System for Detecting Oil Spills and Method Thereof

• US 20120089332A1
• Filed: 10/07/2011
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Korea Meteorlogical Administration (Government of South Korea)
• Original Assignee: Korea Meteorlogical Administration (Government of South Korea)
• Inventors: HONG, Sungwook
• Application Number:
  US13/269,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089332A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/499 using polarisation effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/00 Prospecting or detecting by optical means

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods of detecting oil spills on the sea surface at night. According to some embodiments, implementations herein involve detection of the polarized reflectivity and the refractive index of the water and the oil using the polarization properties of the electromagnetic waves based on satellite data to accurately and quantitatively detect the position of the oil band spread on the sea.

Claims

1. A system for detecting oil spills on the sea surface, comprising:

a non-polarization reflectivity determining unit that determines reflectivity for each polarization for sea water and oil of a sea surface region on which oil is spilled, using radiance measured by an observation sensor unit of a satellite;

a refractive index operation unit that processes refractive indexes of sea water and oil using vertical reflectivity or horizontal reflectivity determined by the non-polarization reflectivity determining unit; and

an oil detection analysis unit that analyzes the refractive indexes of the sea water and the oil and discriminating a position of the oil.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-polarization reflectivity determining unit obtains emission rate and vertical reflectivity or horizontal reflectivity for each polarization using the radiance and the sea surface temperature measured by the observation sensor unit including the infrared sensor of the satellite, where the reflectivity R(θ

) and vertical reflectivity R_V or horizontal reflectivity R_H are calculated according to Equations 1 and 2 stated below,

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the refractive index operation unit operates the refractive indexes of the sea water and the oil band according to {Equation 3} using the reflectivity provided by the non-polarization reflectivity determining unit,

17. A computer-readable medium including a program performing a system for detecting oil spills on the sea surface of claim 1 or a method for detecting oil spills on the sea surface claimed in claim 4.

4. A method for detecting oil spills on a sea surface, comprising:

determining vertical emission rate, horizontal emission rate or reflectivity for each polarization for sea water and oil of a sea surface region on which oil is spilled, using radiance measured by a sensor mounted on a satellite, and

obtaining the refractive index of the sea water and the oil using vertical reflectivity or horizontal reflectivity information determined at the determining step.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising using the refractive indexes of the operated sea water and the oil to detect the region on which the oil is spilled.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining obtains emission rate and vertical reflectivity or horizontal reflectivity for each polarization using the radiance and the sea surface temperature measured by the observation sensor unit including the infrared sensor of the satellite, where the reflectivity R(θ

) and vertical reflectivity R_V or horizontal reflectivity R_H are calculated according to Equations 1 and 2 stated below,

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining step processes the refractive indexes of the sea water and the oil band according to {Equation 3} using the reflectivity provided by the determining

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining obtains emission rate and vertical reflectivity or horizontal reflectivity for each polarization using the radiance and the sea surface temperature measured by the observation sensor unit including the infrared sensor of the satellite, where the reflectivity R(θ

) and vertical reflectivity R_V or horizontal reflectivity R_H are calculated according to Equations 1 and 2 stated below,

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the obtaining step processes the refractive indexes of the sea water and the oil band according to {Equation 3} using the reflectivity provided by the determining

8. (canceled)

11. At least one computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instruction operable to cause one or more processors to perform a computer implemented process of detecting oil spill on a sea surface, the computer-implemented process including:

determining vertical emission rate, horizontal emission rate or reflectivity for each polarization for sea water and oil of a sea surface region on which oil is spilled, using radiance measured by a sensor mounted on a satellite, and

calculating the refractive index of the sea water and the oil using vertical reflectivity or horizontal reflectivity information determined at the determining step.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using the refractive indexes of the operated sea water and the oil to detect the region on which the oil is spilled.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining obtains emission rate and vertical reflectivity or horizontal reflectivity for each polarization using the radiance and the sea surface temperature measured by the observation sensor unit including the infrared sensor of the satellite, where the reflectivity R(θ

) and vertical reflectivity R_V or horizontal reflectivity R_H are calculated according to Equations 1 and 2 stated below,

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the calculating step processes the refractive indexes of the sea water and the oil band according to {Equation 3} using the reflectivity provided by the determining

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining obtains emission rate and vertical reflectivity or horizontal reflectivity for each polarization using the radiance and the sea surface temperature measured by the observation sensor unit including the infrared sensor of the satellite, where the reflectivity R(θ

) and vertical reflectivity R_V or horizontal reflectivity R_H are calculated according to Equations 1 and 2 stated below,

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the calculating step processes the refractive indexes of the sea water and the oil band according to {Equation 3} using the reflectivity provided by the determining step: