title: Towards an operational use of space imagery for oil pollution monitoring in the Mediterranean basin: a demonstration in the Adriatic Sea.
abstract: Studies of operational pollution carried out by European commission - Joint Research Centre in the Mediterranean Sea for the years 1999-2004 are briefly introduced. The specific analysis of the Adriatic Sea for the same period demonstrates that this area has been characterized by a relevant number of illegal discharges from ships. After setting the historical background of the project AESOP (aerial and satellite surveillance of operational pollution in the Adriatic Sea), the content, partners and aim of the project are presented. Finally, the results of the first phase of the AESOP project are presented. The results seem very encouraging. For the first time in the Adriatic, real time detection of oil spills in satellite images and an immediate verification by the Coast Guard has been undertaken. An exploratory activity has also been carried out in collaboration with the University of Ljubljana to use automatic information system (AIS) to identify the ships detected in the satellite images.
authors.affiliation: European Commission - Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC), Via E. Fermi, 21020 Ispra (VA), Italy. guido.ferraro@jrc.it
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferraro
authors.forename: Annalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernardini
authors.forename: Matej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meyer-Roux
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Muellenhoff
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perkovic
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tarchi
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Topouzelis
mesh_terms: D000392:Air Movements; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017215:Satellite Communications; D012767:Ships; D018531:Spacecraft; D013997:Time Factors; D014872:Water Movements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical