Laboratory study of sound propagation into a fast bottom medium

Abstract

An experimental study was performed to determine the feasibility of a laboratory experiment to test an existing theoretical model describing sound propagation into a fast bottom underlying a wedge shaped medium. Sand under fresh water was found to satisfy the constraints of the theoretical model and to simulate the continental shelf. In a laboratory experiment, accuracy of density, sound speeds, and attenuation was shown to be sufficient to allow quantitative comparison to the predictions of the beam angle.