Oral Session - Remote Sensing Chair(s): Slonecker, Terrence¹, Jarnagin, Taylor¹, ¹ US Environmental Protection Agency, Reston, VA
Thursday, April 1, 2004 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM Apollo Room 3-4

Emerging Steady-state and Lifetime Fluorescence Remote Sensing for Water Quality Monitoring and Bacterial Source Tracking. Anderson, John ^*,1, Fischer, Robert ¹, Smith, Clint¹, Nelson, Jean¹, ¹ US Army Corps of Engineers, Alexandria, VA, USA

ABSTRACT- Surface water quality continues to be a major environmental priority as point source discharges are replaced by non-point source problems. Our present research is focused on several promising and versatile fluorescence remote sensing technologies including active, steady-state and lifetime sensing for the purpose of bacterial source tracking. The objective of this research is to investigate fluorescence sensing of target biological constituents to identify contributing sources of coliforms-based gram negatives as well as vegetative and endospore-forming gram positives. To accomplish this, autonomous probe development seeks to match targets with sensors and involves developing detection technologies that have geo-spatial relevancy. This paper describes work leading into inoculated probes and smart sensors that can be seeded into areas of interest for later interrogation by remote sensing or stand-off fluorescence detection. A major advantage of probes is the specificity of the detection for target confirmation. The application of imprinted molecular polymers (MIPs) serves as a lock-and-key mechanism to specifically scavenge and signal the detection of problems in situ. In this way, fluorescence is seen as a complimentary technology to multispectral and hyperspectral sensing providing molecular confirmation for important targets.

KEY WORDS: remote sensing