Optical propagation through sea ice

The objective of this research was to measure the optical characteristics of sea ice and investigate the process of light propagation through sea ice. From January through March of 1993, in situ laser propagation studies were conducted on saltwater ice grown in an outdoor pool. These investigations demonstrated that optical characteristics of young saltwater ice are affected by the growth history of the ice. Therefore, in April and May of 1994, a field test was conducted on sea ice at two sites near Barrow, Alaska to determine the influence of growth history on sea ice optical properties. The variability of the attenuation coefficient was measured as a function of ice thickness and location (depth) to determine the stratification of the ice optical properties. Results were used to establish a correlation between the optical properties and the growth history of the sea ice.