Work

Effects of Mesoscale Eddies on Acoustic Propagation with Preliminary Analysis of Topographic Influences

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates underwater acoustic propagation patterns under mesoscale eddy conditions through numerical modeling and parametric analysis. A mathematical model of mesoscale eddies was developed, and acoustic transmission loss was computed using the BELLHOP ray-tracing model. Systematic simulations were conducted to examine the effects of source depth, eddy polarity (cold/warm), eddy intensity, and seabed topography. The results reveal distinct acoustic behaviors: cold-core eddies shift convergence zones forward, reduce their width, elevate their depth, and enhance convergence gain within certain ranges. In contrast, warm-core eddies displace convergence zones backward, broaden their width, and can induce surface duct formation. Furthermore, seabed topography exerts minimal influence on acoustic propagation under cold-core eddies but significantly modulates propagation under warm-core eddies, with different topographies producing markedly distinct effects. These findings provide valuable insights for marine scientific research and engineering applications leveraging mesoscale eddy phenomena.

Source: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

DOI: 10.3390/jmse13122390

Authors: Xueqin Zhang, Cheng Lou, Yusheng Jia, Kunde Yang, Xiaolin Yu

Institutions: Northwestern Polytechnical University, Marine Design & Research Institute of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Underwater Acoustics Research

Subfield: Oceanography

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China