Small-scale effects of underwater bubble clouds on ocean reflectance: 3-D modeling results

We examined the effect of individual bubble clouds on remote-sensing reflectance of the ocean with a 3-D Monte Carlo model of radiative transfer. The concentrations and size distribution of bubbles were defined based on acoustical measurements of bubbles in the surface ocean. The light scattering properties of bubbles for various void fractions were calculated using Mie scattering theory. We show how the spatial pattern, magnitude, and spectral behavior of remote-sensing reflectance produced by modeled bubble clouds change due to variations in their geometric and optical properties as well as the background optical properties of the ambient water. We also determined that for realistic sizes of bubble clouds, a plane-parallel horizontally homogeneous geometry (1-D radiative transfer model) is inadequate for modeling water-leaving radiance above the cloud. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America