SMALL SYNTHETIC-APERTURE RADAR SATELLITE CONSTELLATIONS FOR TRACKING OIL-SPILLS

After a short introduction to the Totally Integrated Maritime Traffic Surveillance System concept this paper examines the key issues related to three main problems concerning oil pollution at sea: the early det ection of accidental oil spills; the progress of oil spills to support containment and/or clean-up intervention; and the identification of c ulprits in the case of intentional discharges, for law enforcement pur poses. The contribution made by advanced remote sensing satellite cons tellations, equipped with a complement of suitable instruments, is dis cussed for the specific test cases of the Mediterranean Basin and the North Sea. The key system features which enable an effective monitorin g of both oil spills and the identification of the ships responsible f or environmental damages are also discussed in some detail. (C) 1997 E lsevier Science Ltd.