Spatial and temporal variations in acoustic propagation during the PLUSNet'07 exercise in Dabob Bay

Abstract

We present the spatial and temporal variability of the acoustic field in Dabob Bay during the PLUSNet07 Exercise. The study uses a 4-D data-assimilative numerical ocean model to provide input to an acoustic propagation model. The ocean physics models (primitive-equations and tidal models), with CTD data assimilation, provided ocean predictions in the region. The output ocean forecasts had a 300m and 1-5m resolution in the horizontal and vertical directions, at 3-hour time intervals within a 15-day period. This environmental data, as the input to acoustic modeling, allowed for the prediction and study of the temporal variations of the acoustic field, as well as the varying spatial structures of the field. Using a one-way coupled-normal-mode code, along- and across-sections in the Dabob Bay acoustic field structures at 100, 400, and 900 Hz were forecasted and described twice-daily, for various source depths. Interesting propagation effects, such as acoustic fluctuations with respect to the source depth and frequency as a result of the regional ocean variability, wind forcing, and tidal effects are discussed. The novelty of this work lies in the possibility of accurate acoustic TL prediction in the littoral region by physically coupling the real-time ocean prediction system to real-time acoustic modeling. © 2008 Acoustical Society of America.