GhostNet - Derelict Net Detection in the North Pacific and Alaska Waters Using Satellite and Airborne Remote Sensing and Surface Drifters

摘要

Lost or abandoned nets threaten fish, birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals. When entangled in coral reefs, these nets can also damage the reef environment. The goal of the GhostNet project (a partnership of industry, Government, and academia) is the detection of derelict nets at sea through the use of circulation models, drifting buoys, satellite imagery, and airborne surveys with remote sensing instruments. All these components were brought to bear for the detection of marine debris during a 14-day aircraft survey of the Gulf of Alaska. Ocean models, satellite visible, infrared, and active microwave data, and drifting buoys were used to locate convergent areas where nets were likely to collect. An aircraft survey with visible and IR cameras and a LIDAR instrument located debris in the targeted locations.