LIDAR detection of plankton in the ocean

For a variety of oceanographic applications, airborne LIDAR is very attractive, because of its ability to cover large areas in a short amount of time and at low cost compared with traditional research vessel surveys. One application we have investigated is the detection of plankton in the ocean. We have found that zooplankton layers can be detected, structure within those layers can be tracked, and relative estimates of abundance can be made. This paper describes the NOAA LIDAR and some of the results related to detection of zooplankton in the upper ocean.