Could we use our understanding of the attenuation of underwa

Could we use our understanding of the attenuation of underwater light to understand or study the attenuation of light in the atmosphere?

Solution

ans

When light travels through any medium, its intensity decreases with distance travelled.

This phenomenon is known as attenuation. Attenuation is caused due to various factors:

two prime reasons are absorption and scattering.

Attenuation of light in water depends on the nature of water. For example, in sea water, attenuation is

exponential and follows Beer-Lambert Law.

However, in clear water , frequency dependence is pronounced.Longest wavelength i.e shorstest

frequency is absorbed fastest.

In atmosphere, attenuation results from scattering and absorption. Absorption varies from

material to material. For scallering, the longest wavelengths are scattered least.

As light is basically electromangnetic wave, its attenuation is a general property . So one can

use the understanding of the attenuation of underwater light to understand and study the attenuation

of light in atmosphere. This will give a complete picture for the response of light while travlling

through diverse media.