Design and validation of a shipborne multiple-field-of-view lidar for upper ocean remote sensing

•A shipborne multiple-field-of-view (MFOV) lidar has been developed to detect the vertical profiles of seawater optical properties.•The detecting results of the MFOV lidar are validated using simulated results with the input of simultaneousin situ data. The simulation methods include quasi-single-scattering lidar equation, monte carlo (MC) method, and analytical model.•The validation results indicate that the oceanic lidar has the feasibility in remote sensing of upper ocean.