Polarization of "water-skies" above arctic open waters: how polynyas in the ice-cover can be visually detected from a distance
(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)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/167236
- author
- Hegedus, R ; Åkesson, Susanne LU and Horvath, G
- organization
- publishing date
- 2007
- 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
- Optica Publishing Group
- 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
- 2025-01-05 08:44:53
@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 = {{Optica Publishing Group}},
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}},
}