AN INTEGRATED ACTIVE/PASSIVE MICROWAVE SYSTEM TO REMOTELY SENSE MARINE OIL SPILLS

MICROWAVE REFLECTIONS FROM THE OCEAN ARE HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO THE CAPILLARY WAVE STRUCTURE OF THE SURFACE SO OIL SLICKS TEND TO REFLECT VERY LITTLE MICROWAVE POWER. IMAGING RADARS ARE THEREFORE ABLE TO MAP THE SHAPE AND EXTENT OF NAUTRAL AND MAN-MADE MARINE OIL SLICKS. THE EMISSIVITY OF MICROWAVE SIGNALS, HOWEVER, IS INCREASED BY OIL SURFACTANTS AND OIL SLICK THICKNESS CAN BE MEASURED USING A TWO-FREQUENCY RADIOMETER. QUADRANT ENGINEERING PROPOSES TO ESTABLISH THE FEASIBILITY OF MEASURING THE SHAPE AND VOLUME OF OIL SLICKS USING AN AIRBORNE MICROWAVE RADAR/RADIOMETER SYSTEM. THIS PHASE I EFFORT WILL STUDY SYSTEM TRADE-OFFS AND INCLUDE A DETAILED DESIGN OF A DUAL-FREQUENCY RADIOMETER THAT WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH AN EXISTING C-BAND SCATTEROMETER. WE PLAN TO PROPOSE THAT THE RADIOMETER SYSTEM BE BUILT AND FLOWN ON A NOAA P-3 AIRCRAFT WITH THE RADAR SYSTEM DURING PHASE II. QUADRANT IS CONFIDENT THAT THE RESULTS OF THESE TEST FLIGHTS WILL ESTABLISH THE VALUE OF ACTIVE/PASSIVE OIL SLICK MEASUREMENTS AND WILL RESULT IN THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF OTHER SYSTEMS BY OUR COMPANY.