<title>Light scattering induced by turbulent flow</title>

Abstract

Light scattering induced by turbulent flow in seawater has been studied and the effect of seawater turbulence on the propagation of a collimated light beam has been characterized. Our approach is to describe the interaction of light with inhomogeneities in the refractive index (IRI) by solving Maxwell's equations. This set of equations is converted into the parabolized Helmholtz equation in the case of light propagating through water with IRI. We characterize the light scattering within a water parcel by the volume scattering function (VSF). Field measurements of small-angle VSF exhibit a sharp peak which is orders of magnitude greater than that obtained from either laboratory measurements or Mie calculations for suspended particles. Our computer simulations show that the volume scattering function obtained is indeed characterized by an exponential decrease with scattering angle and is in quantitative agreement with in situ observations in the case of high temperature variance dissipation, (chi) . It appears that 0(1 degree(s)) is the upper limit of turbulent induced light scattering in the ocean.