Vector Discrete‐Ordinate Radiative Transfer in the Coupled Atmosphere‐Ocean system: CAO‐VDISORT

Abstract

A computer program has been developed to compute the polarized radiation field in a plane‐parallel medium consisting of two adjacent slabs with different indices of refraction, like the coupled atmosphere‐ocean system. The vertical inhomogeneity of each of the two slabs is accounted for by dividing it into several horizontally homogeneous layers with different scattering and absorption properties. The program, based on vector radiative transfer theory and the discrete‐ordinate method, includes thermal emission, scattering, and absorption in the medium as well as bidirectional reflection and emission at the lower boundary. Possible radiation sources include polarized or unpolarized collimated incident radiation or isotropic illumination at the upper boundary, as well as internal thermal sources. Comparisons with results from Monte Carlo simulations show that this CAO‐VDISORT code provides accurate results for all four elements of the Stokes vector (I, Q, U, and V), and that it is orders of magnitude faster than Monte Carlo simulations.