Computed relationships between the inherent and apparent optical properties of a flat homogeneous ocean.

Monte Carlo simulations of the transfer of radiation in the ocean are used to compute the apparent optical properties of a flat homogeneous ocean as a function of the inherent optical properties. The data are used to find general relationships between the inherent and apparent optical properties for optical depths tau </= 4. The results indicate that the apparent optical properties depend on the phase function only through the back scattering probability. It is shown that these relations can be used with measurements of the upwelling and downwelling irradiance, the beam attenuation coefficient, and the incident radiance distribution to determine the absorption coefficient, the scattering coefficient, and the backward and forward scattering probabilities.