Aerial testing of a KrF laser-based fluorosensor

The results of aerial testing of a KrF laser-based fluorosensor conducted over sites consisting of fabricated targets, industrial effluents, oil slicks, and various backgrounds including natural terrain and cultivated areas are summarized. The sites included the Nevada Test Site, the Naval Petroleum Reserve, the Santa Barbara Channel, and the san Joaquin Valley. The Naval Petroleum Reserve offered the first opportunity to test a KrF fluorosensor over an actual industrial operation. Relatively high SNRs were obtained at altitudes to 310 m over fabricated targets, including a known coal processing effluent. Detection in the UV channel was not measurably reduced in full daylight, although reduced performance was noted in the visible channel. Effluents from petroleum-based by-products were detected from altitudes to 610 m in full daylight and without the use of photomultiplier tube gating.