How wrong can you be? Can a simple spreading formula be used to predict worst-case underwater sound levels?

Duncan, Alexander; Parsons, Miles

183023_55189_acoustics_2011_how_wrong_can_you_be.pdf (703.7Kb)

Access Status

Open access

Authors

Duncan, Alexander

Parsons, Miles

Date

2011

Type

Conference Paper

Metadata

Show full item record

Citation

Duncan, Alex J. and Parsons, Miles J.G. 2011. How wrong can you be? Can a simple spreading formula be used to predict worst-case underwater sound levels?, in D.J. Mee and I.D.M. Hillock (ed), Proceedings of Acoustics 2011: Breaking New Ground, Nov 2-4 2011, pp. 1-8. Gold Coast, Qld.: Australian Acoustical Society.

Source Title

Acoustics 2011: Breaking New GroundProceedings of the Annual Conference of the Australian Acousticial Society

Source Conference

Acoustics 2011: Breaking New Ground

ISBN

978-0-9757855-8-4

School

Centre for Marine Science & Technology (COE)

Remarks

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32936

Collection

Curtin Research Publications

Abstract

Several simple spreading laws have been proposed to allow estimates of underwater sound levels to be made without the complication of numerical modelling. Underwater acoustic propagation depends in an involved way on a number of geometric and environmental parameters, including source, receiver and water dept11, and water column and seabed acoustic properties. As a result, there are many scenarios in which the use of these formulae lead to large errors. However, there would be a place for a formula that could provide an upper limit on received sound levels in a particular situation as this would enable sound sources that had a very low probability of posing an environmental hazard to be quickly eliminated from further consideration. Such a formula is proposed in this paper and its bounds of applicability are explored by comparison with numerical model results for several scenarios.