Observations of ocean water properties with blue wavelength airborne lidar

David W. Illig; Brian Concannon; Aaron Meldrum; Benjamin Decker; Aaron Pyrah; Anton Vasilyev; Damien Josset

doi:10.1117/12.2665074

12 June 2023 Observations of ocean water properties with blue wavelength airborne lidar

David W. Illig, Brian Concannon, Aaron Meldrum, Benjamin Decker, Aaron Pyrah, Anton Vasilyev, Damien Josset

Proceedings Volume 12543, Ocean Sensing and Monitoring XV; 125430L (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2665074
Event: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, 2023, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

During summer and fall of 2022, multiple flights were conducted with an airborne blue wavelength scanning lidar west of San Diego and in waters surrounding Iceland. Geo-registered lidar 𝑘 profiles reveal multiple ocean parameters such as mixed layer depth variations and dense plankton layers over scales of meters to kilometers. These measurements can be compared to both historical measurements of lidar 𝑘 profiles conducted with in situ instrumentation, as well as to satellite-derived measurements of ocean parameters. The main challenge of in situ oceanographic measurements is the difficulty in achieving efficient coverage of a wide area. Meanwhile, satellites cover a wide area but may not provide sufficient resolution for oceanographic studies; for example NASA’s Aqua/MODIS satellite pixel spacing resolution is on the order of 10 kilometers. The airborne lidar measurements provide larger coverage area than an in situ instrument while also providing higher resolution and greater depth penetration than a satellite measurement. This paper provides an overview of the airborne blue wavelength scanning lidar and demonstrates measurements of two ocean water properties, the average diffuse attenuation coefficient in the mixed layer and the mixed layer depth. The airborne lidar measurements of these properties show reasonable agreement with relevant satellite and in situ databases.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

David W. Illig, Brian Concannon, Aaron Meldrum, Benjamin Decker, Aaron Pyrah, Anton Vasilyev, and Damien Josset "Observations of ocean water properties with blue wavelength airborne lidar", Proc. SPIE 12543, Ocean Sensing and Monitoring XV, 125430L (12 June 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2665074

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