Dappled light

Before sunlight reaches a subject it can be modified when it passes through materials resulting in patterns of lighter and darker illumination that is said to be dappled. The classic example is light passing through leaves on trees or between trees. Light under water can be dappled as well. Light passing through the surface of water is bent by refraction in accordance with surface conditions. Waves will focus and thus dapple light into patterns that can appear weblike.

Trade winds power on Maui
Dappled-light aerial view showing the Kahea Wind Power wind farm on West Maui, Hawaii, USA that is positioned to capture power from the trade winds that funnel through Maui's central valley.
Aerial Hawaii Spring United States dappled light electricty generation generator green power renewable resource wind power
Coho in dappled light
Coho Salmon (Oncorhyncus kisutch) undergoing final maturation while schooled in a staging area adjacent to spawning grounds in the shadowy illumination of dappled light.
Actinopterygii Autumn Chordata Class Actinopterygii Coho Salmon Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus kisutch Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Silver Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate biosphere chordate dappled light in situ naturalworld nature staging underwater underwaterphoto wild
Staging in dappled light
Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhyncus nerka) undergoing final maturation while schooled in a staging area just downstream of spawning grounds in the shadowy illumination of dappled light. The ocean bright Coho Salmon (O. kisutch) in the background is a more recent arrival.
Actinopterygii Autumn Chordata Class Actinopterygii Coho Salmon Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus kisutch Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Silver Salmon Sockeye Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate biosphere chordate dappled light in situ naturalworld nature nuptial coloration ocean bright staging underwater underwaterphoto wild
Waiting under dappled light
A newly arrived near ocean bright Coho Salmon (Oncorhyncus kisutch) male positions himself above and downstream of a Sockeye Salmon (O. nerka) that has already changed to nuptial coloration. Each will spawn nearby once maturation is complete.
Actinopterygii Autumn Chordata Class Actinopterygii Coho Salmon Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus kisutch Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Silver Salmon Sockeye Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate biosphere chordate dappled light in situ naturalworld nature nuptial coloration ocean bright run timing staging underwater underwaterphoto wild
Web of dappled light
Surface ripple has dappled the sunlight creating a web-like abstract on this Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) that is part way through its change from ocean bright to nuptial coloratiion, which is cocomitant to sexual maturation.
Actinopterygii Autumn Chordata Class Actinopterygii Coho Salmon Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus kisutch Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Silver Salmon Sockeye Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate biosphere chordate in situ naturalworld nature underwater underwaterphoto wild
Dappled light in a stream
Dappled light illuminates a mature Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhyncus nerka) in nuptial coloration swimming in a forested stream. A southern form Dolly Varden Charr (Salvelinus malma lordi) is lurking in the shadows on the left side of the frame.
Actinopterygii Autumn Chordata Class Actinopterygii Dolly Varden Dolly Varden Char Dolly Varden Charr Dolly Varden Charr southern form Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus kisutch Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Salvelinus malma Salvelinus malma lordi Seacam underwater housing Sockeye Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate biosphere chordate dappled light in situ naturalworld nature nuptial coloration underwater underwaterphoto wild
Sockeye Salmon spawning pair
Shafts of light in a forest stream illuminate a Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) spawning pair. Aspect Ratio = 1:2.
Actinopterygii Alaska wild salmon Autumn Chordata Class Actinopterygii Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Sockeye Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biosphere chordate dappled light diadromous diadromy fresh water freshwater in situ lotic migratory naturalworld nature nuptial coloration semelparity semelparous stream under fresh water underwater underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Coho in dappled light
Recently arrived in fresh water, these ocean bright Coho Salmon (Oncorhyncus kisutch) are maturing while schooled in a staging area adjacent to spawning grounds in the shadowy illumination of dappled light.
Actinopterygii Autumn Chordata Class Actinopterygii Coho Salmon Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus kisutch Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Silver Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate biosphere chordate dappled light in situ naturalworld nature underwater underwaterphoto wild
Salmon spawning habitat
Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) swirling about defending spawning territories in a dappled stream. Several of the females are guarding redds having already spawned.
Actinopterygii Chordata Class Actinopterygii Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Sockeye Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate chordate dappled light nature summer topside underwaterphoto wild
Sockeye in dappled light
Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhyncus nerka) at various stages of maturaton while schooled in a staging area near spawning grounds in the shadowy illumination of dappled light.
Actinopterygii Alaska Chordata Class Actinopterygii Copper River Delta Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Saddlebag Creek Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Sockeye Salmon South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate biosphere chordate dappled light in situ jack jack salmon naturalworld nature nuptial coloration ocean bright precocial male precocious male run timing staging underwater underwaterphoto wild
Sockeye Salmon spawning pair
Dappled light in a forest stream illuminates a Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) spawning pair. Aspect Ratio = 2:3.
Actinopterygii Chordata Class Actinopterygii Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Sockeye Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate biosphere chordate in situ naturalworld nature underwater underwaterphoto wild
Dappled grizzly
In the dappled light of a forest stream, a Brown (Grizzly) Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) wades in a stream while searching for salmon to eat.
Chordata Clade Eutheria Class Mammalia Order Carnivora Phylum Chordata Ursidae Ursus arctos Ursus arctos horribilis Vertebrate biosphere brown bear chordate grizzly bear in situ mammal naturalworld topside underwater
dappled bracken
Dappled Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum) growing near a salmon stream.
Alaska Bracken Cordova Eccles Creek Family Dennstaedtiaceae Kingdom Plantae Order Dennstaedtiales Plant Prince William Sound Pteridium aquilinum Pteridophyta Pteridopsida South Central Alaska Spring United States
Bull's Eye
Dappled light bull's eye pattern on this Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) from refraction of light by surface waves resulting from surface feeding by a conspecific.
Actinopterygii Alaska Chordata Class Actinopterygii Coastal Cutthroat Trout Cordova Eccles Creek Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus clarkii Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii Pacific trout Phylum Chordata Prince William Sound Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Spring Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate biosphere breeding colors chordate dappled light female in situ naturalworld nature nuptial coloration underwater underwaterphoto wild
Searun Coastal Cutthroat Trout in a small stream
Searun Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) in the dappled light of a small tributary of Prince William Sound, Alaska. There are Salminicola parasites on the right pectoral fin of the nearest trout.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon arthropod Arthropoda Chordata Class Actinopterygii Class Hexanauplia Coastal Cutthroat Trout Cordova Eccles Creek Infraclass Teleostei Invertebrate Lernaeopodidae Neopterygii Oncorhynchus clarkii Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii Order Siphonosstomatoida Pacific trout Phylum Arthropoda Phylum Chordata Prince William Sound Salmincola californiensis Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Searun Coastal Cutthroat Trout South Central Alaska Spring Subclass Copepoda Subclass Neopterygii Subphyllum Crustacea Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate biosphere chordate copepod crustacean dappled light diadromous diadromy fresh water freshwater gill maggot in situ iteroparity iteroparous lotic marine life migratory naturalworld nature searun stream under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon wild trout
Dappled sandy bottom
A Collector Urchin (Tripneustes gratilla) holds on to a rock on the dappled sandy bottom of Kailua Bay, the Big Island, Hawaii.
Big Island Class Echinoidea Echinodermata Hawaii Invertebrate Kona Phylum Echinodermata Seacam underwater housing Toxopneustidae Tripneustes gratilla United States biosphere collector urchin dappled light echinoderm in situ naturalworld underwater winter
Dappled Yellow Tang
Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) foraging on turf algae under dappled light.
Acanthuridae Acanthuroidei Actinopterygii Big Island Chordata Class Actinopterygii Hawaii Infraclass Teleostei KailuaKona Kona Neopterygii Perciformes Phylum Chordata Seacam underwater housing Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate Yellow Tang Zebrasoma flavescens biosphere chordate dappled light feeding aggregation in situ marine life naturalworld nature underwater underwaterphoto wild winter
Dappled Humu
A Reef Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangularis) swims over a rock and sand bottom under dappled light.
Actinopterygii Balistidae Big Island Chordata Class Actinopterygii Hawaii Humuhumunukunukapuaa Infraclass Teleostei Kahaluu KailuaKona Kona Neopterygii Phylum Chordata Plectognathi Reef Triggerfish Rhinecanthus rectangulus Seacam underwater housing Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Tetraodontiformes United States Vertebrate biosphere chordate in situ marine life naturalworld nature snorkeling underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild