Relationship between backscattering and beam scattering coefficients derived from new measurements of light scattering phase functions

Processing of optical remote sensing information requires a knowledge of dependence between backscattering and beam scattering coefficients. Until recently this dependency was primarily derived from fifteen angular scattering coefficients measured more than 30 years ago by Petzold 1. A few years ago a new probe to measure an angular scattering coefficient of natural waters was developed and built by the Marine Hydrophysical Institute in Sevastopol, Crimea 2. Since 2000 his device was employed in several LEO- 15 expeditions near the coast of New Jersey, and in May 2002 expedition in the northern Gulf of Mexico.