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Polarization of "water-skies" above arctic open waters: how polynyas in the ice-cover can be visually detected from a distance

Hegedus, R ; Åkesson, Susanne LU and Horvath, G (2007) In Journal of the Optical Society of America A 24(1). p.132-138
Abstract
The foggy sky above a white ice-cover and a dark water surface (permanent polynya or temporary lead) is white and dark gray, phenomena called the "ice-sky" and the "water-sky," respectively. Captains of icebreaker ships used to search for not-directly-visible open waters remotely on the basis of the water sky. Animals depending on open waters in the Arctic region may also detect not-directly-visible waters from a distance by means of the water sky. Since the polarization of ice-skies and water-skies has not, to our knowledge, been studied before, we measured the polarization patterns of water-skies above polynyas in the arctic ice-cover during the Beringia 2005 Swedish polar research expedition to the North Pole region. We show that there... (More)
The foggy sky above a white ice-cover and a dark water surface (permanent polynya or temporary lead) is white and dark gray, phenomena called the "ice-sky" and the "water-sky," respectively. Captains of icebreaker ships used to search for not-directly-visible open waters remotely on the basis of the water sky. Animals depending on open waters in the Arctic region may also detect not-directly-visible waters from a distance by means of the water sky. Since the polarization of ice-skies and water-skies has not, to our knowledge, been studied before, we measured the polarization patterns of water-skies above polynyas in the arctic ice-cover during the Beringia 2005 Swedish polar research expedition to the North Pole region. We show that there are statistically significant differences in the angle of polarization between the water-sky and the ice-sky. This polarization phenomenon could help biological and man-made sensors to detect open waters not directly visible from a distance. However, the threshold of polarization-based detection would be rather low, because the degree of linear polarization of light radiated by water-skies and ice-skies is not higher than 10%. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of the Optical Society of America A
volume
24
issue
1
pages
132 - 138
publisher
Optical Society of America
external identifiers
  • wos:000243036300015
  • scopus:33846571935
ISSN
1084-7529
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
498ce00f-f82e-4257-9528-c37e23713843 (old id 167236)
alternative location
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=josaa-24-1-132
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:44:10
date last changed
2022-01-28 21:44:59
@article{498ce00f-f82e-4257-9528-c37e23713843,
  abstract     = {{The foggy sky above a white ice-cover and a dark water surface (permanent polynya or temporary lead) is white and dark gray, phenomena called the "ice-sky" and the "water-sky," respectively. Captains of icebreaker ships used to search for not-directly-visible open waters remotely on the basis of the water sky. Animals depending on open waters in the Arctic region may also detect not-directly-visible waters from a distance by means of the water sky. Since the polarization of ice-skies and water-skies has not, to our knowledge, been studied before, we measured the polarization patterns of water-skies above polynyas in the arctic ice-cover during the Beringia 2005 Swedish polar research expedition to the North Pole region. We show that there are statistically significant differences in the angle of polarization between the water-sky and the ice-sky. This polarization phenomenon could help biological and man-made sensors to detect open waters not directly visible from a distance. However, the threshold of polarization-based detection would be rather low, because the degree of linear polarization of light radiated by water-skies and ice-skies is not higher than 10%. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.}},
  author       = {{Hegedus, R and Åkesson, Susanne and Horvath, G}},
  issn         = {{1084-7529}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{132--138}},
  publisher    = {{Optical Society of America}},
  series       = {{Journal of the Optical Society of America A}},
  title        = {{Polarization of "water-skies" above arctic open waters: how polynyas in the ice-cover can be visually detected from a distance}},
  url          = {{http://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=josaa-24-1-132}},
  volume       = {{24}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}