Fundamentals of Acoustical Oceanography

Abstract

Over a wide range of wavelengths the ocean is opaque to electromagnetic radiation but relatively transparent to sound. This property motivates a growing band of oceanographers to explore the possibilities of underwater acoustics as a tool for ocean measurement. The applications span a wide range. At the largest scales, the temperature dependence of sound speed allows monitoring of path‐averaged temperature variability over ocean basin scales with great precision. This is the principle on which acoustic thermometry of ocean climate is based, a remarkable story in its own right with political as well as scientific challenges.