Effects of seabed corrugation and stratification on 3D acoustic propagation along the New England Shelf Break

Acoustic signals transmitted and recorded during the New England Shelf Break Acoustics Experiment in 2021 (NESBA) display evidence of complex scattering effects which were not captured in in situ modeling efforts. In particular, although the acoustic parabolic equation models used can predict later arrivals of a single transmission, initial arrivals show mismatch between model predictions and observation. In this presentation, estimates of sub-bottom sediment structure are supplemented by a high-resolution model of the bathymetry to simulate 3D sound propagation across a realistic seabed. The influence of the seabed corrugation and stratification on acoustic arrival times is examined in the context of the NESBA environment. This research is supported by the Office of Naval Research.