EIC Laboratories, Inc. and Norbit US Ltd. have developed a combined telescopic fluorescence
polarization (FP) sensor and wide band multibeam sonar (WBMS) as dual sensors for detecting underwater oil leaks and plumes.
In response to the need for reliable tracking and mapping of heavy oil spills, EIC has developed a prototype, forward-looking, fluorescence polarization instrument that can detect oil at a standoff distance. The instrument responds only to materials showing fluorescence polarization, and therefore is able to distinguish oil from other fluorescing species in water. Norbit has been developing WBMS for mapping and water column imagery for oil and gas. The combination of the two sensors will result in a more definitive identification and mapping of oil in the water column co-registered in time and space. The sonar provides a 3- dimensional map of the oil while the FP sensor will confirm the presence of oil in the sonar image since the FP sensing scheme is specific to the presence of oil, whereas the sonar detects
differences in reflectivity and attenuation within the water.