Determining the parameters of the oil film on the sea surface using remote sensing data

Abstract

Oil spill accidents have gradually increased due to the continuous development of marine transportation and petroleum processing industries. Monitoring and managing marine oil spills present important economic, social, and practical implications in preventing offshore oil pollution and maintaining ecological balance. Remote sensing technologies play an increasingly important role in accurate detection and monitoring of oil spill slicks, assisting scientists in forecasting their trajectories, developing clean-up plans, taking timely and urgent actions, and applying effective treatments to contain and alleviate adverse effects. A method is proposed for remote sensing of an oil film on the sea surface based on irradiation with frequency-modulated laser radiation with a linear dependence of frequency on time. According to the spectrum of temporal changes in the intensity of the radiation reflected by the surface, the average thickness of the oil film, the distribution function of the oil film thickness, and the volume of spilled oil are determined. Taking into account the possibility of registering beat frequencies from fractions of a hertz to megahertz with modern instruments, we can talk about the possibility of measuring oil thicknesses from hundreds of angstroms to tens of meters using the proposed method of remote sensing. The method also makes it possible to additionally determine the thickness distribution function and the volume of spilled oil. The method proposed in this study has obvious advantages in terms of small sample size and processing efficiency and has great application potential in the field of maritime supervision.