Optimization of laser wavelength in oceanographic lidars

The recent developments in manufacturing of various types of lasers, including new modifications of Nd:YAG, Cu+ vapor, and dye lasers, are considered from the point of view of application in airborne systems designed for remote sensing of natural water bodies. The general expressions are given to analyze the effect of laser source wavelength on expressions and general optical detection theory based on Sakett's D-index of discriminability, a criterion is formulated for optical choice of sounding radiation wavelength for airborne lidar systems which takes into account the sun light composition as well as spectral dependencies of PMT photocathod sensitivity, hydro-optical characteristics of sea water and bottom reflectivity. Several results are presented to compare the effectiveness of different laser sources for lidar bathymetry applications for various types of ocean waters and meteorological conditions.