Michael J. Buckingham: Leading the way in ocean ambient noise processing and modeling

Abstract

Nearly 40 years ago, Michael Buckingham published a theoretical model for ocean ambient noise in shallow water. His pioneering work of the late 1970s and early 1980s advanced not only the methods for understanding the ambient noise field but also the impact on array signal processing. In the late 1980s, Buckingham made a pivotal shift in thinking about ambient noise. He considered ambient noise not as a nuisance factor but as a usable signal. In the late 1980s Buckingham and Jones had the novel idea to take measured ambient noise from a vertical line array and develop an inversion method to determine the seabed critical angle. A few years later, Buckingham invented a technique known as ambient noise imaging (ANI), or acoustic daylight, which is analogous to conventional photography with daylight as the source of illumination. Buckingham continues to lead the way, and the true significance of his work must include the inspiration his research gives to numerous other scientists, especially those investigating methods to exploit ambient noise as a usable signal. In this presentation, a review of Buckingham’s contributions to understanding ambient noise will be described, particularly as they relate to recent methods for ambient noise processing and modeling.