Variation of the microwave brightness temperature of sea surfaces covered with mineral and monomolecular oil films

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.1983.350556· OSTI ID:5407037

Blume, H J.C.; Alpers, W; Huhnerfuss, H

Airborne microwave radiometer measurements over mineral and monomolecular oil films and adjacent clean sea surfaces are reported. An artificial crude-oil spill experiment in the New York Bight area showed a brightness temperature increase of the sea surface at 1.43 GHz as expected from a multilayered system with different dielectric constants. However, a monomolecular surface-film experiment with oleyl alcohol conducted in the North Sea during MARSEN in 1979 showed a strong brightness temperature depression at 1.43 GHz and no change in brightness temperature at 2.65 GHz. It is postulated that the monomolecular layer, because of its physical and chemical properties, polarized the underlying water molecules so strongly that the emissivity decreased from 0.31 to 0.016. It is estimated that the effective dielectric constant changed from 90 to 5.2 X 10/sup 4/. Because these phenomena occurred at 1.43 GHz it may be concluded that this frequency is very close to the center of a new anomalous dispersion region resulting from a restructuring of the water layer below the surface film.

• Research Organization: Institut fur Organische Chemie und Biochemie, Universitat Hamburg, Hamburg
• OSTI ID: 5407037
• Journal Information: IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens.; (United States) Journal Issue: 3 Vol. GE-21:3; ISSN IGRSD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520100* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580500 -- Oceanography-- (1980-1989)
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BRIGHTNESS
DISPERSION RELATIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FREQUENCY RANGE
GHZ RANGE
GHZ RANGE 01-100
MICROWAVE RADIATION
MINERALS
NEW YORK BIGHT
NORTH SEA
OIL SPILLS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PERMITTIVITY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT