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Analytical study of the horizontal ducting of sound by an oceanic front over a slope
Ying-Tsong Lin1, James F Lynch
1Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA. ytlin@whoi.edu
Abstract:
The horizontal ducting of sound by an oceanic temperature front over a sloping bottom is studied with an idealized wedge model consisting of a lateral interface across the slope. The water outside the frontal interface has higher temperature, hence faster sound speed, and it will produce inshore reflection/refraction of the sound. Combining the offshore refraction caused by the sloping bottom, propagating sound can be ducted along the front. An analytical solution to the sound pressure field in the idealized model is derived, and an example is presented to demonstrate and discuss the ducting effect.
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