Baltic dredging activities monitored

In the Baltic Sea, the sustainable development of seaports requires shipping channels to be dredged every two years. Dredging mixes large amounts of suspended sediments into the water, affecting coastal water quality which is regulated by internationally agreed standards.

Dr Liis Sipelgas of the Tallinn University of Technology is using MERIS data as part of ESA's CoastColour project to monitor the dredging activities and to quantify the long-term water quality changes in the harbour area