TOWABLE ADVANCED BIO-OPTICAL SENSOR SYSTEM (TABOSS)

THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE NEED FOR COST EFFECTIVE SURFACE VALIDATION INSTRUMENTATION FOR FUTURE OCEAN COLOR SENSORS, BOTH THE PENDING SEAWIFS SATELLITE, AND THE PLANNED HIGH RESOLUTION SCANNING SENSORS SUCH AS MODIS AND HIRIS. THE SIGNIFICANT INNOVATION PROPOSED COUPLES OPTICAL FIBERS WITH HIGH RESOLUTION SPECTROMETER TECHNOLOGY TO YIELD A VERY SMALL OPTICAL SENSOR HEAD THAT CAN BE EASILY DEPLOYED IN A VARIETY OF MODES INCLUDING TOWED BEHIND SHIPS-OF-OPPORTUNITY. THE INNOVATION WE PROPOSE IS TWO-FOLD; FIRST, TO DEVELOP AN EASILY DEPLOYED OPTICAL ASSEMBLY COMPOSED OF A PASSIVE OPTICAL COLLECTOR ASSEMBLY UTILIZING OPTICAL FIBERS TO BRING THE COLLECTED OPTICAL SIGNALS TO A SHIPBOARD DETECTION INSTRUMENT AND SECONDLY, TOUSE A MODERN ARRAY SPECTROMETER TO ACHIEVE SPECTRAL RESOLUTION COMPARABLE WITH THE ANTICIPATED EOS BASED REMOTE SENSING SYSTEMS OF THE 1990S.