Airborne Remote-Sensing Technologies Detect, Quantify Hydrocarbon Releases

Abstract

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper OTC 25984, “Crosscutting Airborne Remote-Sensing Technologies for Oil and Gas and Earth Science Applications,” by A.D. Aubrey, C. Frankenberg, R.O. Green, M.L. Eastwood, and D.R. Thompson, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, and A.K. Thorpe, University of California, Santa Barbara, prepared for the 2015 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 4–7 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Airborne imaging spectroscopy has evolved dramatically since the 1980s as a robust remote-sensing technique used to generate 2D maps of surface properties over large areas. Two recent applications are particularly relevant to the needs of the oil and gas sector and government: quantification of surficial hydrocarbon thickness in aquatic environments and mapping atmospheric greenhouse-gas components. These techniques provide valuable capabilities for monitoring petroleum seepage and for detection and quantification of fugitive emissions. Introduction The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) federally funded research-and-development center operated by the California Institute of Technology, has been a pioneer in optical remote sensing since the 1980s. JPL capabilities include expertise across all project phases, including sensor design and construction, airborne experiment execution, and data generation driven by science and customer needs. JPL has particular expertise in imaging spectroscopy, a passive method to interrogate objects or surfaces without physical contact. Such remote sensing has traditionally been applied to investigation of surface composition in terrestrial environments. These surface compositions are characterized by use of a spectral library that includes the surface-reflectance or emissivity fingerprints of constituent materials. Airborne imaging spectrometers provide a powerful method to survey wide spatial extents with high-performance surface characterization because of the wide contiguous spectral range at moderate spectral resolution. Novel quantitative methods have emerged recently for both atmospheric gases and surficial oil on water.