Use of airborne lidar for carrying out research in fisheries oceanography

Vladimir Zabavnikov
Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (PINRO)
6, Knipovich Street, 183763, Murmansk, Russia
Phone: (+7)-815-247-25-72 Fax: (+7)-815-247-33-31

ABSTRACT

At present requirements concerning the acquisition of accurate basic data in the interests of fisheries oceanography are increasing. Also it is very important to get complex data from a wide sea area in a short time. One way of doing this is by using airborne remote sensing data from different types of modern remote sensing equipment. Therefore during the last several years PINRO has been using LIDAR systems for gathering fisheries oceanography information. The name comes from the acronym of English words - LIght Detection And Ranging.

Ocean airborne remote sensing LIDAR methods are based on the analysis of intensity, spectral, polarization, angular and temporal characteristics of the reflected LIDAR echo-signal, which is received from water subsurface layers by short strong laser pulse excitation.

One of the optical electromagnetic radiation range peculiarities is the capacity to be transmitted in water and air, which allows the use of LIDAR for water sounding through the air/water interface, penetrating into the surface layer of the water column. Besides, laser sounding with pulses having a linear polarisation and when having two receiving and recording channels available, which are intended for the recording of two echo-signal components with reciprocally orthogonal polarisation, makes it possible to identify the displayed object in echo-signal analysis.

The indicated task was carried out for polarization aviation LIDAR (PAL-1) with success and effectiveness. It was designed and manufactured by «MULTITEKH» company from St. Petersburg. PAL-1 has not analogues in Russia in modern stage for carrying out of air research in the interests of fisheries oceanography. This LIDAR system is installed and operated onboard the research aircraft «Antonov-26» named «Arktika». PAL-1 has been operated by PINRO specialists during the last four years.

During this time PAL-1 has been highly successfully, reliably, effectively and qualitatively used in remote sensing detection of upper sea water layers vertical profiles and optical characteristics to depth of natural transparency for different water areas, detection of fish aggregations, and firstly mackerel, and also in chlorophyll fluorescence pigments recording from on board of research aircraft.

Last Update: 2005-03-17