THREE-DIMENSIONAL ACOUSTICS EFFECTS IN THE ASIAEX SCS EXPERIMENT

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) ocean environment is assimilated with measured ocean data in the ASIAEX SCS (Asian Seas International Acoustics EXperiment, South China Sea) experiment. The experiment site is characterized as an active internal wave propagation region along the Northwestern shelf break of the South China Sea. Three-dimensional acoustics effects in the area are studied using FOR3DW, a wide-angle version of the parabolic equation code FOR3D (a Finite difference solution, an Ordinary differential equation, and Rational function approximations for solving 3D problems), and MOS3DPEF (MOdal Spectrum analysis based on 3D PE Field). The TL comparison between Nx2D and 3D calculations are shown to demonstrate the 3D effects. Variations in topography of the shelf break and in the water column due to the internal waves cause the 3D effects in the acoustic field. The intercomparison of the importance of bottom steering 3D effects and nonlinear internal wave refraction 3D effects is therefore proposed to realize which possesses the major part of the 3D effects. Also, 3D modal analysis results show that the nonlinear internal wave front causes severe horizontal refraction for higher modes.