ABSTRACT
The ocean transmits light to certain depths, and depending on the time of day, could cover sea state, etc. This fact has been known and utilized for thousands of years by divers trying to exploit ocean resources such as food, building material, precious stones, etc. It was not until the invention of the laser, however, that probing the ocean depths with light from airborne platforms became highly developed. The use of hyperspectral and multispectral techniques has made deep ocean sounding possible, with sunlight as the source of illumination. This entry describes the history, and scientific and technological foundations of airborne ocean optical systems. It provides an overview of ocean optics and discusses various components and considerations in detail.
