(Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1993-09)
Bowen, Stephen G.
The results of an experiment examining the forward propagation or an acoustic
signal through a buoyant plume are discussed. Two distinct testing sights were used. One
made use of a small fresh water tank in NUWC to provide a controlled plume. The other
used a larger salt water tank at WHOI to create a more realistic oceanic model. Using the
Born and Rytov approximations, an estimation of the effects of the laminar plume on the
propagated signal are shown. As the plume moves from laminar to turbu lent, the
scintillation index and the Fourier transform of the magnitude square response provide
insight into the nature of the transition. Finally, from the turbulent response a model for
the scattering function is developed.