Abstract:
A model has been developed for ambient noise in the ocean generated by breaking waves. The model has three parts: a bubble pulse spectrum based on the probability density distribution of bubble size, a propagation function and a wind speed-dependent factor specifying the number of events. The probability density of the bubble size is based on a theoretical distribution developed by Longuet-Higgins for the shattering of a large bubble into many small bubbles. The theoretical model has been compared with measurements of ocean ambient noise in the Tongue of the Ocean [R. M. Kennedy and T. V. Goodnow, IEEE J. Ocean Eng. 15(4) (1990)] for a range of wind speeds. The bubble size probability distributions are obtained as a function of wind speed using the best fit of the theory to the measured data. Mean-square errors of less than 1.5 dB are obtained for all the spectra considered. [Work supported by ONR.]