Advances in Underwater Oil Plume Detection Capabilities International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings

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.