Computed Light Fields Within a Sea Ice Pressure Ridge

Calculated light fields in and around a sea-ice pressure ridge. The dataset contains total scalar irradiance and downwelling planar irradiance calculated in horizontal slices at given distances from the ice surface. Calculations were performed using Monte-Carlo ray-tracing with Zemax Optic-Studio by Christian Katlein of the Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung.

Use Cases

• Modeling light penetration and scattering in sea ice based on the provided irradiance fields.
• Analyzing the three-dimensional light environment within pressure ridge geometries.
• Validating optical models of sea ice using the Monte-Carlo ray-tracing results.
• Studying the relationship between ice thickness and light transmission in complex ridge structures.

Strengths

• Data is derived from Monte-Carlo ray-tracing simulations, a recognized method for radiative transfer.
• Includes multiple irradiance metrics (total scalar and downwelling planar) and geometric data (horizontal slices, ice thickness).
• Provided in both Python and Matlab readable formats for accessibility.

Limitations

• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred from the referenced publication.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung

Collection Method

Calculations performed using Monte-Carlo ray-tracing in Zemax Optic-Studio.

Geography

Polar regions (implied by sea ice research).