Unpolarized infrared emissivity of oil films on sea surfaces

Nicolas Pinel (1) , Christophe Bourlier (1)

1 IREENA - Institut de Recherche en Energie Electrique de Nantes Atlantique EA4642

The unpolarized infrared emissivity of oil films on sea surfaces is derived under the geometric optics approximation. The multiple reflections at each of interface are ignored, but the multiple reflections between the upper and lower interfaces of the oil film are taken into account. The oil film is assumed to be thin, so that the two interfaces can be considered as parallel and identical. Thus, under the geometric optics approximation, the oil film can locally be seen as a Fabry-Pérot interferometer. Thus, the emissivity of the contaminated sea can easily be obtained from the emissivity of the air/oil interface only. Emissivity comparisons between clean and contaminated seas are then presented to study the oil film detectability.

Mots clés: Sea surface; Water pollution; Infrared detectors; Optical propagation; Geometrical optics

Domaines: Electromagnétisme; Océanographie

Nicolas Pinel, Christophe Bourlier. Unpolarized infrared emissivity of oil films on sea surfaces. International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Jul 2009, Le Cap (Cape Town), South Africa. pp.1258. ⟨hal-00426432⟩