有效地提取海区环境污染信息, 可以作为监控海水污染的有效手段之一。     

Analysis of Interannual Variations of Inorganic Nitrogen in the Bohai Sea

According to the Bohai Sea cross-section data during 1985～1998, the high concentration inorganic nitrogen in the Bohai Sea section bottom layer water nearshore diffused and transferred to the middle of the Bohai Sea year after year. The interannual variations of the concentration of inorganic nitrogen in the Bohai Sea section bottom layer water may reflect the degree of eutrophication more steadily. The nitrate nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen are used to show quasi-equilibrium state interannual variations, but with the aggravation of seawater pollution, the quasi-equilibrium state of interannual variations has been broken and the marine biological-chemical processes can only maintain the secondary part of the interannual variations in a quasi-equilibrium state, but are not sufficient to prevent the main pan of interannual variations from deviating from the quasi-equilibrium state. The spatial distributions of inorganic nitrogen would be affected by the reproduction and swarming of marine life.     

Mercury distribution in seawater in Minamata Bay and the origin of particulate mercury

Horizontal and vertical distributions of mercury were determined in seawater in Minamata Bay and Yatsushiro Sea. The concentrations of total and particulate mercury respectively ranged from 56–285 ng l^–1 and 2.1–506 ng l^–1. They were both highest in the inner most part of Minamata Bay where the sediment was most heavily polluted, and decreased with increasing distance from there. Vertically, an evident increase in concentration was observed near the bottom. A good agreement was found between the mercury content in suspended matter and that in fine sediment particles.These facts show that the particulate mercury is supplied mostly from the bottom sediment, and that it is spreading offshore with dispersing in seawater. This process would eventually result in the pollution of sediment in Yatsushiro Sea.     

The concentration and composition of hydrocarbons in water,particulate matter,and bottom sediments of the Kara Sea

Data are presented on the content of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (AHC and PAH, respectively) in the interstitial waters and bottom sediments of the Kara Sea compared to the distribution of the particulate matter and organic carbon. It was found that the AHC concentrations within the water mass (16 μg/l on average) are mainly formed by natural processes. The AHC distribution represents the variability of the hydrological and sedimentation processes in different regions of the sea. The widest ranges of the concentrations were registered in the Ob Bay-Kara Sea section: in the water (10–310 μg/l for the AHC and 0.4–7.2 ng/l for the PAH) and in the surface layer of the bottom sediments (8–42 μg/l for the AHC and 9–94 ng/g for the PAH). The differentiation of the hydrocarbons (HC) in the different media follows the marginal filter’s regularities; therefore, no oil and pyrogenic compounds are supplied to the open parts of the sea. In the sediment mass, the HC content is determined by the variations in the oxidative conditions in the sediment and its material’s composition.     

Tritium profiles in the Weddell Sea

Tritium data were collected between 1985 and 1987 on several cruises of the German research icebreaker “Polarstern” to the Weddell Sea. Maximum tritium concentrations in the surface waters are of the order of 200 mTU. The minimum values observed in the Weddell Sea Deep Water at about 1000 m depth are about 15–40 mTU. The bottom waters show tritium concentrations of about 70–100 mTU in the central gyre, increasing to about 120 mTU in the northwestern corner of the Weddell Sea. The overflowing Ice Shelf Water observed on the continental slope west of the Filchner Depression has tritium concentrations close to those of the surface waters, indicating rapid renewal of this water mass. The data reflect the rapid renewal of the bottom waters in the northwestern corner of the Weddell Sea and the mixing of bottom water from this boundary current into the bottom waters of the central Weddell Gyre.     

南海深水区水下溢油三维可视化模拟系统研发与应用

针对南海油气田勘探开发溢油污染防治需求,开发了国内首套深水区水下溢油三维可视化模拟系统,由三维海流预报模型、深水溢油模型、三维可视化仿真系统和数据库组成。海流预报模型基于ROMS模式,通过考虑波致混合影响,并利用最优插值技术同化卫星测高资料和嵌套技术,保障了预报结果的准确性。深水溢油模型由羽流模型和对流扩散模型组成,考虑了卷吸、油气分离、溶解、水合物生成、漂移、扩散等复杂过程。系统能够预测深水区水下油气泄漏后行为和归宿过程,提供油、气、天然气水合物粒子的大小、分布、移动速度和漂移轨迹、扩散面积、水体溢油残存量、水面溢油量等三维可视化动态模拟结果。目前系统已经在油气田勘探开发中得到应用,为南海深水溢油应急提供了重要支撑。     

Arsenic and heavy metals in the bottom sediments of the Balaklava Bay (Black Sea)

We present the results of investigation of the contents of metals (As, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, V, Sr, Mn, Ti, and Fe) in the bottom sediments of the Balaklava Bay (Black Sea) carried out in July 2005. It is shown that the pollution of the bottom sediments with metals has a polyelemental character. We establish the specific features of changes in the contents of the analyzed elements and localize the sources of their appearance in the ecosystem. On the basis of the results of evaluation of the intensity of technogenic action upon the marine medium, we determine a group of toxic elements (As, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) accumulated in the bottom sediments of the bay in amounts significantly exceeding the background values typical of sediments of the Black Sea shelf. The comparative analysis of the degrees of pollution of the bay and some other coastal water areas with metals is performed.     

Distribution and Changes of Specification of Phosphorus in the Yellow Sea

The studies on the distribution and varatiation of the specification of phosphorus in the southern part of the Yellow Sea are made. The biogeochemistry of phosphorus in the Yellow Sea is discussed. The phosphorus is slightly higher in the bottom than in the surface waters in the southern part of the Yellow Sea and the dissolved organic phosphorus is the main form. The transfer patterns between various forms of particulate and dissolved phosphorus are different in the bottom and surface, probably due to the contribution of dissolved organic phosphorus. The distributions of dissolved inorganic phosphorus and dissolved organic phosphorus are mainly affected by the biological processes and could act as a prediction factor for the red tide. The supply of N and P in most of the areas in the southern part of the Yellow Sea is sufficient, without apparent limitation of N or P.     

Acid-soluble sulfides in the upper layer of the bottom sediments on the northeastern shelf of the Black Sea: Relation to the pollution and environmental aftereffects

The contents of labile (acid-soluble) sulfides were determined in the upper layer of the bottom sediments at 80 stations of the Caucasian shelf of the Black Sea. The maximum values of this parameter were registered in the black oozes deposited in the zones of intense pollution in Gelendzhik and Tsemess bays and in the shelf areas adjacent to large health resort objects and to seaports. The contents of acid-soluble sulfides in the sediments mentioned ranged from 400 to 900 mg S/dm³ of wet ooze. In the zones of moderate pollution, they ranged from 200 to 400 mg S/dm³ of the sediment. The rate of the sulfate reduction was as high as 10–40 mg S/dm³ of wet sediment per day. The data obtained show that the accumulation of labile sulfides in the upper layer of the bottom sediments on the shelf is directly related to the anthropogenic pollution and constitutes one of its most hazardous environmental aftereffects.     

渤海叶绿素浓度时空特征分析及其对赤潮的监测

基于2014—2015年MODIS数据分析了渤海表层水体叶绿素浓度的时空特征,并对赤潮进行了遥感监测。结果表明, 5—10月,渤海表层叶绿素浓度总体较高,其中在5月份达到峰值;空间上,叶绿素浓度由近岸向渤海中部递减,其中秦皇岛附近海域、莱州湾、渤海湾、辽东湾叶绿素浓度相对较高。基于16 mg/m3的叶绿素浓度阈值和ERGB影像,成功提取了渤海赤潮信息。秦皇岛附近海域是渤海赤潮的频发区和重灾区,赤潮发生于5月份,其分布范围在5月下旬达到最大。渤海赤潮分布与底部两个低氧区位置吻合,说明赤潮爆发可能对低氧区的形成和发展起重要作用。     

海洋石油光化学降解的研究

石油进入海水会发生各种物理、化学变化,以往的研究已证明光化学氧化在石油及其精炼产品风化过程中具有重要意义.光化学氧化机理主要在于接受日光照射的能量,以不同的方式与溶解氧结合,从而最终降解石油烃.生成的光氧化产物一般为羧酸、醇、醚、羰基化合物等几类,还有一些产物尚不能确定其结构.光氧化产物仍然存在毒性,对海洋生物等十分有害.在动力学方面,针对其某一组分已证实为一级反应动力学行为,并定量地得出了速率常数.光降解速率会受到光照条件、溶解氧、金属离子等因素的影响.目前的研究表明,对石油光化学进行深入探讨具有较高的研究价值和现实意义.     

南海与周边海域表层塑料颗粒交换的拉格朗日示踪研究

塑料污染已成为国际海洋界关注的海洋环境问题之一。文章探讨海洋环流对南海及其周边海域表层塑料颗粒交换的影响。在南海周边多个海域, 分别在4个季节投放塑料颗粒。一年后, 用拉格朗日颗粒示踪方法考察投放颗粒的运动轨迹和最终停留位置。结果表明, 在秋、冬季, 大部分塑料颗粒会进入南海和爪哇海, 极少部分颗粒北输送到太平洋; 在春、夏季, 仅有部分颗粒进入南海和爪哇海, 而多数颗粒流到太平洋。南海洋流具有季节特征, 塑料颗粒轨迹特征与之较为符合。