Photo courtesy Headwall Photonics

by Scott Kesselman



Headwall Photonics delivered two hyperspectral imaging sensors to Columbia University this week for its Air-Sea-Ice Physics and Biogeochemistry Experiment.



The sensors will be used on high-endurance unmanned aircraft systems to investigate climatological changes by detecting indicators of sea ice physics, solar warming and global carbon cycles in the Artic Ocean around Norway.



One sensor will cover the visible near-infrared spectrum from 400 to 1,000 nanometers; the other will cover the near infrared from 900 to 1,700 nanometers.



“The very high resolution allows us to collect and process vast amounts of spectral and spatial data upon which our research and analysis depend,” says Christopher Zappa, a Columbia University researcher. “The UAS allows scientists to measure in places that typically are impossible to get to using ships or manned aircraft. This opens up the possibility for transformative understanding of the climate system.”