Advances in Remote Sensing Research on Oil and Ice from the IOGP Arctic Oil Spill Response Technology JIP

Abstract

ABSTRACT (2017-044) The IOGP Arctic Oil Spill Response Technology Joint Industry Program’s Remote Sensing Technical Working Group was initiated in 2012 with the objective to expand the oil industry’s detection and monitoring capabilities for spills on, under, around or in ice. The first phase produced two state-of-knowledge reports assessing sensor capabilities above and below the ice. A key finding from these studies was that many existing remote sensing platforms and sensors originally developed for oil on open water can also provide effective sensing in a broad range of ice conditions. The second phase covered an integrated experiment that included sensor testing in a cold basin, followed by modeling to determine potential applicability of different sensors in a wider range of sea-ice conditions. Five above-ice (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave Radar (FMCW), ground penetrating radar (GPR), visible and infrared cameras and laser fluorescence polarization [LP] sensor) and seven below-ice (high dynamic range optical camera, visible and infrared spectrometer, LP sensor, broadband and narrowband sonar and multibeam echo sounder) sensors were tested with varying ice thickness and oil concentrations at the US Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) over a three-month period. All of the sensors used during this experiment showed some ability to detect oil on, in, or below ice under certain conditions and major advances in the knowledge of sensor applicability were made. Three follow-on projects (late 2016) include an operations guide providing a concise operationally oriented review of the different sensor technologies in key oil and ice scenarios, and additional field testing with medium to long-wave infrared, and the FMCW radar.