HyperNav, an amalgam of “hyperspectral radiometers” and “Navis profiling float,” is a tool in development by Sea-Bird Scientific in partnership with NASA to calibrate and verify the next generation of ocean color satellites. The idea is straightforward—a high-resolution hyperspectral radiometer installed on a Navis profiling float provides an autonomous, in-situ drifting radiometer to ground truth remote-sensing satellites as they orbit the earth.
As the HyperNav drifts with the current, it travels through optically diverse environments. Unlike standard moored radiometers, which are fixed in a single location, the HyperNav provides measurements from optically diverse environments for correlation with ocean color data from satellites. This provides more robust calibration data for satellite verification. Of course, a profiling float also provides a robust sensor platform capable of housing more than a radiometer; along for the ride is the typical Sea-Bird CTD package and biogeochemical sensors for comprehensive data collection.
Sea-Bird has tested the HyperNav in various conditions and locations, including The Marine Optical BuoY (MOBY) off the Hawaiian island of Lanai for comparison to another in-situ radiometer designed for satellite calibration.
Watch the HyperNAV Hyperspectral Radiometer Development video.