Quantifying hurricane destructive power, wind speed, and air-sea material exchange with natural undersea sound

Abstract

Passive ocean acoustic measurements may provide a safe and inexpensive means of accurately quantifying the destructive power of a hurricane. This is demonstrated by correlating the underwater sound intensity of Hurricane Gert with meteorological data acquired by aircraft transects and satellite surveillance. The intensity of low frequency underwater sound measured directly below the hurricane is found to be approximately proportional to the cube of the local wind speed, or the wind power. It is shown that passive underwater acoustic intensity measurements may be used to estimate wind speed and quantify the destructive power of a hurricane with an accuracy similar to that of aircraft measurements. The empirical relationship between wind speed and noise intensity may also be used to quantify sea-salt and gas exchange rates between the ocean and atmosphere, and the impact of underwater ambient noise on marine life and sonar system performance. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.