Sunlight and the Ocean.

Abstract

The brightness and color of the ocean when seen by natural sunlight is determined by the interaction of the sunlight with the atmosphere, the ocean surface, and the various substances in the ocean. As any substance in any of these regions changes, there are corresponding changes in the reflected and transmitted light which tell a great deal about the state of the ocean and atmosphere. These various factors and their influence on the light distribution in the ocean are reviewed. The results of theoretical calculations are reported which give the distribution of light both above and below the ocean surface for a wide variety of conditions.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 21, 1976
Accession Number
ADA024678

Entities

People

  • George W. Kattawar
  • Gilbert N. Plass

Organizations

  • Texas A&M University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Brightness
  • Daylight
  • Electromagnetic Radiation
  • Light (Electromagnetic Radiation)
  • Optical Phenomena
  • Optical Properties
  • Sunlight

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers
  • Spectroscopy.