REMOTE-SENSING OF OIL FILMS ON THE SEA-SURFACE USING A SATELLITE-BASED LIDAR

The oil film - clear sea contrast for the remote sensing with a satell ite-based lidar is investigated as a function of state of the sea surf ace, lidar parameters, and angle of vision of the object under investi gation. Formulas are obtained for the oil film - clear sea contrast in the cases of monostatic oblique and vertical sounding. The contrast i s shown to decrease appreciably as the lidar's optical axis deviates f rom the vertical; however, it remains quite detectable at small soundi ng angles for a wide range of wind speeds and sounding pulse durations .