Advances in Underwater Oil Plume Detection Capabilities - Paper
Citation:
Conmy, R., L. DiPinto, A. Kukulya, O. Garcia-Pineda, G. Graettinger, D. Sundaravdivelu, M. Gloekler, A. Hall, E. Fischell, AND D. Gomez-Ibanez. Advances in Underwater Oil Plume Detection Capabilities - Paper. In Proceedings, 2021 International Oil Spill Conference, Virtual, LA, May 10 - 14, 2021. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, KS, 1141330, (2021). https://doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2021.1.1141330
Impact/Purpose:
This research demonstrates the forensic value of in situ optical data for improved understanding of the behavior and transport of spilled oil below the air-sea interface.To present findings from an AUV and ROV development project at the the 2020 International Oils Spill Conference and the corresponding proceedings paper.
Description:
Historically, visual observation is an emergency responder’s first ‘tool’ in identifying spilled oil. Optical detection has since expanded to include a myriad of signals from space, aircraft, drone, vessel and submersible platforms that can provide critical information for decision-making during spill response efforts. Spill monitoring efforts below the air-water interface have been vastly improved by advances with in situ optical sensors and vehicle platform technology. Optical techniques using fluorescence, scattering, and holography offer a means to determine dissolved versus droplet fractions, provide oil concentration estimates and serve as proxies for dispersion efficiency. For subsurface spills over large space and time scales, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) can be used to provide subsurface plume footprints and estimate oil concentrations. For smaller, more frequent spills, tethered compact Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) may be more appropriate as they are easy to deploy for rapid detection.
