Underwater image recovery method based on hyperspectral polarization imaging

The quality of underwater imaging can be severely degraded by particles in the turbid water due to absorption and backscatter effects. This study proposes an underwater image recovery method based on hyperspectral polarization imaging. The proposed method is based on a physical degradation model, and combines polarization recovery and spectral fusion methods. Thus, the optimal spectral fusion is realized according to the spectral selectivity of the polarization recovery method, leading to underwater imaging with improved clarity as well as effective colour information restoration. The experimental results show that, compared with other methods, the comprehensive restorative abilities of the method proposed in this study are better with respect to subjective vision and various image quality evaluation indexes. The proposed method is effective for enhancing the visibility and contrast of underwater images for objects comprising different materials and at different imaging distances. Consequently, the proposed method has potential application value in many underwater complex environments.