OPERATIONAL AIRBORNE HYDROGRAPHIC LASER FLUOROSENSING

Airborne lidar systems have frequently been used to measure hydrographic parameters under various conditions during the past two decades. Since 1993, a Do228-212 aircraft, equipped with a laser fluorosensor for detailed analysis of oil spills, has been used for maritime surveillance of the German territory in the North and Baltic Seas. This operational task offers the possibility to monitor hydrographic parameters. In this paper, the power of operational hydrographic measurements with an airborne laser fluorosensor is investigated. Essential features of the recently developed concept of automated distribution among different participants of a monitoring programme will be presented, especially the graphical user interface developed for easy access and evaluation of hydr ographic laser fluorosensor data. Recent results from the winter and spring periods of 1999/2000 will be presented. Prominent features are the distribution of gelbstoff related to water masses and the onset of phytoplankton bloom in the German Bight and the western Baltic Sea. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the results and possible improvements, which underline the demand for a long-term operation.