SBIR-STTR Award

An ultimate goal of ocean-observing and ocean-color remote sensing programs is to determine the nature and concentrations of ocean-water constituents and, combined with models, infer the biological and physical processes occurring. To effectively achieve this goal, it is absolutely necessary to obtain direct measurements of the fundamental (i.e., inherent) optical absorption and scattering properties of these constituents. Accurate and complete data on these inherent optical properties (IOP’s) will directly benefit NOAA’s ocean-color, earth-observing, and global climate change programs. W e propose to develop a suite of in-situ oceanographic instruments that together measure a complete set of the IOP’s of ocean waters as well as the laboratory methods and technology necessary to accurately calibrate these instruments. Our design approach will make use of proven instrumentation methods combined with the latest technologies as well as new developments in water-optical property measurements. The suite of instruments will consist of a novel hyperspectral (350 - 850 nm) absorption meter, hyperspectral transmissiometer and a multi-wavelength volume scattering function instrument. Summary of

Anticipated Results:
The successful completion of the Phase 2 would result in a suite of fully tested prototype IOP instruments that measure full-spectrum (hyperspectral from 350 - 850 nm) absorption and beam attenution coefficients, and multi-wavelength, multi-angle volume scattering functions. The commercialization of these instruments will provide the ocean research community with an unprecedented set of optical research tools that will greatly advance our understanding of ocean-optical properties and ocean-color remote sensing.

Potential Commercial Applications:
The suite of spectral IOP instruments will undoubtedly support a wide range of applications, including all basic and applied research on the optical properties of natural waters, environmental water-quality monitoring, ocean-color remote sensing programs, sediment transport studies and so on. The instruments can also be used in the laboratory to study the optical properties of specific, isolated particles, both living and nonliving, and will therefore find markets in these applications as well

In the Phase I effort, we developed conceptual designs and methods for novel oceanographic optical instruments that measure a complete set of water inherent optical properties across the full visible spectrum at high spectral resolution. One instrument is a new type of in-situ absorption meter that maintains high accuracy over a wide range of water optical properties, from the clearest waters to those of extremely high turbidity. Moreover, the design is superbly robust, allowing the instrument to be mounted on long-term moorings, AUV’s and ROV’s, drifters or deep profiling packages. The second instrument is a spectrometer-based, folded-path beam transmissometer. The third is a relatively compact instrument for measuring the volume scattering function at 11 equally spaced angles from 15 to 165 degrees. While currently there are commercial instruments for measuring absorption, beam attenuation and scattering, they all suffer from their own particular shortcomings and well-known limitations, in some cases severe limitations. The Phase II objectives are to build prototypes of each of these instruments, test them in the lab and then conduct an ocean deployment, and thoroughly characterize instrument accuracy. By the end of this effort, we expect to have complete schematics and shop drawings for commercial production models.

Potential Commercial Applications:
With the emergence of ocean-color remote sensing in the past 20 years or so, understanding and characterizing the optical properties of ocean waters has gained intensive interest. While currently there are commercial instruments for measuring absorption, beam attenuation and scattering, they all suffer from their own particular shortcomings and well-known limitations, in some cases severe limitations. The suit of optical instruments developed on this SBIR will truly revolutionize the scientific investigation and characterization of the optical properties of natural waters and provide tools and capabilities that do not currently exist. The market is global and includes oceanographers and limnologists conducting basic and applied research, navies interested in underwater visibility, beam propagation and remote sensing, and government agencies as well as commercial companies involved with environmental monitoring and the characterization of oceans, lakes and rivers