Estimating Arctic Ocean Acoustic Travel Times Using an Earth System Model

Abstract The hydroacoustic environment of a rapidly warming Arctic Ocean will be impacted by interconnected changes in the physical environment and increased human activity. Previous acoustic calculations will need to be updated to reflect current and future conditions. Earth System Models are impor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: S. M. Niklasson, M. Veneziani, C. A. Rowe, P. F. Worcester, M. A. Dzieciuch, S. L. Bilek, S. F. Price, A. F. Roberts
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102216
https://doaj.org/article/ffdd7d42a7d44de4a675485abf828325
Description
Summary:Abstract The hydroacoustic environment of a rapidly warming Arctic Ocean will be impacted by interconnected changes in the physical environment and increased human activity. Previous acoustic calculations will need to be updated to reflect current and future conditions. Earth System Models are important tools for making projections of changes in a wide range of physical processes under future climates. We present a comparison of Arctic acoustic travel times based on output from the Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model with measured travel times from the 2016–2017 Canada Basin Acoustic Propagation Experiment and with travel times predicted by empirical temperature and salinity observations. This comparison allows us to test the impact of changes in Arctic sound speed profiles on acoustic travel times and connects Arctic hydroacoustics with the changing Arctic environment as described by a climate model.