Ocean Technology Home

Project Manager

Lee Frey

Project Team

• Edith Widder
• Larry Taylor
• Brian Ramos
• Dan Boggess
• Adam Kay
• Mike Young

Project Description

The 2nd generation Low-Light Auto-Calibrating Radiometer (LoLAR II), is a computer controlled, PMT-based, self-calibrating radiometer, one of the most sensitive light measurement instruments in the world.  It is designed to measure propagation of light in the ocean, particularly downwelling of sunlight through the water column.  LoLAR has a very wide dynamic range, and can therefore be used to measure light as dim as bacterial bioluminescence or as bright as direct sunlight, and everything in between.  Utilizing a series of reconfigurable filters, its spectral sensitivity can be changed "on the fly" to emulate various visual spectra, such as that of shrimp eyes.  In addition, the LoLAR has been used to attempt to document the unexplained “flashback” phenomenon often seen during submersible dives, where the sub’s lights are flashed and the entire water column appears to flash back, as if in response, several seconds later.   This project was funded by the National Science Foundation.