Aerodyne Research, Inc.
Center for Optical Signature Recognition

 

"Snapshot LWIR hyperspectral polarimetric imager for ocean surface sensing," F.J. Iannarilli, J.A. Shaw*, S.H. Jones, and H.E. Scott, Proc. SPIE 4133 (2000). 

*NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory, Boulder, CO USA

We are applying a novel LWIR (8-12 micrometers) hyperspectral polarimetric imager for geophysical ocean surface sensing. The sensor is an embodiment of an invention by Aerodyne Research known as P-SIM (for Polarimetric Spectral Intensity Modulation). The design enables instantaneous ''snapshot'' spectro-polarimetric imaging with perfect channel registration and full elliptical polarimetry. The polarimetry enables retrieval of ocean surface waveslope statistics and thus indirectly the surface wind vector. The spectrally resolved polarimetry additionally allows disambiguation of downwelling from emitted components, enabling improved temperature retrieval. We discuss the sensor design, and the analytic means for the geophysical retrievals.  

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