(Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2017-09)
Carper, Scott A.
A newly discovered double ducted acoustic environment present
throughout much of the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic has a major effect on active acoustic transmissions. This work performs an in depth
analysis of how the lower duct impacts the propagation of various
active signals used commonly for acoustic communications or active
sonar. First, this thesis performs a thorough modal analysis of the
effect of the double ducted environment on long range propagation of
a 300 Hz and 3500 Hz pulse. Signal excess is determined for the two
different source pulses to quantify the effect of the lower duct on noise
and SNR. Finally, channel capacity is calculated for the two frequency
bands to evaluate operational impacts of the lower duct on acoustic
communication systems in the Arctic.
