Non-sequential ray tracing simulations are commonly employed to model underwater visible light communication (VLC) channels. The accuracy of such simulations highly depends on how well the optical properties of water (i.e., absorption and scattering) as well as scattering phase function (SPF) are modeled in the simulation. Existing empirical models are only a function of chlorophyll concentration and particle composition and are independent of refractive index, size and concentration of particles. In this paper, we carry out an underwater VLC channel modeling study using the Mie SPF which provides a full description of the scattering from phytoplankton particles which dominate the optical properties of most oceanic waters. We obtain the channel impulse response (CIR) based on an extensive non-sequential ray tracing study and calculate the fundamental channel parameters such as channel gain and delay spread. Comparison of CIRs reveals out that deployment of simplified SPF models results in the overestimation of path loss with respect to Mie SPF. Our results clearly demonstrate the importance of selecting realistic SPF models for an accurate underwater VLC channel modeling. While highlighting the channel models, we discuss adaptive modulation technique to maximize the data rate under the constraint of a targeted bit error rate. Besides, the maximum achievable distance is also determined both in terms of analytical guarantees and computer simulations. The results reveal that larger transmission distances can be achieved through Mie SPF channel model.

非顺序光线追踪模拟通常用于对水下可见光通信 (VLC) 通道进行建模。这种模拟的准确性在很大程度上取决于水的光学特性（即吸收和散射）以及散射相函数 (SPF) 在模拟中的建模程度。现有的经验模型只是叶绿素浓度和粒子组成的函数，与粒子的折射率、大小和浓度无关。在本文中，我们使用 Mie SPF 进行了水下 VLC 通道建模研究，该研究提供了浮游植物颗粒散射的完整描述，浮游植物颗粒在大多数海洋水域的光学特性中占主导地位。我们基于广泛的非顺序光线追踪研究获得信道脉冲响应 (CIR)，并计算基本信道参数，例如信道增益和延迟扩展。CIR 的比较表明，简化 SPF 模型的部署导致路径损耗相对于 Mie SPF 的高估。我们的结果清楚地证明了为准确的水下 VLC 通道建模选择真实的 SPF 模型的重要性。在强调信道模型的同时，我们讨论了自适应调制技术，以在目标误码率的约束下最大化数据速率。此外，最大可达到的距离也是根据分析保证和计算机模拟确定的。结果表明，通过 Mie SPF 信道模型可以实现更大的传输距离。