SELF-CONSISTENT APPROACH TO THE SOLUTION OF THE LIGHT TRANSFER PROBLEM FOR IRRADIANCES IN MARINE WATERS WITH ARBITRARY TURBIDITY, DEPTH, AND SURFACE ILLUMINATION - I - CASE OF ABSORPTION AND ELASTIC-SCATTERING

A self-consistent variant of the two-flow approximation that takes int o account strong anisotropy of light scattering in seawater of finite depth and arbitrary turbidity is presented. To achieve an appropriate accuracy, this approach uses experimental dependencies between downwar d and total mean cosines. It calculates irradiances, diffuse attenuati on coefficients, and diffuse reflectances in waters with arbitrary val ues of scattering, backscattering, and attenuation coefficients. It al so takes into account arbitrary conditions of illumination and reflect ion from the bottom with the Lambertian albedo. This theory can be use d for the calculation of apparent optical properties in both open and coastal oceanic waters, lakes, and rivers. It can also be applied to o ther types of absorbing and scattering medium such as paints, photogra phic emulsions, and biological tissues. (C) 1998 Optical Society of Am erica.