techniques and equipment, and new systems and procedures for the 

 control and removal of oil and other hazardous substances. 



A recent USCG development to detect and identify oil pollutants is 

 the Airborne Oil Surveillance System (AOSS). an integrated system 

 designed by the USCG Research and Development staff and produced by 

 Aerojet Electro Systems as a prototype. AOSS is the culmination of 

 several years of investigation into oil slick signature characteristics. In 

 addition to its value in pollution detection, this multisensor system can 

 be used for search and rescue, enforcement of maritime laws and 

 treaties, ice operations, flood and hurricane damage assessment, and 

 marine science. AOSS is comprised of four components: a sidelooking 

 airborne radar (SLAR), an infrared line scanner with one ultraviolet 

 channel, an aerial reconnaissance camera, and an inertial navigation 

 system. This combination of sensors has the ability to detect, measure, 

 and, in some cases, identify oil discharges in all weather, day and night. 



AOSS was initially deployed for test and evaluation on a HU16E 

 Grumman Albatross — a medium-range sea air rescue aircraft based at 

 USCG Air Station, San Francisco. During this testing period, four dis- 

 charges were initially detected, three of them from a distance greater 

 than 6 miles. It must be remembered that the purpose of the system is 

 not only to detect a discharge but also to gather evidence sufficient to 

 assess penalties under the FWPCA. The demonstration program was 

 successful in three of the four cases detected by the AOSS. An un- 

 planned benefit from the demonstration program occurred when the 

 SLAR was able to detect a disabled wooden sailboat at a distance greater 

 than could be done with conventional airborne radar. By January 1, 1977, 

 the system will be transferred to Elizabeth City, North Carolina and will 

 become operational on an HC130 Lockheed Hercules aircraft. It will also 

 be installed in the new USCG medium-range search aircraft. 



In addition to its use of the AOSS, USCG conducts oil pollution detec- 

 tion activities in the course of aircraft flights made for other purposes. 

 For example, USCG uses an infrared temperature sensor developed for 

 its Airborne Radiation Thermometry (ART) surveys. These aerial sur- 

 veys are conducted monthly on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of 

 the United States. The data from the surveys are used for producing sea- 

 current charts and modeling efforts applicable to the USCG search and 

 rescue planning and its oil spill response roles. The ART flights often in- 

 clude oil pollution, fisheries, or search and rescue surveillance activities. 



USCG continues to modify and expand its Pollution Incident Report- 

 ing System (PIRS). PIRS uses computerized procedures to store and 

 retrieve data on the discharge of oil and hazardous substances into 

 navigable waters. The data bank includes information on the detection, 

 nature, and cleanup of all discharges as well as subsequent penalty ac- 

 tion and pollution expenditures. Information from the data system is 



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