Laser-glint techniques for sensing sea-surface roughness

Joseph A. Shaw; James H. Churnside

doi:10.1117/12.277606

2 July 1997 Laser-glint techniques for sensing sea-surface roughness

Joseph A. Shaw, James H. Churnside

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3059, Advances in Laser Remote Sensing for Terrestrial and Oceanographic Applications; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.277606
Event: AeroSense '97, 1997, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

Specular reflections of light, or glints, on the ocean surface can be used to determine surface-roughness statistics. For example, the angular distribution of glints is related to the surface slope distribution. Such statistics are needed for interpreting data from various remote sensors and for studying the physics of the air-sea interface. Laser-glint techniques are convenient because they do not inherently depend on the ambient light conditions, the instruments can be made reasonably compact, and they do not disturb the surface. We deployed a first-generation laser-glint instrument package in the Pacific Ocean near the Oregon coast, during September 1995. This system used laser wavelengths of 633 nm and 830 nm, and was only operable at night. Measurements from this instrument have helped to verify the Cox-Munk model for slope statistics and to quantify the dependence of sea-surface mean- square slope on the air-sea temperature difference. The next- generation laser-glint instrument will use infrared laser light at 10.6 micrometers to enable daytime operation, which previously has not been accomplished with a laser-glint sensor.

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Joseph A. Shaw and James H. Churnside "Laser-glint techniques for sensing sea-surface roughness", Proc. SPIE 3059, Advances in Laser Remote Sensing for Terrestrial and Oceanographic Applications, (2 July 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.277606

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