A Tool for Inverse Modeling of Spectral Measurements in Deep and Shallow Waters

Abstract

A software tool was developed for simulating and inverse modeling of optical spectral measurements in deep and shallow waters above and below the water surface. It supports eight major spectrum types which are commonly measured by instruments on ship: irradiance reflectance, remote sensing reflectance, downwelling irradiance, upwelling radiance, absorption, attenuation, specular reflectance at the surface, and bottom reflectance. Calculation is based on analytical models. For deep water different well-established models are included, for shallow water and surface reflections new models were developed. The program is designed as a user-friendly, sensor-independent spectra generator and spectra analyzer with well documented calculation steps and automatic result visualization. It is suited to generate and analyze large series of spectra. All model constants and input spectra can be changed easily for adaptation to a specific region. This contribution summarizes the models, explains the inversion techniques, and describes how to apply the program.