Influence of scattering phenomena on the solar zenith angle dependence of in-water irradiance levels

A Monte Carlo analysis is utilized to determine the influence of the inherent optical properties of a water mass on the solar zenith angle dependence of subsurface irradiance levels. It is shown that the proportion of scattering interactions (as represented by the scattering albedo omega) has a greater influence on this dependence than does the backscattering probability B. Several representations of direct and/or diffuse incident radiation are considered, and their effects on the solar zenith angle dependence are evaluated. Irradiance level data collected in Lake Erie are compared to the predictions of the Monte Carlo analysis.