Holographic Imaging and Laser-Based Spectroscopy in Underwater Environments
A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2026 | Viewed by 249
Special Issue Editors
Interests: underwater digital holography; laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS); marine plankton imaging; subsea laser instrumentation; ultracompact holographic camera development
Interests: Raman spectroscopy; fluorescence; bioprocess monitoring; broadband light sources; nonlinear optical spectroscopy; coherent anti-stokes Raman spectroscopy; chemical analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Advanced optical sensing techniques are playing an increasingly important role in the in situ characterization of underwater environments, providing non-invasive, high-resolution measurements of biological, chemical, and particulate components of the ocean. Among these, holographic imaging, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and Raman spectroscopy have emerged as powerful and complementary sensing methods for the detection and analysis of plankton, microplastics, and minerals in aquatic systems. Underwater holographic imaging enables three-dimensional, volumetric observation of plankton and suspended particles, supporting quantitative measurements of size, morphology, concentration, and dynamics. LIBS offers rapid elemental analysis through laser-induced plasma emission, enabling direct identification of mineral composition and metallic constituents of natural and anthropogenic particles. Raman spectroscopy provides molecular-level specificity, allowing identification of polymer types as well as organic and inorganic compounds, while exhibiting low sensitivity to water.
Recent advances in laser technology, optical components, detectors, computational methods, and embedded computing have significantly enhanced the sensitivity, robustness, compactness, and deployability of these techniques in challenging underwater environments. The integration of intelligent data processing and machine learning further enables real-time or near-real-time interpretation of large data volumes.
This Special Issue invites original contributions and review articles on holographic imaging, Raman spectroscopy, and LIBS as applied to underwater environments. Submission of manuscripts dealing with other optical approaches to underwater sensing is encouraged, too. The Issue welcomes recent progress in sensor development, calibration strategies, image classification, and field applications, highlighting their growing potential for autonomous sensing, environmental assessment, monitoring of underwater assets, and long-term ocean observation.
Dr. Thangavel Thevar
Prof. Dr. Johannes Kiefer
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- digital holography
- LIBS
- Raman spectroscopy
- image classification
- plankton imaging
- microplastic detection
- volumetric imaging, mineral and sediment analysis
- in situ ocean sensing
- environmental sensing
- leak detection
- integrity monitoring
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