Mobile Distributed Temperature Sensing of the Air/Water Interface of an Aquatic Environment with an Unmanned Surface Vehicle

Aquatic habitats have a boundary layer near the air-water interface (AWI) that governs mass transport. Little is known about temperature profiles and boundary layers at the AWI. We used a high-resolution distributed temperature sensing (HR-DTS) system onboard an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) to resolve temperature profiles from about 1 m above and 1 m below the surface of the water. Our USV-HR-DTS system resolved a temperature differential of about 5.5 [degrees]C at the AWI, spanning a distance of approximately 13 cm. DTS profiles were similar for stationary holds and forward and reverse transects in the water. There was a significant change in temperature as a function of height, with an exponential decrease in temperature starting around 13 cm down to the AWI (P = 2 x [10.sup.-16]). This is the first application of a HR-DTS onboard a USV to examine temperature profiles across the AWI. Toourknowledge,thesearethefirsthigh-resolution temperature profiles of the AWI captured from a mobile platform. Because our USV--HR-DTS system is mobile, it could be used to profile temperatures at the AWI at multiple locations in a large body of water. This technology could also find unique applications in the measurement of meteorological drivers of hazardous agent dispersal for source localization efforts. Key words:USV, distributed temperature sensing, water, fiber optics, unmanned. Les habitats aquatiques ont une couche limite pres de l'interface air-eau (IAE) qui regit le transfert de matiere. On en sait tres peu sur les profils de temperature et les couches limites a l'IAE. Nous avons utilise un systeme de capteurs de temperature distribues a haute resolution (DTS-HR) a bord d'un vehicule de surface sans equipage (USV) afin de definir les profils de temperature a partir d'environ 1 m au-dessus et de 1 m au-dessous de la surface de l'eau. Notre systeme USV-DTS-HR a resolu une difference de temperature de 5,5 [degrees]C a l'IAE, sur une distance d'approximativement 13 cm. Les profils obtenus au moyen de DTS etaient semblables pour les prises stationnaires et les transferts en avant et en arriere dans l'eau. Il y avait un changement significatif de temperature en fonction de la hauteur, avec une diminution exponentielle de temperature commencant autour de 13 cm au-dessus jusqu'a l'IAE (P = 2 x [10.sup.-16]. Ceci est la premiere application d'un DTS-HR a bord d'un USV pour examiner les profils de temperature des deux cotes de l'IAE. A notre connaissance, ceux-ci sont le