Effective Detection of Potential Oil Pollution in the Egyptian Maritime Routes of the Mediterranean Sea Using SAR Data

Oil spills pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems and coastal regions, necessitating effective monitoring and analysis for environmental management and response planning. In response, this study focused on the detection and characterization of oil spills along the North coast of Egypt, specifically in the vicinity of Port Said and the northern entrance of the Suez Canal, using data acquired from the Sentinel-1 satellite and employing advanced remote sensing techniques and spatial analysis tools including the SNAP toolbox to process and analyze the data. Analysis of the oil spills monitored by the Sentinel-1 satellite in the Mediterranean Sea during 2018 and 2019 indicates the presence of a few larger spills with a significant impact. In 2018, the minimum area of an oil spill event was 0.512 Km^2, and the maximum area was 96.729 Km^2; while in 2019, the minimum and maximum areas of the oil spills were 0.679 km^2 and 46.866 km^2, respectively. Spatial distribution analysis utilizing GIS software demonstrates that oil spill events are not confined to specific areas but occur along the entire coast of the study area. Clustering of events is observed around Port Said, with a higher concentration in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, likely attributed to increased ship transportation activity. Temporal analysis reveals that oil spill events occur throughout the year, displaying variations in frequency and size. The findings of this study would provide valuable insights for environmental assessment and the development of mitigation strategies to minimize the impact of oil spills in the study area.