A modeling study of acoustic propagation through movingshallow-water solitary wave packets

Propagation of 400-Hz sound through continental-shelf internal solitary wave packets is shown by numerical simulation to be strongly influenced by coupling of normal modes. Coupling in a packet is controlled by the mode coefficients at the point where sound enters the packet, the dimensions of the waves and packet, and the ambient depth structures of temperature and salinity. In the case of a moving packet, changes of phases of the incident modes with respect to each other dominate over the other factors, altering the coupling over time and thus inducing signal fluctuations. The phasing within a moving packet varies with time scales of minutes, causing coupling and signal fluctuations with comparable time scales. The directionality of energy flux between high-order acoustic modes and (less attenuated) low-order modes determines a gain factor for long-range propagation. A significant finding is that energy flux toward low-order modes through the effect of a packet near a source favoring high-order modes will give net amplification at distant ranges. Conversely, a packet far from a source sends energy into otherwise quiet higher modes. The intermittency of the coupling and of high-mode attenuation via bottom interaction means that signal energy fluctuations and modal diversity fluctuations at a distant receiver are complementary, with energy fluctuations suggesting a source-region packet and mode fluctuations suggesting a receiver-region packet. Simulations entailing 33-km propagation are used in the analyses, imitating the SWARM experiment geometry, allowing comparison with observations     

Characteristics of acoustic propagation to the eastern vertical line array receiver during the summer 1996 New England shelfbreak PRIMER experiment

During July and August of 1996, the summer component of the New England shelfbreak front PRIMER experiment was fielded in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, at a site due south of Martha's Vineyard, MA. This study produced acoustic transmission data from a network of moored sources and receivers in conjunction with very-high-resolution oceanography measurements. This paper analyzes receptions at the northeast array receiver from two 400 Hz acoustic tomography sources, with the transmission paths going from the continental slope onto the continental shelf. These data, along with forward acoustic-propagation modeling based on moored oceanographic data, SeaSoar hydrography measurements, and bottom measurements, reveal many new and interesting aspects of acoustic propagation in a complicated slope-shelf environment. For example, one sees that both the shelfbreak front and tidally generated soliton internal wave packets produce stronger mode coupling than previously expected, leading to an interesting time-and-range-variable population of the acoustic normal modes. Additionally, the arrival time wander and the signal spread of acoustic pulses show variability that can be attributed to the presence of a frontal meander and variability in the soliton field. These and other effects are discussed in this paper, with an emphasis on creating a strong connection between the environmental measurements and the acoustic field characteristics.     

Observations of cnoidal internal waves and their effect on acousticpropagation in shallow water

Distinctive packets of periodic internal waves were observed during an experiment in the Gulf of Mexico. There was a 65-m-deep mixed layer overlying a thin strong density interface. A layer of weaker density stratification extended below the interface to the bottom, at a depth of 185 m. The waves had 2-10-m amplitudes, narrow frequency bandwidths with central frequencies of 8.5 cph, and they propagated in the upslope direction. The wave packets were observed on three consecutive days. They lasted about 3 h and were always observed at the same time of day, clearly in response to tidal forcing. A model of the time/space structure of the waves was tuned to match that of the observations, showing that the data are consistent with a cnoidal wave hypothesis. Observations of low-frequency acoustic propagation along two baselines show fluctuations that we hypothesize are due to interactions with the cnoidal waves. The fluctuations have spatial correlation scales (in the slantwise direction) on the order of 76 m. We simulate these effects using a time-step PE approach. We find that a mode-coupling resonance with the internal wave field results in elevated acoustic variability along a set of discrete spokes, emanating from the acoustic source. While acoustic variability tends to increase with range and with internal wave amplitude, tangential and radial correlation scales do not show a systematic dependence. The patterns in tangential and radial correlation scales show strong anisotropic patterns in azimuth, but little systematic trend in range     

A study of internal solitary waves observed on the continental shelf in the northwestern South China Sea

Based on in-situ time series data from the acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and thermistor chain in Wenchang area, a sequence of internal solitary wave (ISW) packets was observed in September 2005, propagating northwest on the continental shelf of the northwestern South China Sea (SCS). Corresponding to different stratification of the water column and tidal condition, both elevation and depression ISWs were observed at the same mooring location with amplitude of 35 m and 25 m respectively in different days. Regular arrival of the remarkable ISW packets at approximately the diurnal tidal period and the dominance of diurnal internal waves in the study area, strongly suggest that the main energy source of the waves is the diurnal tide. Notice that the wave packets were all riding on the troughs and shoulders of the internal tides, they were probably generated locally from the shelf break by the evolution of the internal tides due to nonlinear and dispersive effects.     

Generation of internal waves resulting from the interaction of a barotropic tide with a horizontallyinhomogeneous density field and bottom topography

This paper addresses the problem of the generation of internal waves by a barotropic tide propagating in a uniformly stratified sea across the frontal zone overlying a submerged ridge or a continental slope. Using Riemann's technique, we have performed computations and analysed the wave fields' spatial characteristics and have defined the dependences of the generated wave amplitudes, bottom topography parameters, and density field. It is shown that the presence of a horizontally-inhomogeneous density region over a subwater feature may lead to substantial alteration of the maximum amplitudinal values of internal waves, both inside and around the frontal zone.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Beam forming on bottom-interacting tow-ship noise

Ship noise received on a horizontal array towed behind the ship is shown to be useful as a potentially diagnostic tool for estimating local acoustic bottom properties. In numerical simulations, tow-ship noise which bounces off the bottom is processed on a beamformer that shows the arrival angles; the beamformer output is readily interpreted by relating it to the Green's function of the acoustic wave equation. Simple signal processing is shown to be sufficient to extract the propagation angles of the "trapped" (i.e., propagating) modes of the acoustic waveguide. By relating the trapped modes to a basic geophysical model of the bottom, one can predict acoustic-propagation conditions for a particular bottom-interacting ocean acoustic environment.     

Water wave scattering by bottom undulations in an ice-covered two-layer fluid

The scattering of plane surface waves by bottom undulations in an ice-covered ocean modelled as a two-layer fluid consisting of a layer of fresh water of lesser density above a deep layer of salt water, is investigated here by using a simplified perturbation analysis. In such a two-layer fluid there exist waves of two different modes, one with higher mode propagates along the interface and the other with lower mode propagates along the ice-cover. An incident wave of a particular mode gets reflected and transmitted by the bottom undulations into waves of both the modes so that transfer of wave energy from one mode to another takes place. The first-order reflection and transmission coefficients of two different modes are obtained due to incident waves of again two different modes by employing Fourier transform technique in the mathematical analysis. For sinusoidal bottom topography these coefficients are depicted graphically against the wavenumber. These figures show how the transfer of energy from one mode to another takes place.     

Modeling the generation and gravity-capillary waves using an underwater sound source

This is an experimental study of the acoustic method of surface-wave excitation using an underwater source of high-frequency (950 kHz) sound. The surface waves are excited at the sound-beam modulation frequency (3–55 Hz). For a normal fall onto the free surface, the modulated sound beam efficiently generates waves in the gravity-capillary range. This provides flexible electronic control of the main wave parameters (frequency and amplitude) in the packet and continuous modes. The amplitude-frequency characteristics of the process of surface-wave generation were obtained by numerical calculations (based on equations for the rate of acoustic flux and propagation of gravity-capillary surface waves) and by experiments (based on surface wave measurements by optical and contact methods). Both values are very consistent: on the background of a similar monotonic attenuation with frequency, they have a local dip near the minimum of the phase velocity and oscillation in the frequency range above 20 Hz. The experiments on the excitation of wave packets by single acoustic messages with varying lengths and powers, as well as by falling water drops, indicated that, in all cases, the phase characteristics are satisfactorily consistent with one another and the time needed for the signal to arrive at the measurement point is determined by the group velocity.     

Effect of the seasonal thermocline on the spatial/temporal structure of internal waves

Mathematical modelling techniques are applied to study the influence of the seasonal pycnocline on the propagation and attenuation of internal waves in an ocean with a main pycnocline. This paper discusses the peculiarities of dispersive dependences, group velocities, and of the velocity field's amplitudinal characteristics induced by the seasonal pycnocline. Short-period motions have been observed to concentrate within the latter, and the conditions causing a modification of the environment's waveguide properties for non-stationary wave packets, associated with the existence of two pycnoclines, have been identified.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Acoustic Ducting, Reflection, Refraction, and Dispersion by Curved Nonlinear Internal Waves in Shallow Water

Nonlinear internal waves in shallow water have been shown to be effective ducts of acoustic energy, through theory, numerical modeling, and experiment. To date, most work on such ducting has concentrated on rectilinear internal wave ducts or those with very slight curvature. In this paper, we examine the acoustic effects of significant curvature of these internal waves. (By significant curvature, we mean lateral deviation of the internal wave duct by more than half the spacing between internal waves over an acoustic path, giving a transition from ducting to antiducting.) We develop basic analytical models of these effects, employ fully 3-D numerical models of sound propagation and scattering, and examine simultaneous acoustical and oceanographic data from the 2006 Shallow Water Experiment (SW06). It will be seen that the effects of curvature should be evident in the mode amplitudes and arrival angles, and that observations are consistent with curvature, though with some possible ambiguity with other scattering mechanisms.      

Coupled acoustic mode propagation through continental-shelfinternal solitary waves

Three techniques are used to investigate mode coupling as acoustic energy passes through continental-shelf internal solitary waves (ISW's). Results from all techniques agree. The waves considered here are single downward undulations of a thermocline layer separating upper and lower well-mixed layers. Two techniques are numerical: parabolic equation (PE) solution and a sudden approximation joining range-invariant regions at sharp vertical interfaces. The third technique is an analytic derivation of ISW scale lengths separating adiabatic (at large scale) and coupled-mode propagation. Results show that energy is exchanged between modes as ISW's are traversed. The sharp interface solutions help explain this in terms of spatially confined coupling and modal phase interference. Three regimes are observed: 1) for short ISW's, coupling upon wave entrance is reversed upon exit, with no net coupling; 2) for ISW scales of 75-200 m, modal phase alteration averts the exit reversal, giving net coupling; transparent resonances yielding no net coupling are also observed in this regime; and 3) for long ISW's, adiabaticity is probable but not universal. Mode refraction analysis for nonparallel acoustic-ISW alignment suggests that these two-dimensional techniques remain valid for 0° (parallel) to 65° (oblique) incidence, with an accordant ISW stretching     

内波远距离传播演化的实验研究

为了研究内波远距离传播过程中的演化规律,本文采用图像测速法(PIV)分别对内波近场和远场的速度场进行测量。实验中同时采用两台CCD相机对实验区域进行拍摄,根据实验结果对内波能量和垂向模态结构进行计算分析。实验结果表明,在近场区域生成的内波主要表现为内波射线结构。内波射线在经过海表面反射后,其能量在空间上出现非对称结构,能量在加强区域较减弱区增加约15%。在远场,内波射线结构不再清晰,内波主要表现为低模态内波结构。内波射线在反射时能量衰减显著,损失约为50%;低模态内波可以离开内波生成源地远距离传播,传播过程中能量损失较小,在远场传播过程中(第一模态内波半波长的距离)能量损失约20%。低模态内波的传播相速度介于垂向第一模态和第二模态相速度之间。     

Short-period internal waves in the frontal zones of non-tidal seas (the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea)

This paper reports empirical data on short-period internal waves in the Black Sea and Aegean frontal zones, collected through the use of distributed temperature sensor arrays. Peculiar features of the behaviour and propagation of the internal waves in these zones are shown. It is shown that the wavefield is anisotropic and reduction of the wave lengths diminishes during the climb up a sloping pycnocline. The energy level of the spectra of internal wave oscillations in the frontal zones of non-tidal seas was found to be lower than that relating to oceanic frontal zones.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

珠江口低盐透镜现象的声传播特性分析

低盐透镜现象是珠江口陆架海域常见的一种中尺度现象,它的出现会影响水下声传播环境。利用南海北部陆架区的CTD资料分析了低盐透镜的结构特征,基于简正波和射线模型,建立二维波导环境,设置不同声源条件,对低盐透镜环境的声传播特性进行了研究。结果表明:低盐透镜会在海水上层形成声道,距离15 km处其传播损失较没有低盐透镜的情况小约15 dB。虽然低盐透镜声道厚度通常较小,但是较大的盐度梯度可以保证声道对声能的有效传播。当频率高于截止频率的声源置于低盐透镜内,声道效应有助于声音的远距离传播。     

孤立内波对过渡海域声场干涉结构的影响分析

南海北部陆坡海域是孤立内波的活跃区,孤立内波在该海域能够引起水体环境较强烈的水平不均匀性,从而影响声场干涉结构。将描述宽带声信号强度干涉条纹斜率的波导不变量视为一种分布,能更准确地分析声场的距离*频率干涉结构。本文研究了孤立内波环境下过渡海域声场的距离*频率干涉结构,依据实测孤立内波海洋环境,得到孤立内波环境下随距离变化的声速剖面,利用抛物方程方法仿真过渡海域声场干涉结构。在此基础上,利用拉东变换和傅里叶变换结合的谱值分离方法在低信噪比环境下提取波导不变量分布。分析表明孤立内波环境下过渡海域的声场类影区、类会聚区的波导不变量取值更丰富。     

Classification and Comparison of Wave Impact Modes on Semi-Submersibles

Semi-submersibles for offshore oil exploration and exploitation often suffer from severe wave impacts in extreme ocean environments.Owing to the complex wave interactions among structural components of semi-submersibles,in-depth analyses on the characteristics of wave impact events are of significance for both industry and academia.An experimental study was carried out to investigate the local wave impact loads on a semi-submersible,with focus on understanding the wave impacts by identifying typical impact modes.Quantitative criteria are proposed to classify major wave impacts on the semi-submersible into six modes and two types.The results show that the classification is reasonable and provides valuable information for studying wave impacts on semi-submersibles.The incident wave characteristics at the fore column of the semi-submersible have important influence on the wave impact mode.The fore-column dominating wave impacts exert the most intense loads on the fore column and feature well-developed breaking waves or slightly breaking waves at the fore column.However,the aft-column dominating wave impacts exert the most intense loads on the aft column or the deck bottom and feature non-breaking waves at the fore column.Energy loss during the fore-column impact weakens the impact severity on the aft column in the fore-column dominating wave impacts.The shoaling effect of the submerged pontoon and different motion configurations of the platform result in higher occurrence rate of the aft-column dominating wave impacts.Different impact modes are also distinguished by different spatial distributions of wave impact loads.     

喀拉海峡潮-地相互作用激发非线性内波的数值模拟

Nonlinear internal waves(NIWs) are ubiquitous around the Kara Sea, a part of the Arctic Ocean that is north of Siberia. Three hot spot sources for internal waves, one of which is the Kara Strait, have been identified based on Envisat ASAR. The generation and evolution of the NIWs through the interactions of the tide and topography across the strait is studied based on a nonhydrostatic numerical model. The model captures most wave characteristics shown by satellite data. A typical inter-packets distance on the Barents Sea side is about 25 km in summer, with a phase speed about 0.65 m/s. A northward background current may intensify the accumulation of energy during generation, but it has little influence on the other properties of the generated waves. The single internal solitary wave(ISW) structure is a special phenomenon that follows major wave trains, with a distance about 5–8 km. This wave is generated with the leading wave packets during the same tidal period. When a steady current toward the Kara Sea is included, the basic generation process is similar, but the waves toward the Kara Sea weaken and display an internal bore-like structure with smaller amplitude than in the control experiment. In winter, due to the growth of sea ice, stratification across the Kara Strait is mainly determined by the salinity, with an almost uniform temperature close to freezing. A pycnocline deepens near the middle of the water depth(Barents Sea side), and the NIWs process is not as important as the NIWs process in summer. There is no fission process during the simulation.     

Nonlinear effects in the process of propagation of internal waves with regard for the turbulent viscosity and diffusion

By the method of asymptotic multiscale expansions in the Boussinesq approximation, we study nonlinear effects observed in the process of propagation of internal waves with regard for the turbulent viscosity and diffusion. We determine the decrement of attenuation of waves and the boundary-layer solutions at the bottom and on the free surface. The wave-induced mean current is found in the second order of smallness in the wave steepness. The coefficients of the nonlinear Schr?dinger equation are obtained for the envelope of the wave packet. It is shown that a weakly nonlinear plane wave is stable under longitudinal modulation in the long-wave limit. If the wavelength is smaller than a certain critical value, then the wave is unstable under modulation.     

基于MODIS遥感影像的安达曼海内波特征参数分布及生成周期研究

本文基于2017年634幅MODIS影像分析了安达曼海3个典型区域的内波空间分布特征,定量统计了波峰线长度、波包面积等特征参数,利用射线追踪法探讨了内波的潜在激发源并推算了内波的生成周期。研究表明,安达曼海北部海域的内波空间尺度较小,前导波波峰线的平均长度约为107 km,平均波包面积约为1 860 km²,内波的传播方向主要为东向以及西南向。安达曼海中部海域内波前导波波峰线的平均长度约为133 km,平均波包面积约为3 503 km²,超过70%的内波沿东偏北方向传播。苏门答腊岛北部海域内波前导波波峰线的平均长度约为131 km,平均波包面积约为2 997 km²,内波的传播方向主要为东向、东北向及东南向。安达曼海共有7个潜在内波激发源,内波的生成时间间隔介于11.5～13 h,具有明显的半日周期特征。