Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Optics Express

Rights and Access Note

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this item in any way that is permitted by copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Rights assessment remains the responsibility of the researcher. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for non-commercial uses.

Publication Date

5-28-2007

First Page

7019

Last Page

7031

Issue Number

11

Volume Number

15

Abstract/ Summary

The spectral dependency of the particulate backscattering ratio is relevant in the fields of ocean color inversion, light field modeling, and inferring particle properties from optical measurements. Aside from theoretical predictions for spherical, homogeneous particles, we have very limited knowledge of the actual in situ spectral variability of the particulate backscattering ratio. This work presents results from five research cruises that were conducted over a three-year period. Water column profiles of physical and optical properties were conducted across diverse aquatic environments that offered a wide range of particle populations. The main objective of this research was to examine the behavior of the spectral particulate backscattering ratio in situ, both in terms of its absolute magnitude and its variability across visible wavelengths, using over nine thousand 1-meter binned data points for each of five wavelengths of the spectral particulate backscattering ratio. Our analysis reveals no spectral dependence of the particulate backscattering ratio within our measurement certainty, and a geometric mean value of 0.013 for this dataset. This is lower than the commonly used value of 0.0183 from Petzold's integrated volume scattering data. Within the first optical depth of the water column, the mean particulate backscattering ratio was 0.010.

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Whitmire, A.L., E. Boss, T.J. Cowles, and W.S. Pegau, 2007. Spectral variability of the particulate backscattering ratio. Optics Express, Vol. 15, No. 11, pp. 7019-7031

Publisher Statement

©2007 Optical Society of America

DOI

10.1364/OE.15.007019

Version

publisher's version of the published document

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In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.