Space-time structure of the low-frequency acoustic field in an underwater sound channel

Experimental data are presented on the fine structure of the sound field in an underwater sound channel for low and infralow sound frequencies. The experiments are performed in the Black Sea, on a 600-km-long path, with explosive sound sources. The intensity, space-time, and frequency characteristics of the sound field are analyzed. The geometric dispersion of the first normal wave is experimentally studied. The role of the channel inhomogeneities in the violation of the sound field coherence is determined for different frequency bands. On the basis of the experimental data, the vertical distribution of the critical frequencies of the waveguide is obtained, and the validity limits are established for the wave and ray calculation methods. The applicability of the phase methods for calculating the sound fields in waveguides with dispersion is discussed. The frequency-angular dependence of the effective sound attenuation coefficient in an underwater waveguide is revealed and explained.