Spectral dependence of the correlation between the backscattering coefficient and the volume scattering function measured in the southern Baltic Sea

Abstract

Direct measurements of the backscattering coefficient bb require the determination of the Volume Scattering Function (VSF) and its integration over a backward hemisphere. In sea water they are difficult and are therefore carried out very rarely. That is why the backscattering coefficient is much more frequently obtained with so-called single angle scattering meters: these operate by measuring the VSF for a fixed angle region of the backward hemisphere. This article examines the spectral variability of the correlation between directly measured backscattering coefficients and VSFs. Also presented are the averaged slopes of VSF spectra, measured in southern Baltic waters over a wide range of scattering angles.