Environmental monitoring of the Gulf of Finland: An approach based on remote sensing data

A brief description of the author's concept of “regional satellite oceanography” is given with the emphasis on the environmental monitoring. A review of the state-of-the-art satellite sensors of interest for marine environmental control is presented. Some phenomena comprising the mosaic of experimental environmental monitoring of the Gulf of Finland are considered.

They include: local coastal upwellings, eddies and “mushroom”-like structures, providing vertical and horizontal motions of water masses; water pollution; seasonal bloom; thermal pollution. Detailed information is given on the spatial distribution of suspended matter in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland and the River Neva Mouth.

Some recommendations concerning the operational satellite and airborne monitoring of the marine environment in the Gulf of Finland, including data storage, processing and evaluation within the frame of an integrated environmental Geographical Information System for the Baltic Europe are given.