Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) announced that senior researcher Park Young-gyu and his research team have tracked the movement of floating marine debris using the Chollian-2B satellite and the marine debris movement model  developed by KIOST, publishing their findings* in the noted international marine environment journal Marine Pollution Bulletin.
*Title: Tracking flood debris using satellite-derived ocean color and particle-tracking modeling (2020, Seo Seong-bong, Park Young-gyu, Kim Kwang-seok)

To track the flow of marine debris from the 2016 Tumen River flood, researchers analyzed changes in the concentration of underwater colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and total suspended sediments (TSS) from data collected by the Chollian satellite. The team found that for two weeks following the flood, CDOM and TSS concentrations had gradually increased as floodwaters moved southward from the estuary of the Tumen River and along the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, the speed and route of the debris were measured using the marine debris movement model; the simulation results were consistent with the date the flood debris was observed on the Gangneung coast of the East Sea. This means that the Chollian satellite？equipped with the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), which monitors ocean color？can track the movement of minute marine debris.

The research was conducted as part of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries R&D task designated “Multi-satellite-based Response to Outstanding Oceanic Issues and the Development of Practical Technology .” Utilizing a combination of satellite-based measurements and simulations of marine debris movement, the research team confirmed the movement of floating marine debris during the flood.
 

President Kim Woong-seo commented, “It is physically challenging to visit remote seas to investigate and analyze their environment and conditions, and by employing observations and measurements from the Chollian-2B environmental satellite？launched last February？augmented by numerical simulation modeling, we can increase the accuracy of predicting oceanic change.” He added, “Going forward, by delivering timely and accurate ocean information, KIOST is dedicated to improving people’s daily lives.”