Evaluating technologies of oil spill surveillance
Surveillance and monitoring of oil in the marine environment imposes a broad spectrum of remote sensing requirements. At the US Coast Guard Research Development Center, the environmental safety branch is sponsoring oil spill remote sensing research in four areas of technology: Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Frequency-scanning microwave radiometry (FSR), Laser fluorosensing (LFS), and Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagers. SAR technology uses sophisticated signal processing to overcome prior limitations, providing images of higher and more uniform spatial acuity which may enable interpreters to more-readily distinguish petroleum slicks from others. The ability to determine the distribution of oil thickness within a slick is necessary when an estimate of oil volume is desired. Scientists at MIT have formulated a new approach to radiometric oil thickness measurement that takes advantage of recent advances in electronic component technology. The initial data collected with a prototype FSR instrument have validated the FSR concept and more work is ongoing. The Coast Guard is co-funding a program to demonstrate and evaluate the capabilities of an airborne laser fluorosensor to support oil spill response operations. During a controlled test, the instrument successfully demonstrated an ability to detect oil on water, ice, and various beach surfaces. Additional testing included different oil types and allowed for weathering. Data analysis is ongoing. Recent developments in infrared imager technology have produced a wide variety of off-the-shelf, portable cameras that could potentially provide a rapid-response spill assessment capability. The R D Center has been involved in the testing of many of these sensors.
- OSTI ID:
- 6267092
- Journal Information:
- Sea Technology; (United States), Journal Name: Sea Technology; (United States) Vol. 34:7; ISSN 0093-3651; ISSN SEATAD
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
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Evaluation of synthetic aperture radar for oil-spill response. Final report, June 1992-September 1993
Related Subjects
020900* -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
440700 -- Geophysical & Meteorological Instrumentation-- (1990-)
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY
LASER SPECTROSCOPY
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OIL SPILLS
PETROLEUM
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADAR
RADIATIONS
RADIOMETRIC ANALYSIS
RANGE FINDERS
REMOTE SENSING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SPECTROSCOPY
SURVEILLANCE
SYNTHETIC-APERTURE RADAR
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
THERMOGRAPHY
US COAST GUARD
US DOT
US ORGANIZATIONS