Low frequency coupled mode sound propagation over a continental shelf

A two-way integral equation coupled mode method is applied to a continental shelf ocean waveguide proposed for a special session devoted to range-dependent acoustic modeling at the 141st meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. The coupled mode solution includes both sediment trapped and continuum modes. The continuum is approximated by a finite number of leaky modes but neglects the branch cut contribution. Mode coupling matrix elements and the range evolution of the modal amplitudes show the nature of the mode coupling. Transmission loss versus range at 100 Hz predicted by the integral equation approach is compared to the transmission loss predicted by a wide angle parabolic equation method. While there is very good agreement, one observes small differences that can be interpreted as backscattering predicted by the integral equation solution.