The invention discloses an 
underwater heat source detection and location method based on 
water body hierarchical filtering, and belongs to the crossing field of marine science, thermal 
physics and 
pattern recognition, the method is used for hierarchically filtering the 
water body, filtering depth is determined through an 
optimal criterion, and a specific location of the 
underwater heat source is accurately reflected. The method comprises a step for 
thermal radiation simulation of an 
underwater heat source in a 
water body, a step for actually measuring and acquiring an 
infrared image of an underwater target, a step for hierarchically filtering the water body and a step for detecting and locating the underwater heat source. According to the invention, a thermal field model of a hierarchical ocean water body is established, a thermal field model of a simplified underwater heat source including an 
underwater vehicle is further established, and a result of the thermal field model of the underwater heat source in the water body can prove that 
thermal radiation of the water body is hierarchically distributed; according to the acquired 
infrared image and the hierarchical theory of the water body 
thermal radiation, the water body hierarchical filtering method can be used for performing detection and location of the underwater heat source, and precision of detection and location is improved.