Hydrographic Laser Fluorosensing:
Status and Perspectives
W. Milchers, S. Patsayeva+, R. Reuter, R. Willkomm
Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
Physics Department, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
+ Moscow State University,
Physics Department, Moscow, 119899 Russia
By the end of 1993 the Federal Ministries of Transport and Defence put a second generation maritime surveillance system into service for long-term operation in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The system consists of a DO 228-212 aircraft and of a side-looking airborne radar, a microwave radiometer, a UV/IR line scanner, and a laser fluorosensor.
The main purpose of the laser fluorosensor is the detection and classification of oil spills on the sea surface. In addition to oil pollution, dissolved organic matter and phytoplankton pigments can be investigated while the aircraft is performing long-range surveillance flights. The hydrographic data are analysed by geostatistical algorithms, which exploit the spatial correlation of the data to estimate the 2-dimensional distribution and the prediction variance of the examined property. As an additional information about the reliability of the results, the prediction variance is accessible. In this way, a detailed illustration of hydrographic conditions in coastal waters can be achieved. Examples of flights performed in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and the Canary Islands region are reported.