Hazardous and Noxious Substance detection by hyperspectral imagery for marine pollution application

In this paper we show that hyperspectral imaging systems are able to improve the detection and characterization Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) in the case of marine pollution. We analysed nadir hyperspectral image acquisitions from 0.4 to 12μm corresponding to two different campaigns: (i) HNS release at the surface of a sea water pool; (ii) HNS release in the Mediterranean Sea under real conditions where hyperspectral sensors were used in addition to existing systems operationally deployed for coastal survey. The spatial and temporal evolution of hyperspectral data of HNS slicks acquired from these campaigns show that hyperspectral imaging from visible to longwave infrared is sensitive to various chemical products due to their refractive index, specific absorption, or evaporating gas. Such sensitivity seems to be very helpful to identify the various products or to collect evidence of chemical pollution.