Polarization of Marine Light Fields and Animal Orientation
Abstract
Animals in the sea absorb, scatter, reflect, emit and sense underwater light. Large well developed eyes in most long range marine migrators suggest its navigational importance. Submarine light polarization may provide species that perceive it with a kind of sun compass even in deep water. Laboratory evidence has been found for compass card-like orientation to e-vector direction by both fishes and crustaceans. Pelagic animals interact strongly with marine light even though they are not directly dependent, like phytoplankton, on photons as their source of energy. Absorption, reflection, scattering and emission of visible electromagnetic energy are, of course, widespread in marine animals. Consequently they may significantly modify not only the intrinsic optical properties of their medium but also its radiance distribution due primarily to penetrating light rays. The species involved as well as their size and developmental stages will determine the quality of such optical effects. Quantitatively organisms, considered as suspended particles, are usually allotted a mere trace role in marien optics. However, they are not uniformly distributed either in space or time and often occur in dense swarms which clearly will significantly affect underwater light. Reprints.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA202402
Entities
People
- Talbot H. Waterman
Organizations
- Yale University