Autonomous Particle Recognition and Analysis of Carbon Flux Explorer Imagery
Abstract
The biologically mediated export, or sedimentation, of particulate organic carbon to ocean depths below 100 m is approximately 10 Pg C per year and is highly variable in space and time. Despite the need to understand the biological drivers for export and the depth dependence of carbon remineralization for carbon cycle prediction, there are scant observations of sedimentation dynamics in the upper 1000 m. The Carbon Flux Explorer (CFE) is a robotic ocean profiling system, which combines the Scripps Sounding Oceanographic Lagrangian Observer (SOLO) and the LBNL/Berkeley optical sedimentation recorder. The CFE is designed to conduct high-frequency (hourly) observations of particulate organic and inorganic carbon sedimentation to kilometer depths, absent of ships, in all sea conditions, be reprogrammable and adaptive once deployed, and relay data to shore in near real time via Iridium satellite links for seasons to years. The CFE operates by sequentially imaging settled particles at ~15 micrometer size resolution in transmitted, transmitted cross-polarized, and dark field illumination. At present, these images must be stored on the CFE until recovery. In other words, the CFE is deployable in the context of multi-month long process studies. Here we present progress on particle recognition and quantification methodology, which will enable a 100,000:1 compression of image data needed for efficient satellite telemetry and fully autonomous real-time operation. Our methodology includes corrective thresh-holding, cross imaging comparison, distinction of aggregates from organisms, and the classification of particle properties including particle fractal dimension. We also look at these findings in context of particle vertical velocity, float performance, and oceanic conditions. Data analysis examples drawing on recent CFE missions to California coastal and offshore waters and to the subarctic N Pacific ocean, some lasting 41 days, will be presented.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFMOS53C1713H
- Keywords:
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- 4863 OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL Sedimentation;
- 4264 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL Ocean optics;
- 4894 OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL Instruments;
- sensors;
- and techniques;
- 4277 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL Time series experiments