Development of a helicopter-borne laser fluorosensor system for oil spill identification in Kuwait's marine environment

Results of the airborne trials in the Arabian Gulf of an airborne remote sensing package comprised of a laser fluorosensor, an infrared imager and associated global positioning instrumentation are reported, including a discussion of some of the difficulties encountered during the trial. In the end the remote sensing system was successfully installed and operated on a helicopter platform. The detection capability of the fluorosensor and the mapping capability of the infrared system were judged to be of good quality. The identification capability of the fluorosensor was not entirely satisfactory, due to the extreme weathered condition of the target samples. However, laboratory measurements using fresh and mildly weathered oil demonstrated the capabilities of the identification algorithm, leading to the conclusion that the airborne fluorosensor system is suitable for oil spill monitoring in Kuwait's marine environment. A description of the remote sensing system and its component elements, and details of the system installation, certification and testing procedures is also included. 8 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs