3D Time Dependent Stokes Vector Radiative Transfer in an Atmosphere-Ocean System Including a Stochastic Interface

The major objective of this proposal is to calculate the 3-D, time dependent radiation field both within the ocean and in the atmosphere in the presence of a stochastically varying interface which may also be perturbed by sea foam, air bubbles, surfactants, rain, etc. This study will serve as the genesis to the future evolution of an inversion algorithm whereby one could reconstruct images that have been distorted by the interface between the atmosphere and the ocean or the ocean itself. This study will rely heavily on both the spectral and polarimetric properties of the radiation field to deduce both the sea state and the perturbations produced on it. A second phase of this study will be to explore the asymptotic polarized light field and to determine how much information can be obtained about the IOP’s of the medium by measuring it. The third phase of this proposal will deal with the problem of improving image resolution in the ocean using some novel polarimetric techniques that we are just beginning to explore. Once these studies have been completed using a passive source, it will be rather straightforward to extend them to active sources where we can explore the use of both photo-acoustic and ultrasound-modulated optical tomography to improve image resolution.