Effects of Atmospheric Refraction on Long-Range, Near-Surface, Electro-OpticalSensing Over Water

摘要

This paper begins with a review of variations in the normal atmospherictemperature profile in the lowest 50-100 m above the surface the 'Atmospheric Surface Layer' (ASL)-pointing out that the horizontal range for target detection can vary, possibly by more than a factor of two. The perception of multiple targets produced by a variety of optical mirage phenomena is also discussed. The purpose of this discussion is to point out new meteorological concepts to the electro-optical propagation and to raise some questions as to the operational significance of refraction that produces multiple images.