Use of mode subspace projections for depth discrimination with a horizontal line array: Theory and experimental results

A solution to the problem of acoustic source depth discrimination in a downward refracting, shallow-water ocean waveguide is presented for the case of a horizontal line array at endfire. The approach exploits the phenomenon of mode trapping, wherein a shallow acoustic source cannot excite the lowest order waveguide modes due to its evanescent amplitude dependence near the surface. The important implication of this "trapping" behavior is that, given sufficient spatial aperture, it provides a mechanism for differentiating a shallow acoustic noise source from one at depth. The method does not require array cant, or physical vertical aperture of any kind, but instead relies only on the sensitivity of a line array at endfire to differences in horizontal wave number to resolve low and high order mode subspace excitations. The only inputs to the algorithm are an approximate sound speed profile, water depth, and bottom type. The theoretical basis for the test statistic is first reviewed, followed by discussion of key requirements, and illustration of the concept using results from a RAM PE simulation for a downward refracting environment. Finally, the algorithm is experimentally demonstrated using data from a bottom-mounted HLA deployed in the moderately cluttered continental shelf environment of the Florida Straits.