A digital laser slopemeter
A digital laser slopemeter
This thesis is concerned with the design of a new ocean going instrument to measure the local sea surface profile. The motivation behind this project was the need to investigate oceanographic features that have been observed using imaging radar aboard aircraft and satellites. The measurements made with this instrument will further the understanding of the processes involved in radar backscatter from the ocean surface and will enable further analysis of ocean phenomena detected using imaging radars. With an improved understanding of these processes it will be possible to analyse quantitatively satellite images generated from around the globe. This will allow global environmental monitoring which could lead to improved weather forecasting, pollution control such as oil sick monitoring and surface and subsurface operations.
It is believed that radar signals having a wavelength of 10 to 300 mm are backscattered from waves on the ocean surface of similar length. Earlier attempts to measure waves including those designed to measure millimetric waves are critically reviewed and an account of the evolution of the design of new instrument to measure these small waves is presented. This new instrument has been tested in the laboratory, which has demonstrated that a repeatable wave slope measurement accuracy is ±0.56o has been achieved in static tests. Dynamic tests made using a wave tank have generated a wave slope profile, clearly showing 10 mm wavelengths present on the surface.
The new Digital Slopemeter is designed to measure the small-scale sea surface roughness for wavelengths in the range 10 mm to 224 mm. This instrument uses two grids of wavelength shifting fibres to digitally record the slope of a refracted laser beam. The laser beam is rapidly scanned over the sea surface to ensure that the profile of the surface is effectively stationary over a length of 224 mm.
University of Southampton
Crossingham, Grant James
9dd07965-4477-47ea-bab9-0b56f55e0ed1
2000
Crossingham, Grant James
9dd07965-4477-47ea-bab9-0b56f55e0ed1
Crossingham, Grant James
(2000)
A digital laser slopemeter.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This thesis is concerned with the design of a new ocean going instrument to measure the local sea surface profile. The motivation behind this project was the need to investigate oceanographic features that have been observed using imaging radar aboard aircraft and satellites. The measurements made with this instrument will further the understanding of the processes involved in radar backscatter from the ocean surface and will enable further analysis of ocean phenomena detected using imaging radars. With an improved understanding of these processes it will be possible to analyse quantitatively satellite images generated from around the globe. This will allow global environmental monitoring which could lead to improved weather forecasting, pollution control such as oil sick monitoring and surface and subsurface operations.
It is believed that radar signals having a wavelength of 10 to 300 mm are backscattered from waves on the ocean surface of similar length. Earlier attempts to measure waves including those designed to measure millimetric waves are critically reviewed and an account of the evolution of the design of new instrument to measure these small waves is presented. This new instrument has been tested in the laboratory, which has demonstrated that a repeatable wave slope measurement accuracy is ±0.56o has been achieved in static tests. Dynamic tests made using a wave tank have generated a wave slope profile, clearly showing 10 mm wavelengths present on the surface.
The new Digital Slopemeter is designed to measure the small-scale sea surface roughness for wavelengths in the range 10 mm to 224 mm. This instrument uses two grids of wavelength shifting fibres to digitally record the slope of a refracted laser beam. The laser beam is rapidly scanned over the sea surface to ensure that the profile of the surface is effectively stationary over a length of 224 mm.
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Published date: 2000
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Local EPrints ID: 466977
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/466977
PURE UUID: fad99167-b5a4-47a9-aa8b-408980903db3
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Date deposited: 05 Jul 2022 08:05
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 20:54
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Author:
Grant James Crossingham
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