Use of a vertical polarizer has been suggested to reduce the effects of surface reflection in the above-water measurements of marine reflectance. We suggest using a similar technique for airborne or spaceborne sensors when atmospheric scattering adds its own polarization signature to the upwelling radiance. Our own theoretical sensitivity study supports the recommendation of Fougnie et al. [Appl. Opt. 38, 3844 (1999)] (40–50° vertical angle and azimuth angle near 135°, polarizer parallel to the viewing plane) for above-water measurements. However, the optimal viewing directions (and the optimal orientation of the polarizer) change with altitude above the sea surface, solar angle, and atmospheric vertical optical structure. A polarization efficiency function is introduced, which shows the maximal possible polarization discrimination of the background radiation for an arbitrary altitude above the sea surface, viewing direction, and solar angle. Our comment is meant to encourage broader application of airborne and spaceborne polarization sensors in remote sensing of water and sea surface properties.

© 2000 Optical Society of America

[Optical Society of America ]

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Citation lists with outbound citation links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article level metrics are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

Related Journal Articles

• Reflection by uniaxial crystals: polarizing angle and Brewster angle (JOSAA)
• Laser surface profiler (OL)
• Reduction of Skylight Reflection Effects in the Above-Water Measurement of Diffuse Marine Reflectance (AO)
• Plurality of principal angles for a given pseudo-Brewster angle when polarized light is reflected at a dielectric-conductor interface (JOSAA)
• Difference between the second-Brewster and pseudo-Brewster angles when polarized light is reflected at a dielectric–conductor interface (JOSAA)

Related Conference Papers

• A First Attempt to Assess Marine Particles Composition from Femote Sensing: Exploitation of the POLDER Polarized Radiances
• Polarization State Control of Light by Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
• Polarization Effect in the Transmission Through a Single Nanoscopic Aperture
• Nanometrology Using Spatially-Variant Optical Polarization
• Characterization of Surface and Thin-Film Roughness Using PSD Functions