Seasonally-invariant head wave speed extracted from ocean noise cross-correlation

Ambient noise was recorded continuously for 9 months by two horizontal arrays deployed in shallow water with a horizontal separation of approximately 0.5 km. Stable empirical Green's functions (EGFs) were extracted from ambient noise correlations between the two arrays. The EGFs have three distinct envelopes which correspond to the head waves, direct waves, and surface-reflected waves. The arrival time of the head wave was almost constant with season. Corresponding simulations were carried out, and implied that the relatively small penetration depth of heat flow is the main reason for the seasonally-invariant head wave speed.