A Tessellated Approach to 3-D Parabolic Equation Acoustic Modeling

The propagation of sound underwater is influenced by variations of the environment in range, depth and azimuth. Many sound propagation models ignore the azimuthal dependence and solve two-dimensional (2D) problem in range and depth. In this project, various mathematical techniques for applying azimuthal dependence into a full 3-D sound propagation model will be investigated. The techniques will be evaluated for computational efficiency when modelling large areas. This investigation will form the starting point for a Master’s thesis that will be carried out by the student subsequent to the completion of the internship and that will involve developing the full implementation of an efficient 3-D code. The resulting code will be a valuable tool for environmental impact assessments relating to industrial noise in the marine environment.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Ross Chapman

Student:

Melanie Austin

Partner:

JASCO Research Ltd.

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

University of Victoria