Experimental Validation of Algorithms Used by Radar Remote-Sensing Systems for Oil-Spill Detection and Thickness Estimation

We developed multi-frequency advanced algorithms that target oil spill detection and thickness estimation based on the statistical distribution of the reflectivity values. The performance of the algorithms was previously tested using numerical Monte-Carlo simulations. To be able to move forward to prototypes and real applications, the results need experimental validation. Hence, in this paper we present a fast and efficient method for the remote extraction of the power reflection coefficients on multilayer structure modeling an oil spill on the top surface of sea water. We first describe the reflectivity parameter-extraction model. We then show the experimental setup used to obtain the reflectivity measurements under different scenarios. Experimental results obtained as well as some of the previously developed algorithms are analyzed and compared to theoretical calculations.