Specific Features of Lidar Returns in Airborne Sensing of Seawater Containing Air Bubbles

Air bubbles arising in water under the action of wind-driven sea waves or as a result of the vital activity of a biomass and concentrated in the subsurface water layer change its optical properties. Their influence on the characteristics of a lidar return in seawater sensing with linearly polarized and unpolarized radiation is investigated. The dependence of the lidar return characteristics on the air bubble concentration and microstructure and of the optical and geometrical conditions of observations is examined for the radiation wavelength = 0.53 m.