Airborne scanning lidar and video measurements of coastal waves

A scanning lidar system provides high-resolution two-dimensional measurements of the ocean wave displacement. The airborne operation further enhances the speed of data acquisition. These properties offer a capability for rapid characterization of the ocean wave environment. In addition to the active ranging, the scanning optics can obtain passive measurements of the surface emissivity. This yields a digital image of the surface brightness "on the fly". Processed into a binary image, the measurements can provide the statistical properties of the spatial distribution of breaking waves. Technical specifications of the system and examples of applications are presented.