A Model of the Acoustic Interactions Occurring Under Arctic Ice

• Main Author: Ullman, II, Roger R.
• Other Authors: NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAPOLIS MD
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1990
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Acoustics; *SURFACE ROUGHNESS; *OCEAN MODELS; *UNDERICE; *ACOUSTIC SCATTERING; SURFACES; PLATES; GEOMETRY; COVERINGS; UNDERWATER ACOUSTICS; UNDERWATER SOUND; UNDERWATER; ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE; ARCTIC REGIONS; FLOATING BODIES; OMNIDIRECTIONAL; FORWARD SCATTERING; PLANE GEOMETRY; BURST TRANSMISSION; ACRYLIC RESINS; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; INTERACTIONS; SOURCES; RATIOS; Arctic; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA227128; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA227128

Underwater sound interacting with the Arctic ice cover is reflected from the plane surface as well as scattered due to small-scale roughness elements and large pressure-ridge keel structures. Experiments modeled the acoustic ice interactions using burst transmissions from omnidirectional underwater point sources. Floating acrylic plates were employed to represent the Arctic ice due to similarity in impedance characteristics and other physical properties to known ice values. Geometrical properties of the ice were accurately scaled in the acrylic by maintaining the appropriate wavelength ratios. Reflection and forward scatter effects were analyzed and compared with existing theories for the Arctic.