DOLPHIN News
Release
January
21, 2003
Ocean-color
images obtained from instruments in space are used to assess the conditions
of the oceans, including pollution transport, water quality and fisheries
yield—information valuable to decision-makers. For
decision-makers to rely on this information with confidence, however, the
remote sensing instruments and the products generated from their data must
be validated. The Earth Science Applications Directorate at Stennis Space
Center, which conducts remote sensing applications as part of NASA's Earth
Science Enterprise, is known for its validation of remote sensing data
and instruments, made possible by their research and engineering facilities
and expertise.
The WET Labs product, Dolphin, will be a major advance in the development
and validation of ocean-color products. "A major hurdle in any ground-truthing
exercise is to collect sufficient and high quality field data at the time of
satellite overpass," said NASA's Dr. Richard Miller, chief scientist of
the Directorate. "If you're trying to relate what the satellite sees to
what is actually occurring in the ocean, you must collect data as close as
possible to when the satellite goes over. This is particularly important in
the coastal environment because it is highly dynamic. Many features quickly
change with the tides, winds and river discharge."
The amount of data obtained from traditional techniques to collect water
samples by lowering an instrument into the water from a boat at intervals
is limited. The time to obtain these measurements and move to a new sampling
site may take several hours. The features observed by the satellite instruments
have often changed or moved. The Dolphin will contain a bio-optics package
towed on a vehicle behind a boat and will enable scientists to gather data
over an area much faster, greatly increasing the amount of measurements that
can be compared to the ocean-color images. As the Dolphin is towed through
the water horizontally, it also rises and falls under water, collecting data
from an entire water column.
Scientists can also collect water from the Dolphin in the boat for analysis in the laboratory and comparison with the measurements of the underwater sensors —a much-needed yet uncommon feature in towed bio-optics packages—thereby calibrating the data collected by its towed sensors.
Miller recently returned from a cruise off the coast of Narragansett, R.I., where the prototype instrument underwent the second in a series of trials.
"All elements of the package worked extremely well," said Miller. Once the Dolphin is complete, it will measure how light is absorbed, scattered and weakened; chlorophyll fluorescence, which is an indicator of phytoplankton; and temperature, depth and salinity. "We should be able to apply these data in the coastal environment where applications can be developed to address a number of different coastal issues," said Miller. The Dolphin will be used to validate remote sensing results that will help scientists measure marine conditions from satellite imagery. The Dolphin results will be important to the validation of the products and applications of NASA's ocean-color remote sensing instruments."This project with WET Labs is a prime example of how the Earth Science Applications Directorate works to develop strategic partnerships with private industry and NASA's technology programs," said NASA's Dr. David Powe, the head of the Directorate. The SBIR Program goals are to stimulate U.S. technological innovation, use small businesses to meet federal research and development needs, increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from federal research and development, and foster and encourage participation by socially disadvantaged businesses.
For more information about Stennis' SBIR Program, contact Ray Bryant at the Office of
Technology Development and Transfer at (228) 688-1929 or visit http://technology.ssc.nasa.gov.New releases provided by NASA's Stennis Space Center are available at www.ssc.nasa.gov/~pao/news/newsreleases/2003.
For more information, call the NASA Public Affairs Office at Stennis at 1-800-237-1821 in Mississippi and Lousiana only, or 228-688-3341.