Mean field of a low-frequency sound wave propagating in a fluctuating ocean

Statistical characteristics of low-frequency sound waves propagating over long distances in a fluctuating ocean are important for many practical problems. In this paper, using the theory of multiple scattering, the mean field of a low-frequency sound wave was analytically calculated. In these calculations, the ratio of the sound wavelength and the scale of random inhomogeneities can be arbitrary. Furthermore, the correlation function of inhomogeneities is expressed in terms of a modal spectrum (e.g., internal waves modes). The obtained mean sound field is expressed as a sum of normal modes that attenuate exponentially. It is shown that the extinction coefficients of the modes are linearly related to the spectrum of random inhomogeneities in the ocean. Measurements of the extinction coefficients can therefore be used for retrieving this spectrum. The mean sound field is calculated for both 3D and 2D geometries of sound propagation. The results obtained can be used to study the range of applicability of the 2D propagation model.     

Computer modeling of sound propagation in the ocean with fractal inhomogeneities

The wave-field computer code based on the wide-angle parabolic equation is modified and adapted to the problems of sound scattering in a medium with anisotropic inhomogeneities of fractal type. To verify the computer code, a model numerical experiment on determining the angular dependence of the scattered sound field is performed for different anisotropy coefficients of the sound speed inhomogeneities. The comparison of the computed data with the theoretical dependences shows their rather good agreement and indicates that the computer code can be applied to calculations of sound propagation in the ocean with fine-structure inhomogeneities possessing fractal properties.     

Sound propagation and scattering in media with random inhomogeneities of sound speed, density and medium velocity

This review presents both classical and new results of the theory of sound propagation in media with random inhomogeneities of sound speed, density and medium velocity (mainly in the atmosphere and ocean). An equation for a sound wave in a moving inhomogeneous medium is presented, which has a wider range of applicability than those used before. Starting from this equation, the statistical characteristics of the sound field in a moving random medium are calculated using Born-approximation, ray, Rytov and parabolic-equation methods, and the theory of multiple scattering. The results obtained show, in particular, that certain equations previously widely used in the theory of sound propagation in moving random media must now be revised. The theory presented can be used not only to calculate the statistical characteristics of sound waves in the turbulent atmosphere or ocean but also to solve inverse problems and develop new remote-sensing methods. A number of practical problems of sound propagation in moving random media are listed and the further development of this field of acoustics is considered.     

Sound propagation and scattering in media with random inhomogeneities of sound speed,density and medium velocity

Abstract

This review presents both classical and new results of the theory of sound propagation in media with random inhomogeneities of sound speed, density and medium velocity (mainly in the atmosphere and ocean). An equation for a sound wave in a moving inhomogeneous medium is presented, which has a wider range of applicability than those used before. Starting from this equation, the statistical characteristics of the sound field in a moving random medium are calculated using Born-approximation, ray, Rytov and parabolic-equation methods, and the theory of multiple scattering. The results obtained show, in particular, that certain equations previously widely used in the theory of sound propagation in moving random media must now be revised. The theory presented can be used not only to calculate the statistical characteristics of sound waves in the turbulent atmosphere or ocean but also to solve inverse problems and develop new remote-sensing methods. A number of practical problems of sound propagation in moving random media are listed and the further development of this field of acoustics is considered.     

Estimation of distortions in the sound field propagating through mesoscale inhomogeneities

Hamiltonian formalism is used to analyze the effect of the mesoscale inhomogeneities of the ocean medium on the ray structure of the sound field. It is shown that the distortions of the structure of the sound field can be successfully estimated by a function that links the values of the canonical variables of the ray action before and after crossing the inhomogeneity. That function is calculated with the use of the standard ray code. Sound propagation through the synoptic eddy and frontal zone is considered.     

Spectral-energy characteristics of sound fields scattered by fine-structured inhomogeneities of sound velocity into the geometrical shadow zone

In analyzing experimental results obtained with explosive sources in the tropical zone of the Indian Ocean, a good agreement was obtained for spectral-energy characteristics of signals observed in the first geometrical shadow zone with computer calculations of the sound field scattered by fine structure inhomogeneities of the fractal type. From the comparison of the results of calculating the frequency characteristics of sound fields in the shadow zone by the wave code and by the method combining ray acoustics with the wave theory of sound scattering, it was found that both methods are appropriate for describing the real processes of scattering and propagation of sound in the ocean with fine-structured stratification and that these methods can be used for solving inverse problems.     

Stochastic differential equation analysis for sound scattering by random internal waves in the ocean

The scattering of a weakly divergent narrow sound beam by random inhomogeneities of a fluctuating ocean is considered in the coupled-mode approximation. The random index of sound refraction is described using the Garrett-Munk internal wave spectrum. The problem is solved using the stochastic differential equations for the first-and second-order statistical moments of the acoustic field. The equations are formulated according to the cumulant expansion method. The existence of weakly divergent narrow sound beams in long-range sound propagation was one of the last discoveries of L.M. Brekhovskikh, to which he attached much importance. The concentration of sound into narrow beams away from the axis of the underwater sound channel was first observed experimentally and then explained by Brekhovskikh and his former students Goncharov, Kurtepov, and Petukhov. In the present paper, the scattered field intensity of a sound beam is calculated for different frequencies and source depths. Analytical expressions are obtained for the coefficients of the differential equation. The intermode energy transfer that accompanies the long-range propagation of a weakly divergent sound beam is analyzed. A comparison with the conventionally used Monte Carlo simulation in the parabolic equation approximation is performed.     

Focused sound from three-dimensional sound propagation effects over a submarine canyon

Ship noise data reveal an intensification of the near-surface sound field over a submarine canyon. Numerical modeling of sound propagation is used to study the effect. The noise data were collected during an ocean acoustic and physical oceanography experiment northeast of Taiwan in 2009. In situ measurements of water sound-speed profiles and a database of high-resolution bathymetry are used in the modeling study. The model results suggest that the intensification is caused by three-dimensional sound focusing by the concave canyon seafloor. Uncertainties in the model results from unsampled aspects of the environment are discussed.     

Regional variability of the phenomenon of sound penetration into shadow zones in the ocean with fine-structure stratification

The regional variability of the phenomenon of the shadow zone insonification in the ocean is manifested in the variability of the main parameters of the sound signals that penetrate into these zones because of the scattering by the fine-structure inhomogeneities of the refractive index. The intensity of the phenomenon is governed by a combination of the vertical distribution of intensity of the fine-structure inhomogeneities and the caustics that exist in the insonified domains, along with the caustic intensity and position, both of which depend on the mean sound speed profile and on the geometry of the experiment. For the chosen typical regions of the ocean, the characteristics of the fine structure are systematized, and the phenomenon under study is analyzed. The results obtained offer a justified approach to solving inverse problems and a way to perform practical-purpose studies aimed at improving the ultimate performance of underwater observation and monitoring systems.     

The angular dependence of the coefficient of sound reflection from anisotropic volume inhomogeneities of the ocean

The small perturbation method is used to consider the scattering of sound by random volume inhomogeneities of the ocean. The inhomogeneities are assumed to be horizontally anisotropic with their horizontal dimensions far exceeding the vertical ones. Expressions are obtained for the angular dependence of the scattering coefficient. Vertical and horizontal sections of the scattering pattern are presented, and the angular widths of its maxima are analytically estimated.     

Parabolic equation for nonlinear acoustic wave propagation in inhomogeneous moving media

A new parabolic equation is derived to describe the propagation of nonlinear sound waves in inhomogeneous moving media. The equation accounts for diffraction, nonlinearity, absorption, scalar inhomogeneities (density and sound speed), and vectorial inhomogeneities (flow). A numerical algorithm employed earlier to solve the KZK equation is adapted to this more general case. A two-dimensional version of the algorithm is used to investigate the propagation of nonlinear periodic waves in media with random inhomogeneities. For the case of scalar inhomogeneities, including the case of a flow parallel to the wave propagation direction, a complex acoustic field structure with multiple caustics is obtained. Inclusion of the transverse component of vectorial random inhomogeneities has little effect on the acoustic field. However, when a uniform transverse flow is present, the field structure is shifted without changing its morphology. The impact of nonlinearity is twofold: it produces strong shock waves in focal regions, while, outside the caustics, it produces higher harmonics without any shocks. When the intensity is averaged across the beam propagating through a random medium, it evolves similarly to the intensity of a plane nonlinear wave, indicating that the transverse redistribution of acoustic energy gives no considerable contribution to nonlinear absorption. Published in Russian in Akusticheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2006, Vol. 52, No. 6, pp. 725–735. This article was translated by the authors.     

多项式混沌展开的浅海水声环境参数敏感度分析*

水下声场是海洋环境参数的非线性函数,因此环境参数的不确定性必然会引起水下声场预测的不确定性,从而导致与声场预测相关的声呐探测和水声通信等设备性能的下降。该文将Sobol敏感度指数的计算与多项式混沌展开方法相结合,将敏感度指数表达为环境条件的函数,利用Q范数约束的双曲截断方案来减少多项式项数,有效地分析了设定的"浅海负梯度温跃层"信道中8个环境参数及其交互效应对水下声传播的影响。结果表明,沉积层声速是低频远距离声场不确定性分布的最主要贡献参数,同时对于下发下收的情况,声源深度的影响程度随着声源频率增加而逐渐增大。最后应用射线理论从海底反射的角度解释了各个环境因素影响程度差异的具体原因。该文的研究对水声通信和探测系统在浅海不确定环境下的性能预报研究具有重要的参考意义。     

An effective quiescent medium for sound propagating through an inhomogeneous,moving fluid

The idea of similarity between acoustic fields in a moving fluid and in a certain "effective" quiescent medium, first put forward by Lord Rayleigh, proved very helpful in understanding and modeling sound propagation in an atmosphere with winds and in an ocean with currents, as well as in other applications involving flows with small velocity compared to sound speed. Known as effective sound speed approximation, the idea is routinely utilized in the contexts of the ray theory, normal mode representation of the sound field, and the parabolic approximation. Despite the wide use of the concept of effective sound speed in acoustics of moving media, no theoretical justification of Rayleigh's idea was published that would be independent of the chosen representation of the sound field and uniformly apply to distinct propagation regimes. In this paper, we present such a justification by reducing boundary conditions and a wave equation governing sound fields in the inhomogeneous moving fluid with a slow flow to boundary conditions and a wave equation in a quiescent fluid with effective sound speed and density. The derivation provides insight into validity conditions of the concept of effective quiescent fluid. Introduction of effective density in conjunction with effective sound speed is essential to ensure accurate reproduction of acoustic pressure amplitude in the effective medium. Effective parameters depend on sound speed, flow velocity, and density of the moving fluid as well as on sound propagation direction. Conditions are discussed under which the dependence on the propagation direction can be avoided or relaxed.     

海洋声学中三维抛物方程非均匀网格模型

在海洋声学中,三维抛物方程模型可以有效考虑三维空间的声传播效应。然而,采用三维抛物方程模型分析三维空间内的声传播问题时,计算时间较长,并且需要消耗较大的计算机内存,因此给远距离声场的快速精确计算带来了很大困难。为此,将非均匀网格Galerkin离散化方法用于三维直角坐标系下的水声抛物方程模型中,深度算子和水平算子Galerkin离散方式由均匀网格变为非均匀网格。仿真结果表明,三维直角坐标系下非均匀网格离散的抛物方程模型,在保持计算精度、提高计算速度的同时,可以实现远距离声场的快速预报。另外,针对远距离局部海底地形与距离有关的三维声传播问题,给出了声场快速计算方法;在海底保持水平的区域,采用经典Kraken模型,重构抛物方程算法的初始场,随后依次递推求解地形与距离有关海底下的三维声场。采用改进模型,证明了远距离楔形波导声强增强效应。      

Study of the mechanism for broadening of the spectrum of a low-frequency reverberation signal for sound scattering by near-surface inhomogeneities under conditions of intense wind waves

The paper considers the problem of backscattering of sound waves by near-surface volumetric inhomogeneities under conditions of intense wind waves. We calculate the expected share of the scattered signal spectrum based on the given wind-wave intensity and the depth distribution of volumetric inhomogeneities. For deep ocean conditions in the frequency range of 500–1000 Hz for a pulse duration of 10 s, we measure the levels and shape of the reverberation spectrum for time delays from 20 to 100 s. Comparison of the measured and calculated reverberation spectra has shown their good coincidence.     

A multi-domain Fourier pseudospectral time-domain method for the linearized Euler equations

The Fourier pseudospectral time-domain (F-PSTD) method is computationally one of the most cost-efficient methods for solving the linearized Euler equations for wave propagation through a medium with smoothly varying spatial inhomogeneities in the presence of rigid boundaries. As the method utilizes an equidistant discretization, local fine scale effects of geometry or medium inhomogeneities require a refinement of the whole grid which significantly reduces the computational efficiency. For this reason, a multi-domain F-PSTD methodology is presented with a coarse grid covering the complete domain and fine grids acting as a subgrid resolution of the coarse grid near local fine scale effects. Data transfer between coarse and fine grids takes place utilizing spectral interpolation with super-Gaussian window functions to impose spatial periodicity. Local time stepping is employed without intermediate interpolation. The errors introduced by the window functions and the multi-domain implementation are quantified and compared to errors related to the initial conditions and from the time iteration scheme. It is concluded that the multi-domain methodology does not introduce significant errors compared to the single-domain method. Examples of scattering from small scale density scatters, sound reflecting from a slitted rigid object and sound propagation through a jet are accurately modelled by the proposed methodology. For problems that can be solved by F-PSTD, the presented methodology can lead to a significant gain in computational efficiency.     

Sound scattering by spatially localized inhomogeneities in a shallow-water waveguide in the presence of internal waves

A method is developed for solving the problem of sound scattering by concentrated inhomogeneities in a waveguide of small depth in the presence of internal waves (IW) typical of an oceanic shelf. The sound field fluctuations related to the motion of a model scatterer (a soft spheroid) and to the propagation of the IW are calculated and analyzed. It is shown that the field of internal waves considerably affects the scattered sound field even when the source-receiver and source-scatterer distances are relatively small (about several kilometers). This effect depends not only on the amplitude of the IW, but on their propagation direction as well.     

On the Application of Asymptotic Formulae Based on the Modified Maslov Canonical Operator to the Modeling of Acoustic Pulses Propagation in Three-Dimensional Shallow-Water Waveguides

Acoustical Physics - In this study a technique for the modeling of propagation of acoustic pulses in shallow-water waveguides with three-dimensional bottom inhomogeneities is described. The...     

沉积物中声速和衰减系数的宽带测量方法

海底沉积物作为海洋波导声传播的下边界普遍存在于大洋中,获知其特性对于准确的声传播和混响建模是十分必要的。为了能够快速而准确地测量沉积物中的声速和衰减系数,提出一种基于脉冲压缩技术的测量方法,对接收信号进行压缩来提取透射波,根据不同厚度样品的透射波来计算沉积物中的声速和衰减系数。该方法不仅可以克服实验过程中经常遇到的多途干扰,而且测量过程简单,可以同时获得测量频带内所有频点的声速和衰减系数,即实现了对声速和衰减系数的宽带测量。在实验室环境条件下,90~170kHz的测量频带内,测得沙样品中的声速为1710~1713m/s,衰减系数在56~70dB/m之间。通过窄带和宽带测量结果的比较可以看出,声速的宽带测量结果与窄带测量结果吻合得较好,而衰减系数在频带后半部分存在较大的起伏。