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Results for “Underwater LiDAR”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRS1982

LIDAR and acoustics applications to ocean productivity

The requirements for the submersible, the instrumentation necessary to perform these measurements, and the optical and acoustical technology required to develop the ocean color scanner instrumentation are described. The development of a second generation ocean color scanner produced the need for coincident in situ scientific measurements which examine the primary productivity of the upper ocean on time and space scales which are large compared to the environmental scales. The vertical and horizontal variability of the biota, including the relationship between chlorophyll and primary productivity, the productivity of zooplankton, and the dynamic interaction between phytoplankton and zooplankton, and between these populations and the physical environment are investigated. A towed submersible will be constructed which accommodates both an underwater LIDAR instrument and a multifrequency sonar.

Collins, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Underwater probing with laser radar

Recent advances in laser and electro optics technology have greatly enhanced the feasibility of active optical probing techniques aimed at the remote sensing of water parameters. This paper describes a LIDAR (laser radar) that has been designed and constructed for underwater probing. The influence of the optical properties of water on the general design parameters of a LIDAR system is considered. Discussion of the specific details in the choice of the constructed LIDAR is given. This system utilizes a cavity dumped argon ion laser transmitter capable of 50 watt peak powers, 10 nanosecond pulses and megahertz pulse repetition rates at 10 different wavelengths in the blue green region of the spectrum. The performance of the system, in proving various types of water, is demonstrated by summarizing the results of initial laboratory and field experiments.

Carswell, A. I.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Airborne in-situ spectral characterization and concentration estimates of fluorescent organics as a function of depth

The primary purpose of many in-situ airborne light scattering experiments in natural waters is to spectrally characterize the subsurface fluorescent organics and estimate their relative concentrations. This is often done by shining a laser beam into the water and monitoring its subsurface return signal. To do this with the proper interpretation, depth must be taken into account. If one disregards depth dependence when taking such estimates, both their spectral characteristics and their concentrations estimates can be rather ambiguous. A simple airborne lidar configuration is used to detect the subsurface return signal from a particular depth and wavelength. Underwater scatterometer were employed to show that in-situ subsurface organics are very sensitive to depth, but they also require the use of slow moving boats to cover large sample areas. Also, their very entry into the water disturbs the sample it is measuring. The method described is superior and simplest to any employed thus far.

Tittle, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Satellite Radiation Products for Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry: Needs, State-Of-The-Art, Gaps, Development Priorities, and Opportunities

Knowing the spatial and temporal distribution of the underwater light field, i.e., the spectral and angular structure of the radiant intensity at any point in the water column, is essential to understanding the biogeochemical processes that control the composition and evolution of aquatic ecosystems and their impact on climate and reaction to climate change. At present, only a few properties are reliably retrieved from space, either directly or via water-leaving radiance. Existing satellite products are limited to planar photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) and ultraviolet (UV) irradiance above the surface and diffuse attenuation coefficient. Examples of operational products are provided, and their advantages and drawbacks are examined. The usefulness and convenience of these products notwithstanding, there is a need, as expressed by the user community, for other products, i.e., sub-surface planar and scalar fluxes, average cosine, spectral fluxes (UV to visible), diurnal fluxes, absorbed fraction of PAR by live algae (APAR), surface albedo, vertical attenuation, and heating rate, and for associating uncertainties to any product on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Methodologies to obtain the new products are qualitatively discussed in view of most recent scientific knowledge and current and future satellite missions, and specific algorithms are presented for some new products, namely sub-surface fluxes and average cosine. A strategy and roadmap (short, medium, and long term) for usage and development priorities is provided, taking into account needs and readiness level. Combining observations from satellites overpassing at different times and geostationary satellites should be pursued to improve the quality of daily-integrated radiation fields, and products should be generated without gaps to provide boundary conditions for general circulation and biogeochemical models. Examples of new products, i.e., daily scalar PAR below the surface, daily average cosine for PAR, and sub-surface spectral scalar fluxes are presented. A procedure to estimate algorithm uncertainties in the total uncertainty budget for above-surface daily PAR, based on radiative simulations for expected situations, is described. In the future, space-borne lidars with ocean profiling capability offer the best hope for improving our knowledge of sub-surface fields. To maximize temporal coverage, space agencies should consider placing ocean-color instruments in L1 orbit, where the sunlit part of the Earth can be frequently observed.

Frouin, Robert↗