Integration of Infrasound Propagation Models and Near-Real-Time Atmospheric Characterizations

Abstract

Abstract : Numerical modeling of infrasound propagation directly supports infrasound source location and phase identification. Predicting the details of infrasound propagation relies on characterization of the propagation medium, namely the global atmosphere from the ground to altitudes above 100 km and the accuracy of propagation modeling depends on the fidelity of the atmospheric characterization. The analysis tool kit InfraMAP (Infrasound Modeling of Atmospheric Propagation) has been upgraded to offer new options for specifying the propagation environment. Near-real-time atmospheric updates, such as the output from numerical weather prediction models, supplement the baseline climatological characterization of temperature, wind and air composition. InfraMAP integrates advanced infrasound propagation models (ray-tracing, parabolic equation, normal mode) and environmental representations. It also incorporates algorithms for assessing propagation variability and for localizing infrasound sources based on both observations and model calculations. New InfraMAP modules enable integration of propagation models with two near-real-time atmospheric characterizations. Output from the NRLG2S (Naval Research Laboratory Ground to Space) specification can be imported and used to characterize the entire propagation environment. Naval Research Laboratory's NRL-G2S is a semi-empirical spectral model that fuses climatological models with output from operational numerical weather prediction models.