Vol. 5, No. 1, 32-41, 2006

Abstract
The paper reviews results of field studies and pilot projects with airborne Fluorescent Laser Spectrometers (FLS-lidars) carried out in 2003-2004 in sea and lake waters as well as watersheds. Those studies were aimed at locating areas with water quality deviations from normal state due to municipal and agriculture discharges and chemical pollution. The studies were conducted in Ontario and Estonia based on airborne surveys, corroborated by simultaneous collection and laboratory analysis of flight-path ground samples. The goal of these projects was to provide a comparative study, using a combination of traditional sampling with following laboratory analysis and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) and Spectral Fluorescence Signature (SFS) techniques. Spatial changes in the composition of dissolved organic matter, indicating possible agricultural run-off or sewage-related discharge, were clearly tracked, and oil pollutions in water were detected and quantified. A combination of LIF and SFS technologies was validated as a valuable tool for near real-time environmental assessment.

Further developments of FLS-lidar resulted in an increase of sensing distance, spatial resolution and implementation of a laser beam scanning system capable of providing a swath on the underlying surface. The advanced model FLS-AM based on a new XeCl excimer laser (150 mJ / 150 Hz), a hyper-spectral detector (Intensified CCD) and a self-adjusted telescope coupled with a scanner operates at altitudes of up to 500 m and enables the scanned strip to be sensed at a width equal to 20% of the flight altitude. The results of field tests confirmed a considerable improvement of the operational characteristics of FLS-lidar. Its operational use in multi-tiered environmental monitoring applications is discussed.

ISSN 1729-3782