Underwater noise from submarine turbidity currents

Noise from turbidity currents flowing down the face of a fjord delta was measured underwater at frequencies from 1 to 1200 kHz. The noise spectra are consistent with sound generation by collisions among sand-sized particles. The spectra from the leading head extend to higher frequencies than those from the trailing body, indicating that collisions were between finer-grained particles in the head and coarser-grained particles in the body. Noise intensity increased 100-fold for a two-fold increase in head speed, consistent with the expected collision rate for granular materials in the high-flow gas-like phase and highly turbulent particle-laden flows.