The location of deep-water structures suitable for trapping petroleum along with detections of seeps has been accomplished by Mobil in the South Caspian Basin. See Frydl, et. Thin films of oil fluoresce within the ultaviolet spectrum. These films escape detection by the human eye and do not suppress the surface tension of sea water to allow detection by radar. Fluorescence is produced in any fresh petroleum films encountered.
Supplemental information is gathered which includes video, navigation, and environmental data.
The Future Methane Imaging Detection of methane and other hydrocarbon gases by multispectral thermal-infrared scanners is a future possibility. This bandwidth happens to be in an atmospheric window where thermal-infrared wavelengths pass unimpeded. Atlantic Richfield Corporation owned a patent for detecting spectral absorption by hydrocarbon gases, but the patent expired before the current generation of scanners became available. Exploration geologists will need to distinguish between methane production from wetlands and methane seeping from hydrocarbon reservoirs. High latitude wetlands in the tundra and taiga of Alaska produce considerable amounts of methane following snowmelt in late June until the freezeup in September.