The Index of Refraction of Seawater

Abstract

A smoothly varying and internally self-consistent set of tables of the index of refraction of seawater with respect to air are presented. The dependence of the index on salinity , temperature (0 to 30C), wavelength (400 to 700 nm) and pressure (0 to 1100 kg/sq cm gage) has been fully covered. The relevant literature from prior to 1900 through the present has been extensively reviewed. Various comparisons between indices obtained from these sources and the tables presented have been performed suggesting an overall accuracy of the tabulated index values of about 0.00003 at atmospheric pressure and 0.0001 at higher pressures. The requirements necessary for obtaining salinity and specific gravity directly from measurements of the index of refraction, for oceanographic purposes have been examined.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1976
Accession Number
ADA024800

Entities

People

  • George Halikas
  • Roswell W. Austin

Organizations

  • Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Barometric Pressure
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • High Pressure
  • Marine Chemistry
  • Measurement
  • Measuring Instruments
  • Oceans
  • Optical Properties
  • Physical Properties
  • Refraction
  • Refractive Index
  • Sea Water

Readers

  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Oceanography.
  • Spectroscopy.