Refraction measurements and modeling over the Chesapeake Bay during the NATO (TG-51) SAPPHIRE trials, June 2006

Optical refraction tends to occur frequently in the atmospheric boundary layer. Due to a gradient in the temperature as function of height, rays are bending down towards the earth (super-refraction), or up towards to the sky (sub-refraction). As a consequence, images of targets at long range may be distorted and mirages may occur, while the...