Polymer Drag Reduction and Bioluminescence Reduction

Bioluminescence represents an operational threat to U.S. Navy nighttime operations because of the vulnerability risk due to detection because of flow-stimulated light emission from naturally occurring plankton. Conversely, bioluminescence presents additional capabilities for detecting moving objects at night, particularly in the littoral zone where conventional acoustic surveillance is severely challenged. We are interested in the hydrodynamic conditions that stimulate bioluminescence, the resulting bioluminescence signatures, how to estimate signatures based on levels of bioluminescence potential, and how to mitigate these signatures.