POSTER Session 1

Miss Rah, an autonomous unmanned surface vessel for validation of the next generation of ocean color satellite sensors

Miss Rah is an unmanned solar power vessel (Seatrac Inc. SP-48) designed to measure a complete set of inherent optical properties and hyperspectral radiometry with high frequency, versatile mobility, and long-lasting endurance using autonomous navigation and a robotic in situ sampling systems. A bio-optical payload has an inflow system pumping water from the keel through an ACS sensor for hyperspectral absorption and attenuation coefficient at 85 bands between 399 and 747 nm, and a Laser In Situ Scattering and Transmissometer – Volume Scattering Function, LISST-VSF, for linearly polarized angular scattering at 180 angles from 0.1° and 155° at 517 nm. Four Trios-RAMSES hyperspectral radiometers with 255 spectral bands from 305 to 1143 nm measure planar and spheric downwelling irradiance just above water, upwelling water-leaving radiance using a sky-block device, and upwelling radiance at four depths in water. Additional air-sea state sensors cast water temperature, salinity, air temperature, moisture, wind speed, and direction. Testing in the Mississippi Sound showed significant spatial variability of apparent and inherent optical properties, yet consistency between simultaneous remote sensing reflectance measured by both above-water and in-water methods. Currently, we are planning an extensive set of Miss Rah missions to validate PACE OCI’s hyperspectral data cross different optical domains in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.

Lucas Barbedo, University of Southern Mississippi, USA, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4599-8348

Xiadong Zhang, University of Southern Mississippi, USA

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