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Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Induction of Microstreaming by Nonspherical Bubble Oscillations in an Acoustic Levitation System
Published on: May 9, 2021
Underwater sound generated by motor vehicle traffic in an underwater tunnel
D Benjamin Reeder1, John E Joseph1, Tarry A Rago1
1Dept. of Oceanography, Naval Postgraduate School 833 Dyer Road, Monterey, California 93943, USAdbreeder@nps.edu, jejoseph@nps.edu, tarago@nps.edu.
Abstract:
Underwater acoustic and environmental measurements were made adjacent to the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel in the James River in Virginia during a field experiment in April 2019. The observed sound field exhibited short time-scale and tidal time-scale variability due to passing marine vessels and tidally driven currents in the estuary; most interestingly, the sound field exhibited variability on a diurnal time scale, closely correlated to the temporal distribution of vehicular traffic in the underwater tunnel. During morning and evening rush-hour traffic periods, the amplitude of the traffic-induced underwater signal exceeded 10 dB at 40 Hz. Additional physics-based modeling and direct observation are required to verify the hypothesis that the signal is associated with the traffic-induced vibration in the tunnel roadbed.
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