Internal-wave time evolution effect on ocean acoustic rays.

Abstract

A range-dependent field of sound speed in the ocean, c(x,z), caused by internal waves, can give rise to instabilities in acoustic ray paths. Past work has shown the importance of the background, range-independent, sound-speed profile; the ray initial conditions; the source-receiver geometry (depths and range); and the strength of the internal waves. However, in the past the time evolution of the internal waves has been ignored on the grounds that the speed of internal waves is much slower than the speed of the acoustic wave. It is shown here by numerical simulation that two rays with identical initial conditions, traveling through an ocean with the same background profile and the same random realization of internal waves, but with the internal waves frozen in one case and evolving in the other, travel significantly different trajectories. The dependence of this "frozen-unfrozen" difference on the initial ray launch angle, the background profile, and the strength of the internal-wave spectrum, is investigated. The launch-angle difference that generates similar arrival-depth differences to those induced by internal-wave time evolution is on the order of 100 microrad. The pattern of differences is measured here by the arrival depth at the final range of 1000 km. The observed pattern as a function of launch angle, change in the background profile, and change in internal-wave strength is found to be nearly the same for "frozen-unfrozen" change as for a slight change in launch angle.