Developing a Predictive Capability for Bioluminescence Signatures
Abstract
Bioluminescence represents an operational threat to naval nighttime operations because the flow field associated with their motion stimulates naturally occurring plankton. In the littoral, the primary sources of bioluminescence are dinoflagellates, common unicellular plankton that are also known to form red tides. Dinoflagellate bioluminescence is stimulated by flow stress of sufficient magnitude to cause cell deformation, such as in the boundary layers of swimming animals, in separated flow of the wakes of animals, fixed objects, and ships, and in breaking surface waves, leading to spectacular displays of bioluminescence during periods of high dinoflagellate abundance. The oceans can be considered a luminescent minefield where bioluminescence is stimulated by flow disturbance. The bioluminescent signatures of some swimming fish are distinct enough to differentiate species; nocturnally foraging predators may use bioluminescent wakes to locate their prey. The bioluminescence signature of a moving object depends on the bioluminescence potential of the organisms (related to their species abundance), the volume of the flow regions associated of sufficient shear stress, and its detectability from a surface observer based on radiative transfer of the light through the water and surface interface, as well as surface ambient light conditions. We are interested in predicting bioluminescence signatures, specifically in developing the capability to model flow stimulated bioluminescence and applying the model to a computational fluid dynamics model of the flow field of a moving object, and exploring mitigation strategies that reduce the bioluminescence signature to reduce the threat of detection of moving underwater vehicles.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA598995
Entities
People
- Grant B Deane
- M. D. Stokes
- Mark Hyman
- Michael I. Latz
Organizations
- Naval Surface Warfare Center