Experimental studies of pulsed signal propagation from the shelf to deep sea

Results of an experimental study of low-frequency broadband pulsed signal propagation in a waveguide that includes the shelf zone, the continental slope, and the deep sea region are presented. Using phase-manipulated signals with central frequencies of 366 and 600 Hz, pulsed characteristics are measured at six points along the propagation track, the maximal distance from the source being 368 km. It is experimentally demonstrated that, in the presence of a negative sound velocity gradient in the near bottom layer on the shelf with a small bottom slope, the choice of the source position at the shelf bottom near the shoreline provides the formation of a continuous illumination zone in the deep sea near the USC axis and a stable pulsed characteristic with two main sound energy arrivals. The propagation velocity of the pulse that is last to arrive is identical (within the measurement error) to the velocity of sound on the USC axis at the point of reception. Possibilities for practical application of the results obtained from the experiment are discussed.