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Ocean Color Remote Sensing Using Polarization Properties of Reflected SunlightThe effects of the atmosphere and surface on sunlight backscattered to space by the ocean may be substantially reduced by using the unpolarized component of reflectance instead of total reflectance. At 450 nm, a wavelength of interest in ocean color remote sensing, and for typical conditions, 45% of the unpolarized reflectance may originate from the water body instead of 20% of the total reflectance, which represents a gain of a factor 2.2 in useful signal for water composition retrieval. The best viewing geometries are adjacent to the glitter region; they correspond to scattering angles around 100 deg, but they may change slightly depending on the polarization characteristics of the aerosols. As aerosol optical thickness increases, the atmosphere becomes less efficient at polarizing sunlight, and the enhancement of the water body contribution to unpolarized reflectance is reduced. Since the perturbing effects are smaller on unpolarized reflectance, at least for some viewing geometries, they may be more easily corrected, leading to a more accurate water-leaving signal and, therefore, more accurate estimates of phytoplankton pigment concentration.
Document ID
19950010649
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
R. Frouin
(Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, California, United States)
E. Pouliquen
(Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, California, United States)
F.-M. Breon
(Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette, France)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1994
Publication Information
Publication: Proceedings of 6th International Symposium on Physical Measurements and Signatures in Remote Sensing
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Report/Patent Number
N95-17064
Meeting Information
Meeting: Sixth International Symposium
Location: Val d''lsere
Country: FR
Start Date: January 17, 1994
End Date: January 21, 1994
Accession Number
95N17064
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-2774
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-3498
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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