Abstract: Space-Age Tool for Direct Detection of Ocean-Surface Hydrocarbons

Alf Hawkins

The phenomena of a Geologist using ultraviolet light to fluoresce drill cuttings in order to investigate whether or not they have oil (The Blackbox Method) is similar to the principle behind the use of the A.L.F. System. A.L.F. stands for: Airborne Laser Fluorosensor. This Active Remote Sensing System was devised to detect and map offshore seepage over large areas in a short time. The aircraft-mounted laser fires a high-intensity pulse of ultra-violet light at the ocean's surface. The laser beam induces fluorescence from any fresh petroleum films encountered which is collected by a high efficiency telescope. The returning light is then separated into its constituent colors before being passed on to a high-sensitivity detector where the signal is converted to electrical en rgy and stored on disc. Precise navigational data are recorded simultaneously to enable an accurate slick map to be produced at the required scale.

Examples of this data in the Gulf of Mexico basin are integrated with satellite imagery and follow-up geochem are discussed along with techniques showing ocean-current drift methods and submersible field truthing of where the seep is on the ocean floor.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90960©1995 AAPG Southwest Section Meeting, Dallas, Texas