Oil Spill Detection and Tracking
Technologies
• Aircraft and Autonomous Aircraft Detection
Methods
• HF Radar Tracking Methods
• Autonomous Surface Vessel Tracking Methods
• Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Plume Mapping
and Sampling Methods
• Underwater Acoustic Plume Mapping Methods
• Seismic Plume Mapping Methods
Aircraft and Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods
• Re: oil may be in various states:
sheen, mousse, pooled or tar balls, with tar
balls predominantly in 2-5mm size range
Aircraft and Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods: Hyperspectral
Reflectance using NASA AVIRIS on Aircraft, in visible there is
little change in reflectance with oil thickness, but there is a
difference in the Infrared.
Aircraft and Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods: IR Variations in
absorbance with oil water mixtures and thickness, with 40:60
having highest reflectance
Aircraft and Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods:
AVIRIS flight lines May 17; background image is MODIS Terra
satellite. Swath width is @5.5km
Aircraft and Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods
• Left: oil thickness map
from AVIRIS at the spill
site (dark thin, light
thick). From Clark et
al. (2010).
• Clark, R. N., et al.
(2010), A method for
quantitative mapping
of thick oil spills using
imaging spectroscopy,
51 pp. USGS Open-File
Report 2010–1167
Aircraft and Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods
Average UAVSAR radar
intensity over the
Deepwater Horizon
spill site. Ships are
dark blue dots; oil
show as
yellow/reddish
(lower intensity).
Aircraft and Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods
Aircraft and Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods
• AVIRIS was used to not only indicate where oil was, and
roughly how thick it was, but actually also to attempt
to quantify how much actual oil was spilled
• Reflectance conditions for the arctic are different than
for GoM due to lower sun angles, and would reduce
S/N in IR, however another portion of the spectrum
could be used, if corrected for water absorbance
• Additional validation tests would be necessary, but
must be done at sea, not in test tanks. Flights near
natural spill areas could be undertaken.
Autonomous Aircraft Surface Oil Detection:
IKHANA is a Predator B aircraft purchased by
NASA and used over GoM DWH spill
Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods
• Well into the spill the CG finally gave permission for NASA to fly its’
IKHANA UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System). An improved AVIRIS
system is being constructed now which will have a 10X great S/N
than the present system. Tests of the system will begin this
summer.
• One problem was that the IKHANA was allowed only to fly at night
to avoid commercial aircraft. This would be less of a problem in
many areas of the Alaska coast.
• To date IKHANA has flown only from Edwards AFB in California, but
discussions and plans are underway to fly out of Fairbanks. It can
only fly from military airbases.
• Minimum height is @2,000-5,000’ up to 20-30,000’ operationally
due to fuel use climbing.
• Satellite comms links are expensive (up to $100K/mo.)
• Requires aircrew of 10 people who can only work 8 hour days.
Autonomous Aircraft Surface Oil Detection:
Comparison of AVIRIS Hyperspectral with LIDAR methods, note
much higher spectral resolution using lidar methods, providing
potentially greater accuracy of thickness and volume estimates.
Lidar methods offer potential for future but need development.
Autonomous Aircraft
Surface Oil Detection Methods: Coal Oil Point off
Santa Barbara, a natural continuous seep for testing
UAS oil thickness technologies including LIDAR.