Color correction of underwater images using spectral data

Due to the absorption and scattering of water, images acquired in underwater environment have different colors from those in air, which can cause problem for image processing and object recognition. Addressing the problem of color correction, this paper presents a method of color restoration based on water absorption spectrum. Considering the nonlinear attenuate of light in different wavelength at different depths, the changes of tri-stimulus values are calculated. Experiments are carried out in coastal seawater. The change of tri-stimulus values are used to compensate color loss. The results demonstrate the feasibility of our method.