Shipborne and airborne systems for remote laser probing of the ocean (oceanological lidars) are used today both for the bathymetry of near-shore water areas and for reconstructing the characteristics of the marine medium and the bottom from the data of lidar measurements. New applications of lidars have required an increase of the accuracy and reliability of mathematical models of lidar signals. The model proposed in this article for the back-scattering signal of a laser probe pulse from the thickness of sea water is based on the theory developed by Dolin, Levin et al. Unlike earlier results, the lidar equation obtained here takes into account possible deviation of the optical axis from the vertical and is applicable to the case of a lidar receiver with a narrow field of view.

© 2008 Optical Society of America

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Citation lists with outbound citation links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription