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:6389886

Blume, H J; Alpers, W; Huehnerfuss, 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: 6389886
• Journal Information: IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens.; (United States) Vol. GE-21:3; ISSN IGRSD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900* -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALCOHOLS
BRIGHTNESS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EMISSIVITY
ENERGY SOURCES
FIELD TESTS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INTERFACES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
OIL SPILLS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLARIZATION
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATIONS
RADIOMETERS
REMOTE SENSING
SEAS
SEAWATER
SURFACE PROPERTIES
SURFACE WATERS
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
TESTING
THERMOGRAPHY
WATER