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Interpretation of scattering by oceanic particles around 120 degrees and its implication in ocean color studies
Field observations and theoretical studies have found that the volume scattering functions (VSFs) of oceanic particles exhibit minimum variability at angles near 120°. However, its physical interpretation is still unknown. We find this minimum variability angle represents the intersection of two bac...
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Published in: | Optics express 2017-02, Vol.25 (4), p.A191-A199 |
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Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Field observations and theoretical studies have found that the volume scattering functions (VSFs) of oceanic particles exhibit minimum variability at angles near 120°. However, its physical interpretation is still unknown. We find this minimum variability angle represents the intersection of two backscattering-normalized VSFs, one representing particles of sizes smaller than the wavelength of light and the other larger than the wavelength of light. This also suggests that the VSFs of oceanic particles at angles between 90° and 180°, which play a critical role in ocean color study, can be modeled by linear mixing of these two end members. We further validate this mixing model using measured VSFs in coastal and oceanic waters around the US and develop a two-component model predicting the backward shapes of the VSFs. |
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ISSN: | 1094-4087 1094-4087 |
DOI: | 10.1364/OE.25.00A191 |