Measurement of light polarization characteristics from an oil-polluted soil surface in near-infrared bands

Oil pollution can be monitored by infrared remote sensing technology. In this work, the degree of polarization (DOP) was established as a quantitative index of oil pollution. The crude oil and the local typical surface soil from the Songyuan oil field in Jilin province were collected. Some soil samples with four levels of oil content and three levels of water content were prepared and measured. The DOP of the polluted soil and the clean soil in the field was also measured at 180° relative viewing azimuth angle, and 10°, 30° and 50° viewing zenith angles. It was found that with rising soil oil content, the DOP of the reflected light on the soil surface increased when the soil water content was low, and decreased when the soil water content was high. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40572167, 40771153), National Program for Key Basic Research Projects (973 Program) (Grant No. 2004CB418505) and Platform of Scientific and Technological Innovation in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan of Northeast Normal University