ABSTRACT
The absorptive, polarizing, and scattering properties of water, dissolved matters, and suspended particles (including cells of marine microorganisms), the intermittent changes in incoming solar radiation, like those caused, for instance, by a broken cloud cover, and the strong fluctuations in downwelling irradiance, due to sunlight rays reflection by surface waves, make the underwater light field an ever-changing environment. Moreover, the farthest penetration of blue light into seawater, which absorbs first the longer and less energetic wavelength in infrared, red, orange, and yellow regions of the solar spectrum, leads to a progressive dominance of the blue-green (400–500 nm) wavebands with depth [1].
