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    Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Science of the Total Environment, 775, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145854

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Counting the cost of the Niger Delta's largest oil spills: Satellite remote sensing reveals extensive environmental damage with >1million people in the impact zone

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Counting the cost of the Niger Delta's largest oil spills: Satellite remote sensing reveals extensive environmental damage with >1million people in the impact zone. / Obida, C.B.; Blackburn, G.A.; Whyatt, J.D. et al.
In: Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 775, 145854, 25.06.2021.

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@article{5c32cde7ad644d8ab9e136ac9025e29f,
title = "Counting the cost of the Niger Delta's largest oil spills: Satellite remote sensing reveals extensive environmental damage with >1million people in the impact zone",
abstract = "The Niger Delta has a long history of oil and gas exploration and production, but this has come with a heavy environmental cost arising from oil spills and other pollution events. Two oil spills in Ogoniland in 2008/9 were by far the largest in terms of both duration (149 days combined) and magnitude (82,939,170 l combined), but little is understood about the extent of impact of these events because traditional field-based surveys are virtually impossible in this region. In this study, the normalised difference vegetation index, a technique used for measuring plant health, was applied to multi-temporal satellite images to delineate an extensive area of 393 km2 that has experienced vegetation mortality resulting from the oil pollution. These effects persist to present and are exacerbated by continuing subsequent spill events. Independently collected field samples confirmed the high concentrations of hydrocarbon pollutants in the impact area. The extensive tidal river network and mangrove swamps have facilitated the spread of oil, with the delta becoming a sink for the oil that is dispersed but not removed. Over 1 million people live within the area contaminated by oil and have potentially been exposed to pollution through direct and indirect pathways over a prolonged period. The population in the impact area is particularly vulnerable to chronic illness due to its young age structure and pre-existing very low life expectancy. Hence, there is an urgent need to mitigate the impacts of the pollution on environmental and human health. The novelty of this work is that satellite remote sensing allows the impacts of pollution to be monitored across large areas in a geographically remote and challenging environment. The outputs from this study could be used to guide the future spatial targeting of the limited remediation resources that are available, to achieve positive outcomes. {\textcopyright} 2021 Elsevier B.V.",
keywords = "Exposure, NDVI, Oil spills, Pollution, Spatial impact, Gas industry, Heavy oil production, Remote sensing, River pollution, Satellites, Vegetation, Environmental costs, Environmental damage, Life expectancies, Multi-temporal satellite images, Normalised difference vegetation index, Oil and gas exploration, Satellite remote sensing, Tidal river network, Petroleum prospecting",
author = "C.B. Obida and G.A. Blackburn and J.D. Whyatt and K.T. Semple",
note = "This is the author{\textquoteright}s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Science of the Total Environment, 775, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145854",
year = "2021",
month = jun,
day = "25",
doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145854",
language = "English",
volume = "775",
journal = "Science of the Total Environment",
issn = "0048-9697",
publisher = "Elsevier Science B.V.",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Counting the cost of the Niger Delta's largest oil spills

T2 - Satellite remote sensing reveals extensive environmental damage with >1million people in the impact zone

AU - Obida, C.B.

AU - Blackburn, G.A.

AU - Whyatt, J.D.

AU - Semple, K.T.

N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Science of the Total Environment, 775, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145854

PY - 2021/6/25

Y1 - 2021/6/25

N2 - The Niger Delta has a long history of oil and gas exploration and production, but this has come with a heavy environmental cost arising from oil spills and other pollution events. Two oil spills in Ogoniland in 2008/9 were by far the largest in terms of both duration (149 days combined) and magnitude (82,939,170 l combined), but little is understood about the extent of impact of these events because traditional field-based surveys are virtually impossible in this region. In this study, the normalised difference vegetation index, a technique used for measuring plant health, was applied to multi-temporal satellite images to delineate an extensive area of 393 km2 that has experienced vegetation mortality resulting from the oil pollution. These effects persist to present and are exacerbated by continuing subsequent spill events. Independently collected field samples confirmed the high concentrations of hydrocarbon pollutants in the impact area. The extensive tidal river network and mangrove swamps have facilitated the spread of oil, with the delta becoming a sink for the oil that is dispersed but not removed. Over 1 million people live within the area contaminated by oil and have potentially been exposed to pollution through direct and indirect pathways over a prolonged period. The population in the impact area is particularly vulnerable to chronic illness due to its young age structure and pre-existing very low life expectancy. Hence, there is an urgent need to mitigate the impacts of the pollution on environmental and human health. The novelty of this work is that satellite remote sensing allows the impacts of pollution to be monitored across large areas in a geographically remote and challenging environment. The outputs from this study could be used to guide the future spatial targeting of the limited remediation resources that are available, to achieve positive outcomes. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

AB - The Niger Delta has a long history of oil and gas exploration and production, but this has come with a heavy environmental cost arising from oil spills and other pollution events. Two oil spills in Ogoniland in 2008/9 were by far the largest in terms of both duration (149 days combined) and magnitude (82,939,170 l combined), but little is understood about the extent of impact of these events because traditional field-based surveys are virtually impossible in this region. In this study, the normalised difference vegetation index, a technique used for measuring plant health, was applied to multi-temporal satellite images to delineate an extensive area of 393 km2 that has experienced vegetation mortality resulting from the oil pollution. These effects persist to present and are exacerbated by continuing subsequent spill events. Independently collected field samples confirmed the high concentrations of hydrocarbon pollutants in the impact area. The extensive tidal river network and mangrove swamps have facilitated the spread of oil, with the delta becoming a sink for the oil that is dispersed but not removed. Over 1 million people live within the area contaminated by oil and have potentially been exposed to pollution through direct and indirect pathways over a prolonged period. The population in the impact area is particularly vulnerable to chronic illness due to its young age structure and pre-existing very low life expectancy. Hence, there is an urgent need to mitigate the impacts of the pollution on environmental and human health. The novelty of this work is that satellite remote sensing allows the impacts of pollution to be monitored across large areas in a geographically remote and challenging environment. The outputs from this study could be used to guide the future spatial targeting of the limited remediation resources that are available, to achieve positive outcomes. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

KW - Exposure

KW - NDVI

KW - Oil spills

KW - Pollution

KW - Spatial impact

KW - Gas industry

KW - Heavy oil production

KW - Remote sensing

KW - River pollution

KW - Satellites

KW - Vegetation

KW - Environmental costs

KW - Environmental damage

KW - Life expectancies

KW - Multi-temporal satellite images

KW - Normalised difference vegetation index

KW - Oil and gas exploration

KW - Satellite remote sensing

KW - Tidal river network

KW - Petroleum prospecting

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145854

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145854

M3 - Journal article

VL - 775

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

SN - 0048-9697

M1 - 145854

ER -