This paper presents a selective review of applications of data on seawater light scattering for the study and monitoring of marine particles. Particular emphasis is placed on ocean waters and the seas surrounding Russia, where earlier studies by the author with his coworkers are little known because published mostly in Russian. In those assessments, methods of solving the inverse problem of seawater light scattering have been developed. Low-parametric models of optical properties were created by means of statistical analyses of experimental data, solving the inverse problem and comparing results derived from optical methods with those based on particle counts. Estimates of the volume and mass concentrations of suspended matter and its components were derived from light-scattering data for different regions. The potential of using optical methods for assessing spatiotemporal variability in suspended matter supply, propagation, and distribution is also considered.