Ocean Temperature Profiling Lidar: Analysis of Technology and Potential for Rapid Ocean Observations

Development of ocean measurement technologies can improve monitoring of the global Ocean Heat Content (OHC) and Heat Storage Rate (HSR) that serve as early-warning indices for climate-critical circulation processes such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and provide real-time OHC ass...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Remote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2024-04, Vol.16 (7), p.1236
Main Authors: Moisan, John R., Rousseaux, Cecile S., Stysley, Paul R., Clarke, Gregory B., Poulios, Demetrios P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Aircraft
climate change
Comparative analysis
Data analysis
Earth
Enthalpy
Errors
Heat
Heat storage
Lidar
Light attenuation
Light levels
Measurement
Measuring instruments
ocean
Ocean circulation
Ocean currents
Ocean models
Ocean temperature
Optical radar
Remote sensing
Salinity
Sampling
Systems simulation
Temperature profiles
Tropical cyclones
Velocity
Warning systems
Water circulation
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Summary:Development of ocean measurement technologies can improve monitoring of the global Ocean Heat Content (OHC) and Heat Storage Rate (HSR) that serve as early-warning indices for climate-critical circulation processes such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and provide real-time OHC assessments for tropical cyclone forecast models. This paper examines the potential of remotely measuring ocean temperature profiles using a simulated Brillouin lidar for calculating ocean HSR. A series of data analysis (‘Nature’) and Observational Systems Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) were carried out using 26 years (1992–2017) of daily mean temperature and salinity outputs from the ECCOv4r4 ocean circulation model. The focus of this study is to compare various OSSEs carried out to measure the HSR using a simulated Brillouin lidar against the HSR calculated from the ECCOv4r4 model results. Brillouin lidar simulations are used to predict the probability of detecting a return lidar signal under varying sampling strategies. Correlations were calculated for the difference between sampling strategies. These comparisons ignore the measurement errors inherent in a Brillouin lidar. Brillouin lidar technology and instruments are known to contain numerous, instrument-dependent errors and remain an engineering challenge. A significant decrease in the ability to measuring global ocean HSRs is a consequence of measuring ocean temperature from nadir-pointing instruments that can only take measurements along-track. Other sources of errors include the inability to fully profile ocean regions with deep mixed layers, such as the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic, and ocean regions with high light attenuation levels.
ISSN:2072-4292
2072-4292
DOI:10.3390/rs16071236