14 - Oil spill remote sensing: A forensic approach

Abstract

Even though the design and electronics of sensors are becoming increasingly sophisticated and sensors are becoming much less expensive, the operational use of remote sensing equipment lags behind the development of the technology. The most common forms of oil spill surveillance and mapping is done with simple still or video photography, which provide little, if any, forensic data. Remote sensing from aircraft is still the most common form of oil spill tracking. Attempts to use satellite remote sensing for oil spills, although successful, are not necessarily as claimed and are generally limited to identifying features at sites of known oil spills. The laser fluorosensor is a most useful instrument to forensics because of its unique capability to positively identify oil against most backgrounds, including water, soil, weeds, ice, and snow. Radar offers the only potential for searching in large areas and carrying out remote sensing during foul weather conditions, but offers very poor positive detection characteristics and thus low forensic capability. The usefulness of the visible spectrum for oil detection is limited. It is, however, an economical way to document oil spills and provide baseline data on shorelines or relative positions.