Electro-optical propagation measurements during the MINOTAUROS experiment in the Cretan Sea

We report on propagation measurements performed during the MINOTAUROS (Maritime INvestigations On Targets & Atmosphere Under Reduction of Optical Signatures) experiment on Crete, Greece, in late summer of 2016. The field trial has been organized by NATO STO Task Group SET-211 on Naval Platform Protection in the EO/IR Domain with strong support of the Hellenic Navy. Besides meteorological measurements, the experiment included measurements of turbulence using a boundary layer scintillometer on a slant path (d = 8 km) across the entry of Souda Bay (Crete). These are compared to values obtained by a 3D sonic anemometer, which was deployed at one end of the propagation path. Refraction effects have been measured using a 17.5 km path from Drapanos to Gerani. Two meteorological buoys along the path were used to gather information about the atmospheric conditions. An overview and a first analysis of the results are presented. The refraction measurements are compared to simulations using MORTICIA (Model of Range and Transmission in Coastal and Inland Atmospheres), a new software tool currently under development in a collaboration of Fraunhofer IOSB and TNO.