Estimation of the Influence of Surface Waves on the Sea Surface Radiative Balance

A. Kh. Degterev

The sea roughness effect on insolation and sun rays reflection for different sun heights above the horizon and unclouded sky is considered. Numerical assessments for albedo, insolation, and absorbed radiation are received for Stokes waves. Normal ray falling at the wave crest is suggested. The ray trace approach is used that allowed to take into account such effects as the dependence of albedo on the wave tilt, double light reflection from neighboring wave crests and the trough shading by the crest. It is concluded that the main roughness effect on the radiative balance is the insolation increasing and albedo diminishing at large wave steepness when the sun height above the horizon is less than 40°.