Influence of characteristics of micro-bubble clouds on backscatter lidar signal

Marine micro-bubbles are one of those important constituents that influence scattering characteristics of water column. Monte Carlo Based simulations show that a water entrained bubble cloud generate a characteristic backscatter of incident laser light [M. Xia, J. Opt. A: Pure Appl. Opt. 8, 350 (2006)]. This characteristic can be used to detect and localize bubble clouds, leading to wide ranging applications, especially in optical remote sensing. This paper describes tests of an underwater lidar system applied to detecting cloud of micro-bubbles. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that the system is capable of detecting bubbles ranging from diameter 10 microm approximately 200 microm, over a distance of 7-12 m from the detector. The dependence of the lidar return signal on size distribution of bubbles, concentration, thickness and location of bubble clouds is studied and compared with simulation results.