Spectral and Geometrical Guidelines for Low-Concentration Oil-in-Seawater Emulsion Detection Based on Monte Carlo...

Area of Science:

• Oceanography
• Environmental Science
• Optical Physics

Background:

• Oil spills in marine environments pose significant ecological risks.
• Detecting dispersed oil in seawater (oil-in-water emulsions) is crucial for environmental monitoring.
• Existing detection methods may have limitations in identifying dispersed contaminants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish design assumptions for a novel sensor capable of detecting oil dispersed in seawater.
• To investigate the feasibility of using underwater solar radiance changes for oil contamination detection.
• To identify optimal optical parameters for an oil-in-water emulsion sensor.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of underwater solar radiance (L) field alterations caused by oil droplets.
• Numerical modeling of solar light propagation in a seawater column, incorporating inherent optical properties (IOPs).
• Simulation of virtual solar photon paths within a defined seawater model.

Main Results:

• The study confirmed that changes in the solar radiance field can indicate the presence of dispersed oil.
• A wavelength ratio of 555/412 was found to be optimal for detecting oil contamination, applicable to scalar irradiance.
• Measuring upward-traveling light with a sensor oriented in that direction proved most effective.

Conclusions:

• The proposed sensor design, based on radiance analysis, can detect oil contaminants even when not directly at the measurement point.
• The 555/412 nm wavelength ratio is a reliable indicator for oil-in-water emulsions in the studied marine conditions.
• Optimizing sensor orientation for upward light measurement enhances detection accuracy for dispersed oil pollution.