The Fluorescence Lidar for Ocean Research – Airborne (FLOR-A) instrument targets convergence zones, known as litter windrows, to advance our understanding of coastal pollution and the prevalence of plastic debris. While traditional ocean color remote sensing is limited to the surface layer, FLOR-A combines high-speed vertical waveforms with a photon-counting spectrometer to characterize the composition of the water column. By capturing both elastic and inelastic returns, the instrument can differentiate between organic matter and synthetic pollutants, providing a three-dimensional view of pollution distribution.
During the upcoming spring 2027 flight campaign in Miami’s coastal waters, FLOR-A will fly litter windrows to evaluate the instrument's performance and sensitivity. This campaign is critical for establishing the framework required to transition from simple debris detection to precise quantification of plastic concentrations. Beyond the coast, FLOR-A can utilize Raman and fluorescence returns to characterize snow and identify albedo-impacting impurities, while simultaneously measuring pathlength-derived snow depth. As a multifunctional lidar system, FLOR-A is a versatile tool capable of benefiting both marine and broader terrestrial water research.