In situ Oceanographic LiDAR as a Tool for Retrieving and Characterizing Particle Distributions in the Ocean

Adrien Flouros, University of New Hampshire Main Campus, Durham, NH, United States, Richard Carl Zimmerman, Old Dominion University, Ocean, Earth & Atmospheic Sciences, Norfolk, VA, United States, Brian Collister, Old Dominion University, Ocean, Earth, & Atmospheic Sciences, Norfolk, VA, United States and Victoria J Hill, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, United States
Abstract:
An in situ LiDAR system (iLiDAR) was deployed from a surface vessel on a cruise in the Chesapeake Bay in June 2015, and the profiles retrieved were compared with other water column optical properties measured in situ. An iLiDAR offers several advantages when compared to airborne or satellite based LiDAR. Examples include the cost effectiveness of use on a cruise, the ability to make other measurements simultaneously, increased spatial coverage, and a shorter time frame of data collection. The system attenuation values (Ksys) retrieved from the iLiDAR profiles were compared to a variety of optical properties measured on station. A linear regression modeling the relationship between diffuse attenuation (Kd) and the iLiDAR system attenuation yielded a near 1:1 relationship (m=0.9903, R2=0.8144, p<0.05). The iLiDAR can provide a reasonable estimate of diffuse attenuation within the water column, which can be used to estimate chlorophyll and primary production. The depolarization ratio of the backscattered iLiDAR signal was compared to the backscatter ratio in an attempt to better understand the distribution of particles throughout the water column. The results of this analysis were not conclusive, but the potential for the iLiDAR to detect changes in types of particles in the water column is described.
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