Optical Refraction Measurements Across Chesapeake Bay

Abstract

The refraction of light was measured across a 16.2 km over-water path across Chesapeake Bay in order to recover the low-level temperature profiles. The apparent elevation of buoys and lights on a tower are observed from a number of different heights (ranging from 3 m to 30 m). This report describes the refractive measurements, the statistics of over 500 observations and their relationship to the observed meteorological conditions taken over an 18-month period. An analysis of refraction under stable and unstable conditions is discussed and a non-dimensional approach for displaying the results is shown. In addition, a technique for monitoring the height variations of the water surface is discussed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 30, 2002
Accession Number
ADA400983

Entities

People

  • Lee U. Martin
  • William P. Hooper

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Temperature
  • Altitude
  • Bays
  • Bodies Of Water
  • Chesapeake Bay
  • Curvature
  • Data Analysis
  • Elevation
  • Geometry
  • Information Science
  • Low Altitude
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Observation
  • Refraction
  • Research Facilities
  • Temperature Gradients

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Geodesy
  • Oceanography.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.