TelePIX, a space artificial intelligence (AI) comprehensive solution corporations, said on the 11th that it released findings from an analysis of satellite imagery of red tide damage sites that have recently been spreading along the southern coast.
The satellite imagery TelePIX released this time was captured on Sept. 3 by its AI CubeSat BlueBON, which photographed the western waters of Namhae County. To minimize solar flare effects and clearly observe the red tide, the satellite sensor was tilted 17.5 degrees during imaging, and the footage was produced to visually distinguish red tide concentrations that are difficult to detect and analyze in standard natural color (RGB) satellite imagery. In the images, higher red tide concentrations are shown in red and lower concentrations in blue.
An analysis using the agentic AI solution SatCHAT found that the red tide was widely spread from around islands under Namhae County's jurisdiction to offshore waters away from land. The red tide surface area identified in the satellite imagery is about 18.3 ㎢, and it is expected that the risk of damage to shellfish and fish will be high because it likely overlaps with waters where fish farms are concentrated.
The lower left of the released satellite imagery is a major red tide hotspot, corresponding to Yeosu Bay between Namhae County and Yeosu City. The red tide appeared relatively extensively over an area about 8 km east-west and about 5 km north-south. This is a ria coast with many small islands, capes, and bays, where fish farms are concentrated. A linear red tide band about 3.1 km long was also observed near the Namhae Bridge connecting Namhae County and Hadong County.
TelePIX's satellite imagery analysis team added, "However, some waters were obscured by clouds at the time of imaging and could not be identified, and the actual red tide range may expand by more than 15% depending on additional observations," noting, "Because organisms that cause red tides, such as plankton, move up and down in the water and reproduce rapidly, new red tide outbreaks may occur even in adjacent waters where none were observed."
Park Young-je, head of the Future Innovation Technology Research Institute at TelePIX, said, "The BlueBON satellite is suitable for detecting red tides because it has three red-edge bands, and unlike other CubeSats that can only capture images in the nadir direction, it can perform tilt imaging, allowing targeted imaging of specific areas," adding, "As with the current red tide along the southern coast, we hope high-resolution satellites will be used more actively in the marine environment field going forward."