Experimental studies on the optical properties of sea water

Abstract

Attenuation, absorption, and total scattering coefficients for sea water at 5300 A were obtained nearly simultaneously from experimental observations at the Argus Island tower in the North Atlantic Ocean and in Long Island Sound and Block Island Sound. A unique in situ instrument permitted scattering measurements at a minimum forward angle of 0.2°. Depth profiles of the three coefficients exhibit an over-all agreement with simple theoretical prediction within a factor of 2. Coefficients measured in Long Island Sound were about a factor of 10 larger than those from the North Atlantic station, and coefficients from Block Island Sound were intermediate.