| lobal climate is largely influenced by upper ocean evolution which, in turn, is extremely sensitive to the vertical distribution of the solar energy available for ocean radiant heating. Here, the transmission of solar radiation through the water column, it's variations and their effects are examined on a variety of scales. A global model is developed and used with climatological data to determine the importance of solar penetration through the mixed layer on seasonal scales. In-situ data from the western equatorial Pacific are used to address variations in solar transmission on daily to synoptic scales, to find factors which explain these variations, and to determine the influence of these variations on sea-surface temperature and mixed layer depth. Finally, a full spectral in-water radiative transfer model is used to investigate solar transmission in the upper few meters of the ocean, with particular emphasis on the near-infrared wavebands.;Results suggest that solar radiation penetrating the mixed layer can be a significant term (20 W... |
