Underwater sound propagation variability over the Chukchi Sea continental slope

Abstract

In the Canada Basin and Chukchi Sea regions, a vertical sound duct can be formed between the Pacific Summer Water Layer on the top and the Atlantic Water Layer on the bottom, providing an acoustic pathway connecting the deep basin and the shallow shelf over the Chukchi Sea continental slope. Previous studies have shown that the shelfbreak circulation (specifically upwelling), the sub-mesoscale eddies spun off the shelfbreak jet, and the ice coverage are the three major causes of the temporal and spatial variability of the Pacific Summer Water Layer in the region. In this paper, numerical simulations utilizing the Parabolic-Equation (PE) method are conducted to investigate the sound propagation variability over the Chukchi Sea shelfbreak and slope, along with an idealized ocean circulation model providing the fundamental basis of water-column fluctuations. The sound pressure sensitivity kernel derived from the acoustic propagator in the PE method is also used to provide physical insights into the sound pro...