The utility of Field-based Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) Spectroscopy for environmental monitoring and management

摘要

The utility of field-based FTIR spectroscopy to a wide range of environmental applications has been demonstrated by a number of academic studies over recent years. Field-based FTIR spectroscopy has been shown to have the capability of providing information on the composition of a rock, sediment, soil, vegetation or atmosphere that standard optical reflectance spectroscopy cannot. Field-based FTIR techniques have the potential to significantly advance the application of remote sensing in geology and geomorphology. FTIR techniques can resolve igneous rock types, clastic and carbonate sedimentary rocks and sediment grain size and composition. FTIR techniques can also identify soil composition, soil contamination and vegetation composition. Open- and Closed-Path, and sun occultation FTIR techniques have been utilised to resolve the atmosphere and gaseous emissions for a number of environment-related projects including volcanology, air quality monitoring and contaminated land monitoring. Although the potential applications for field-based FTIR spectroscopy are many and varied the utilisation of field-based FTIR spectroscopy by EO specialists in all sectors of the EO community has been limited by a number of factors including : (i) the availability of field-portable FTIR instruments has been very limited; (ii) the field FTIR equipment is currently very cumbersome, delicate and difficult to use in the field and (iii) the methodology for processing and analysing field FTIR data is complicated. The continuing technological development of portable FTIRs, and more recently handheld FTIRs is significant as the much lighter, cheaper, simpler and more robust FTIRs now being produced will make this powerful analytical technique much more accessible to environmental scientists in all sectors of the EO community. This presentation will provide an overview of the capabilities of current and forthcoming portable and heldheld FTIRs using datasets acquired during a range of geological and environmental related projects.