| 2007-06-18 | To bloggers |
How do whales and oilmen get along in Sakhalin – a better view to be seen from space
Radar image from RADARSAT-1 satellite acquired on 15.06.2007 (8:19 UTM).
ScanEx Center together with the WWF Russia launches the program for operational monitoring of the area within the “Sakhalin-2” project operations. The program target – is to throw some light on the environmental problems within the oil and gas production area, which is the habitat of the endangered species of grey whale. Received radar images and their interpretation results will be quickly submitted to the web-site for the public at large.
Russian ecological organization have serious concerns about the possible adverse impact to the environment the grey whale population in the Okhotsk Sea as a result of the “Piltun-Astokhskaya-B” (PA-B) oil platform being constructed on the North-Eastern shelf of Sakhalin island as per Sakhalin-2 project. Western population of grey whale is in critical situation and currently there are only about 100 species registered (20-25 females with reproductive capacity.
http://www.wwf.ru/about/what_we_do/seas/whales/whales/). PA-B platform is located close to the feeding area of the western grey whales population, which are very sensitive to noise impacts (construction activities, ships navigation, etc.) and to water pollutions, including oil and may be hurt in case of collision with ships.
In June 2007, the fourth WWF-Russia expedition started to operate in Sakhalin. One of the targets is to detect the possible negative impact of PA-B platform construction activities to grey whales at the early stage and to inform the oil company and the governmental authorities about such impact.
The program of satellite-based monitoring of ScanEx Center is aimed to support the WWF-Russia efforts to ensure the grey whales safety. A regular radar imagery of the Okhotsk Sea water area from RADARSAT-1 and ENVISAT-1 satellites will be performed within July to detect oil spills and to track down the ships navigation routes around the PA-B platform. According to the Marine Mammal Protection Plan (http://www.sakhalinenergy.com/en/documents/doc_33_mmpp.pdf) the ships may not leave the area of operation within 2 km in radius of PA-B platform and within 5 km in radius of PA-A platform (“Moliqpak”). Besides, as it was made public, in late May the oil spill was registered on two Sakhalin onshore wells. The oil reached the Piltun River and eventually the Piltun Bay thus making it a requirement to monitor oil spills from ships and pollution.
Satellite images processing results are presented on web-site as geo-information products (radar images and maps), created based on the methods, developed together with the P.P.Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. (http://www.scanex.com/en/publications/pdf/publication14.pdf).
WWF-Russia reference on grey whales
Grey whales – is the oldest species of baleen whales. There used to be three populations of this type before: Atlantic and Pacific (Western and Eastern). The Atlantic population was wiped out by the whale men back in XVIII century. By mid XX century the Okhotsk-Korea population (western) has also been slaughtered, however the survivors were found later near the North-Eastern coasts of the Sakhalin Island. Currently this population amounts to 100 species and it is on the verge of extinction.
The only feeding area for this population is the narrow coastal area of the Okhotsk Sea near the North-Western Sakhalin seashore. Grown up whales and pregnant and breeding female whales get here for food. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources the population of western grey whales is in serious danger. The main problem, connected with the grey whale population protection, is the adverse impact of the “Sakhalin-1” and “Sakhlain-2” projects’ offshore oil and gas production.
Russian ecological organization have serious concerns about the possible adverse impact to the environment the grey whale population in the Okhotsk Sea as a result of the “Piltun-Astokhskaya-B” (PA-B) oil platform being constructed on the North-Eastern shelf of Sakhalin island as per Sakhalin-2 project. Western population of grey whale is in critical situation and currently there are only about 100 species registered (20-25 females with reproductive capacity.
http://www.wwf.ru/about/what_we_do/seas/whales/whales/). PA-B platform is located close to the feeding area of the western grey whales population, which are very sensitive to noise impacts (construction activities, ships navigation, etc.) and to water pollutions, including oil and may be hurt in case of collision with ships.
In June 2007, the fourth WWF-Russia expedition started to operate in Sakhalin. One of the targets is to detect the possible negative impact of PA-B platform construction activities to grey whales at the early stage and to inform the oil company and the governmental authorities about such impact.
The program of satellite-based monitoring of ScanEx Center is aimed to support the WWF-Russia efforts to ensure the grey whales safety. A regular radar imagery of the Okhotsk Sea water area from RADARSAT-1 and ENVISAT-1 satellites will be performed within July to detect oil spills and to track down the ships navigation routes around the PA-B platform. According to the Marine Mammal Protection Plan (http://www.sakhalinenergy.com/en/documents/doc_33_mmpp.pdf) the ships may not leave the area of operation within 2 km in radius of PA-B platform and within 5 km in radius of PA-A platform (“Moliqpak”). Besides, as it was made public, in late May the oil spill was registered on two Sakhalin onshore wells. The oil reached the Piltun River and eventually the Piltun Bay thus making it a requirement to monitor oil spills from ships and pollution.
Satellite images processing results are presented on web-site as geo-information products (radar images and maps), created based on the methods, developed together with the P.P.Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. (http://www.scanex.com/en/publications/pdf/publication14.pdf).
WWF-Russia reference on grey whales
Grey whales – is the oldest species of baleen whales. There used to be three populations of this type before: Atlantic and Pacific (Western and Eastern). The Atlantic population was wiped out by the whale men back in XVIII century. By mid XX century the Okhotsk-Korea population (western) has also been slaughtered, however the survivors were found later near the North-Eastern coasts of the Sakhalin Island. Currently this population amounts to 100 species and it is on the verge of extinction.
The only feeding area for this population is the narrow coastal area of the Okhotsk Sea near the North-Western Sakhalin seashore. Grown up whales and pregnant and breeding female whales get here for food. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources the population of western grey whales is in serious danger. The main problem, connected with the grey whale population protection, is the adverse impact of the “Sakhalin-1” and “Sakhlain-2” projects’ offshore oil and gas production.
