Abstract

A method is developed to determine the underwater polarized light field from above sea surface observations. A hybrid approach combining vector radiative transfer simulations and the Monte Carlo method is used to determine the transfer functions of polarized light for wind-driven ocean surfaces. Transfer functions for surface-reflected skylight and upward transmission of light through the sea surface are presented for many common viewing and solar geometries for clear-sky conditions. Sensitivity of reflection matrices to environmental conditions is examined and can vary up to 50% due to wind speed, 25% due to atmospheric aerosol load, and 10% due to radiometer field-of-view. Scalar transmission is largely independent of water type and varies a few percent with wind speed, while polarized components can change up to 10% in high winds. Considerations for determining the water-leaving radiance (scalar or vector) are discussed.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

Polarization impacts on the water-leaving radiance retrieval from above-water radiometric measurements

Tristan Harmel, Alexander Gilerson, Alberto Tonizzo, Jacek Chowdhary, Alan Weidemann, Robert Arnone, and Sam Ahmed
Appl. Opt. 51(35) 8324-8340 (2012)

OSOAA: a vector radiative transfer model of coupled atmosphere-ocean system for a rough sea surface application to the estimates of the directional variations of the water leaving reflectance to better process multi-angular satellite sensors data over the ocean

Malik Chami, Bruno Lafrance, Bertrand Fougnie, Jacek Chowdhary, Tristan Harmel, and Fabien Waquet
Opt. Express 23(21) 27829-27852 (2015)

Variability of the reflectance coefficient of skylight from the ocean surface and its implications to ocean color

Alexander Gilerson, Carlos Carrizo, Robert Foster, and Tristan Harmel
Opt. Express 26(8) 9615-9633 (2018)

Characterization of radiance from the ocean surface by hyperspectral imaging

Carlos Carrizo, Alexander Gilerson, Robert Foster, Andrii Golovin, and Ahmed El-Habashi
Opt. Express 27(2) 1750-1768 (2019)

Experimental evaluation of theoretical sea surface reflectance factors relevant to above-water radiometry

Giuseppe Zibordi
Opt. Express 24(6) A446-A459 (2016)