Sensorized buoy for oil spill early detection

The Sea is often a fragile environment to be protected against possible pollutants. This paper contributes to its safeguard by proposing a new buoy equipped with advanced sensors for the detection of oil spills. In particular, the buoy is provided with various sensors for the evaluation of both meteorological and marine parameters (e.g. waves, wind, temperature), and chemical/physical data acquired by an electronic nose specifically designed for the detection of hydrocarbons. Suitable network interfaces and a connector towards a Marine Information system (MIS) allow both for real time data visualization and for long-term assessment of water quality.