OIL SPILL MONITORING USING SATELLITE IMAGERY IN THE SHARM EL-MAYA BAY OF SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT

Abstract

Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt, is a prominent tourist destination. The city attracts millions of visitors annually due to its exceptional location and pleasant climate. Owing to its natural ecosystem and marine diversity, Sharm El-Maya Bay in Sharm el-Sheikh attracts beachgoers and vacationers. In 1999, however, an oil spill occurred at the site. Previous investigations detected a network of buried steel pipelines and a number of buried reinforced concrete tanks, both of which may have contributed to the contamination problem. Although the problem is so detrimental to health and the environment, no follow-up studies were conducted after 2013. Therefore, the author chose to monitor oil leaks over the headland using frequent, high-resolution Google Earth Pro remote sensing data for the years 2017 to 2022. To disclose whether any corrective measures were taken to address the contamination problem. Moreover, to demonstrate if any unanticipated variations have occurred over many years due to climatic factors. The elucidation of the aforementioned issues demonstrates Google Earth Pro's effectiveness in monitoring pollution problems. The results revealed that the area and perimeter of four oil spots had changed slightly over time. During the specified time period, the standard deviations of the four monitored locations fluctuated between 111.1 m2, 71.6 m2, 83.7 m2, and 254.3 m2. The research proved that the pollution problem has not improved over time because stakeholders have not reacted. In addition, it highlighted the uniqueness of Google Earth Pro in tracking the changes in oil spot size over a time series.