Remote sensing of a film layer of marine surface in the IR spectral range

Abstract

The reflectance and temperature of the boundary surface layer of marine surface are determined under natural conditions in the presence of the wind wave using the remote sensing of the radiation of marine surface and atmosphere in the IR spectral range. The permittivity of water is determined in the layer where the radiation is generated (1.5–2.0 thicknesses of skin layer). It is demonstrated that the permittivity of the film layer under natural conditions is a variable quantity that is less than the permittivity of sea water in the laboratory measurements, which is employed in the conventional procedures for the determination of the ocean temperature fields. The data of the measurements under natural conditions are interpreted using the model of a single layer with the skin-layer thickness of at least 10 μm that contains a static mixture of water and air microbubbles formed under the surface-tension film.