Genesis and evolution of polarization of light in the ocean [Invited]

Abstract

The radiative transfer of sunlight through the deep oceans of the world is a complex and only partially solved environmental optical problem. Empirically, in situ systematic measurements of key parameters such as polarization of deep open seawater have been very sparse in recent decades. Although we have the necessary equation of transfer to solve this complex problem, until it can be solved explicitly, only approximations and partial analytic solutions are possible in addition to some successful computer modeling. Further complexity is added by the diversity of researchers' interests from academic to international policy making, as well as the ineffective communication between the different disciplines concerned, ranging from mathematics to endangered species. As a result, isolated focused pockets of good data and theory have been developed in recent decades without the needed breadth of understanding. This present review intends to bring together some visual biology and optical physics in order to understand the role of polarization in navigation, communication, and identification of marine animals as well as a possible tool for remotely sensing underwater objects.

Polarization Patterns of Transmitted Celestial Light under Wavy Water Surfaces

“…Combination of achievement in radiative transfer simulation and novel developed detector technology and data inversion algorithms will certainly provide many new and exciting research topics in ocean optics and ocean color remote sensing [3,14].…”

“…The skylight transmitted into the ocean is the source of all subsequent radiation which redistributed by the scattering processes occurring from both the fluctuation scattering and the scattering from the hydrosols [3]. The Rayleigh atmosphere model is the simple and effective method to describe clear skylight.…”

“…Its study can provide a deeper understanding of the nature of hydrologic optics [1], water color remote sensing [2] and other relative applications [3]. However, polarization is typically ignored in previous studies on underwater environments partly because of difficulties in field measurements and the lack of scientific driving.…”

Harnessing remote sensing to address critical science questions on ocean-atmosphere interactions

“…Direct sunlight, originally unpolarised, becomes partially polarised after reflection off the sea surface (Kattawar, 2013). Polarimetric measurements therefore can provide additional information to better discriminate the sunglint signal from space (Harmel, 2016).…”

Reverse electric field Monte Carlo simulation for vector radiative transfer in the atmosphere

“…[4,5] It is also an effective method for the radiation transfer. Plass et al, [6] Kattawar, [7] Adams and Kattawa, [8] Fischer and Grassl [9] et al simulated the radiation transfer in the atmosphere or atmosphere-ocean system. The standard Monte Carlo method traces a photon beam in a forward direction.…”