REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION OF THE BOSPHORUS 
Gonca (AYDOGDU) COSKUN, Cankut ORMECI 
|. T.U. Civil Engineering Faculty, Department of Geodesy and Photogrammetry 
Maslak, 80626 ISTANBUL 
Commission VII, Working Group 1 
KEY WORDS: Waste discharge, Bosphorus 
ABSTRACT 
As the result of population growth and industrial development in istanbul,the Strait of Istanbul (Bosphorus) are being 
affected negatively by the waste discharged from industrial plants and residental areas. The Bosphorus was investigated 
using satellite digital data (TM and SPOT) and water quality observation which are total suspended solids, humic 
materials, chemical oxygen demand, polyaromatic hydrocarbons.Digital multispectral data were recorded and co-registered 
for a portion of Bosphorus and Golden horn.Matrix overlay analysis was then used to combine the oceanographic station 
classes generated from minimum distance and maximum likelihood classification for the water cover area. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Life and physical process on the planet earth are greatly 
affected by oceanic and estuarinal areas. Water 
comprises about 70 percent of the earth's surface and 
the oceans are important both for the exchange of mass 
and energy within the terrestrial as well as solar systems. 
Operational and research satellite systems now provide 
global synoptic measurements of climatic and 
environmental parameters relating to major processes of 
the oceans. Satellite system can also provide local scale 
measurements that are of interest to oceanography, even 
though these remotely-sensed measurements are more 
amenable when coordinated with collected water quality 
data. Today studies conducted by examining various 
satellite data are carried out in order to determine sea 
pollution levels and surface temperatures. Numerous 
studies conducted thus far have shown that remote 
sensing techniques can be used for assessment of water 
quality data. 
Remotely sensed-data must be combined with sea 
control measurements due to the downward reflection of 
the incident energy on the water surface because of non 
specular reflection absorption and scattering. Absorption 
and backscatter are highly influenced by inorganic and 
organic substances within the water body and these 
produce special signatures. Unlike specular reflection, 
the amounts of absorption and backscatter from a water 
body are highly dependent on the wavelength intervals 
being sensed by the recording instruments. Reflectance 
and backscattering are not only a function of the 
properties of the sediments present. Distinctive spectral 
signatures obtained from digital satellite image data 
correspond to different types of water bodies. 
Consequently, collected water quality measurements is 
necessary. 
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Many of the developing nations’ rapidly urbanizing major 
cities, especially those which lie along the edge of a body 
of water, are being affected negatively by the waste 
discharged from industrial plants and residential areas, 
in addition, to other natural occurrences. Since these 
cities need clean water supply, the necessity has arisen 
to develope a technique which can be used to obtain 
reliable data to permit more correct interpretations of 
water quality assisting in the management of existing 
water resources. The remote sensing technique has a 
high potential for such a goal. 
The Istanbul (Bosphorus) Strait runs through the ancient 
city of Istanbul. Not only is this strait a site of incredible 
beauty, it is also an area steeped in history and myth. 
Today this strait is under extreme threat due to the 
pollution load being dumped along its coasts. Water 
quality in the Bosphorus is being strongly affected by 
waste discharges from many industrial and residential 
areas. The Bosphorus receives domestic and industrial 
wastes from about thirty large and small scale towns. 
Because of this rapid increase in pollution levels, a 
monitoring program must be instituted to measure 
coastal pollution. 
2. STUDY SITE 
The Istanbul Strait, is located between the Marmara Sea 
and the Black Sea, forming part of the Turkish Strait 
System which consists of the Dardenelles Strait, the 
Marmara Sea, and the Istanbul Strait. This system, 
which is approximately 300 km in length, connects the 
Mediterranean Sea, via the Aegean Sea, to the Black 
Sea. The system has an important influence on 
oceanographic conditions in the Black Sea and in the 
Marmara Sea. 
The Bosphorus Strait is a meandering strait some 31 km 
in length, with widths varying from 0,7 to 3,5 km 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B7. Vienna 1996 
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