Ship wake detection by Raman lidar.

We carried out a remote study of ship wakes by optical methods. Both Mie and Raman scattering signals and their evolution were simultaneously recorded by gated detector (intensified CCD). The Mie scattering signal was detectable within 1 min after water disturbance by a high-speed boat. According to an approximation of experimental data, Raman signal fluctuations can be detected for a much longer time under the same conditions. We have demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy is substantially more sensitive to water perturbation compared to conventional acoustic (sonar) technique and can be used for ship wake detection and monitoring.