Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 2015, 3, 16-21 Published Online March 2015 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/gep http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/gep.2015.31003 How to cite this paper: Balogun, T.F. (2015) Utility of Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing in Oil Spill Detection in the Mangrove Region of Nigeria. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 3, 16-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/gep.2015.31003 Utility of Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing in Oil Spill Detection in the Mangrove Region of Nigeria Toju Francis Balogun Department Geography and Regional Planning, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria Email: tobalogun@yahoo.com Received 20 February 2015; accepted 16 March 2015; published 23 March 2015 Copyright © 2015 by author and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Abstract The mangrove interfaces between land and sea and provides appropriate ecosystem and habitat and breeding ground for fishes and sea animals. However, it is also a fragile ecosystem which is exposed to environmental degradation due to oil exploration activities. Concern for mangrove en- vironment demands that mapping of the mangrove environment should be carried out so as to know its current status. Conventional method is inadequate to achieve this due to the difficult terrain of the region. This research aims at detecting and mapping the presence of oil spill on wa- ter and land in the mangroves using microwave and optical remote sensing. The result proves that optical remote sensing has the potentials for detecting oil spill on the waterway. It also has the capability to detect oil spill on ground using the effects of oil on vegetation as proxy. The study is concluded by recommending further research work on radar as it could not discriminate between the backscatter of oil on land and that of soil with high water content. Keywords Mangrove, Fragile Ecosystem, Environmental Degradation, Oil Spill, Monitoring 1. Introduction The mangrove plants in the Niger Delta cover approximately 6000 km 2 between the fresh water zone and the belt of beach-ridges, which form the seaward boundary [1] [2]. The mangrove in Nigeria is the third largest in the world and the largest in Africa [1]. It is an ecosystem that is rich in biodiversity. The creeks and the man- groves of the Niger Delta belong to a fragile ecosystem and are exposed to the possibility of oil spill due to oil exploration either through accident or sabotage which usually results into environmental degradation. Detection,