post-conflict assessment to interpret the distribution of oil spill off-shore lebanon using remote sensing

ABSTRACT

Oil slicks are common aspects of pollution that often exist in many littorals of the world. The Lebanese coast is typical to these aspects, thus oil slicks and patches are frequently observed while analyzing different satellite images. This is attributed, in a broad sense, to the oil released from ship tracks as well as from the located refineries, oil tanks and factories along the coast of Lebanon. The most severe event of this kind Lebanon has witnessed occurred on July I3[th] 2006 due to the bombing of the oil tanks at Jiyeh power station by the Israeli army. Consequently, several millions of fuel-oil gallons [-15000 tons] were released into the seawater covering an area of about 3000 km[2]. The prevailing dynamics of the sea currents in the area, which are rather fast in northward direction, controlled the spreading regime of oil and diverted it to the north shoreline where it nearly settled. A couple of days after the event, the spread oil was reduced and restricted to the coastline. Nevertheless, analysis of ASTER images dated on August l0[th] 2006 [25 days after the event] showed an abrupt existence of a huge plume into the sea. It was located south to Ez-Zahrani River outlet [16 km south to Jiyeh] and spread out about 5 km into the sea and not at Jiyeh station as it would have been anticipated. This extended the assumption that another release of unidentified materials has taken place in that area between August 3[rd] and 10[th] 2006. Hence, a release of dense materials, different from fuel oil, was proposed to form the identified plume of August 10[th] 2006, a matter that needs further verification