Application of the Beilis-Tappert parabolic equation method to sound propagation over irregular terrain

The Beilis-Tappert (1979) parabolic equation method is attractive for irregular terrain because it treats surface variations in terms of a simple multiplicative factor ("phase screen"). However, implementing the exact sloping-surface impedance condition is problematic if one wants the computational efficiency of a Fourier parabolic equation algorithm. This article investigates an approximate flat-ground impedance condition that allows the Beilis-Tappert phase screen method to be used with a Fourier algorithm without any added complications. The exact sloping-surface impedance condition is derived and applied to propagation predictions over hills with maximum slopes from 5° to 22°. The predictions with the exact impedance condition are compared to predictions using the approximate flat-ground impedance condition. It is found that for slopes less than 15°-20°, the flat-ground impedance condition is sufficiently accurate. For slopes greater than approximately 20°, the limiting factor on numerical accuracy is not the flat-ground impedance approximation, but rather the narrow-angle approximation required by the Beilis-Tappert method. Thus, within the 20° limitation and using the flat-ground impedance condition with a Fourier parabolic equation, sound propagation over irregular terrain can be computed simply, efficiently, and accurately.