A team of American and Chinese scientists has mapped oil pollution in Earth’s oceans and found that the 94% of ocean oil slicks they originate from human activities, a much larger proportion than previously estimated. Until now, it was believed that half of this oil pollution It was from natural sources.
The researchers detected these floating oil slicks, coming from small spills, from ships, from pipelines, from natural sources such as leaks on the ocean floor, and also from areas where industries or populations produce runoff that contains hydrocarbons.
To find and analyze them, the team used artificial intelligence to examine more than 560,000 satellite radar images collected between 2014 and 2019. This allowed us to determine the location, extent and likely sources of contamination.
Satellite technology allows for better control of oil pollution in the oceans, especially in waters where human monitoring is difficult
“O satellite technology allows for better control of oil pollution in the oceans, especially in waters where human surveillance is difficult,” says Yongxue Liu professor at the Faculty of Geographical and Oceanographic Sciences at Nanjing University (China) and co-author of the study published in the journal Science .
Those oil stains of short durations are continually moved by wind and currents as waves break them, making investigations difficult.
Per Ian Mac Donald professor in Florida State University’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and co-author of the paper: “If we take these lessons and apply them to places on a global scale, where we’ve seen high concentrations of oil slicks, we could improve the situation ”.
“A global image can help focus regulation and law enforcement to reduce oil pollution,” concludes Liu.