Path homogeneity along a horizontal line-of-sight path during the FESTER experiment: First results

Gunter, W.H.; Maritz, B.; Koago, M.; Wainman, C.K.; Gardener, M.E.; February, F.; van Eijk, A.M.J.

doi:10.1117/12.2244531

Path homogeneity along a horizontal line-of-sight path during the FESTER experiment: First results

Title

Path homogeneity along a horizontal line-of-sight path during the FESTER experiment: First results

Author

Gunter, W.H.
Maritz, B.
Koago, M.
Wainman, C.K.
Gardener, M.E.
February, F.
van Eijk, A.M.J.

Contributor

Gonglewski, J.D. (editor)
Stein, K.U. (editor)

Publication year

2016

Abstract

The First European South African Experiment (FESTER) was conducted over about a 10 month period at the Institute of Maritime Technology (IMT) in False Bay, South Africa. One of the important goals was the establishment of the air-sea temperature difference (ASTD) homogeneity along the main propagation link atmospheric path since it is a basic assumption for most of the atmospheric turbulence models (caused by refractive index variations). The ASTD was measured from a small scientific work boat (called Sea Lab) moving along a straight in- and outbound track along the main propagation link path. The air temperature on-board was measured using standard weather sensors, while the sea surface temperature was measured using a long wavelength infrared radiometer, which was compared to the bulk sea temperature half a meter below the sea surface. This was obtained by an under water temperature sensor mounted on a â€surfboard' that was towed alongside Sea Lab. Vertical water temperature profiles were also measured along the main propagation path in order to determine the depth of the surface mixed layer and thermocline using a Conductivity Temperature Depth profiler (CTD). First results investigated the ASTD variation along the horizontal line-of-sight path used by the principal electro-optic transmission link monitoring equipment (i.e. scintillometer and multi-spectral radiometer-transmissometer system). © 2016 SPIE. The Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Subject

2015 Observation, Weapon & Protection Systems
ED - Electronic Defence
TS - Technical Sciences
Adaptive systems
Atmospheric turbulence
Infrared radiation
Meteorological instruments
Oceanography
Radiometers
Refractive index
Submarine geophysics
Surface properties
Surface waters
Temperature
Temperature distribution
Turbulence models
Air temperature
Air-sea temperature difference
ASTD atmospheric path homogeneity
FESTER
Sea surface temperature (SST)
Sea temperature
Atmospheric temperature