LASER FLUOROSENSOR DEMONSTRATION FLIGHTS AROUND THE SOUTHERN COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND
ABSTRACT Several oil spill remote sensing flights were conducted by Environment Canada off the Southern coast of Newfoundland, Canada in late February, early March 2004. These flights were undertaken to demonstrate the capabilities of the Scanning Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (SLEAF) in real-life situations in the North Atlantic and Newfoundland coastal regions in late winter weather conditions. Geo-referenced infrared, ultraviolet, color video and digital still imagery was collected along with the laser fluorosensor data. Brief testing of a Generation III night vision camera was also conducted. Flights were conducted in the shipping lanes around the Newfoundland coast, out to the Hibernia and Terra Nova oil platforms and over known oil seep areas. Details of the analysis of laser fluorescence data collected during these flights will be presented along with a summary of the remote sensing flights.