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Three-dimensional propagation over an infinitely long cosine shaped hill is examined using an approximate normal mode/parabolic equation hybrid model that includes mode coupling in the out-going direction. The slope of the hill is relatively shallow, but it is significant enough to produce both mode-coupling and horizontal refraction effects. In the first part of the paper, the modeling approach is described, and the solution is compared to results obtained with a finite element method to evaluate the accuracy of the solution in light of assumptions made in formulating the model. Then the calculated transmission loss is interpreted in terms of a modal decomposition of the field, and the solution from the hybrid model is compared to adiabatic and N × 2D solutions to assess the relative importance of horizontal refraction and mode-coupling effects. An analysis using a horizontal ray trace is presented to explain differences in the modal interference pattern observed between the 3D and N × 2D solutions. The detailed discussion provides a thorough explanation of the observed 3D propagation effects and demonstrates the usefulness of the approximate normal mode/parabolic equation hybrid model as a tool to understand measured transmission loss in complex environments.

We compute accurate maps of oceanic perturbations affecting transient acoustic signals propagating from source to receiver. The technological advance involves coupling the one-way wave equation (OWWE) propagation model with the theory for the Differential Measure of Influence (DMI) yielding the map. The DMI requires two finite-frequency solutions of the acoustic wave equation obeying reciprocity: from source to receiver and vice versa. OWWE satisfies reciprocity at basin-scales with sound speed varying horizontally and vertically. At infinite frequency, maps of the DMI collapse into rays. Mapping the DMI is useful for understanding measurements of acoustic perturbations at finite frequencies.

Solving an acoustic wave equation using a parabolic approximation is a popular approach for many existing ocean acoustic models. Commonly used parabolic equation (PE) model programs, such as the range-dependent acoustic model (RAM), are discretized by the finite difference method (FDM). Considering the idea and theory of the wide-angle rational approximation, a discrete PE model using the Chebyshev spectral method (CSM) is derived, and the code is developed. This method is currently suitable only for range-independent waveguides. Taking three ideal fluid waveguides as examples, the correctness of using the CSM discrete PE model in solving the underwater acoustic propagation problem is verified. The test results show that compared with the RAM, the method proposed in this paper can achieve higher accuracy in computational underwater acoustics and requires fewer discrete grid points. After optimization, this method is more advantageous than the FDM in terms of speed. Thus, the CSM provides high-precision reference standards for benchmark examples of the range-independent PE model.

Sensitivity analysis is a powerful tool for analyzing multi-parameter models. For example, the Fisher information matrix (FIM) and the Cramér–Rao bound (CRB) involve derivatives of a forward model with respect to parameters. However, these derivatives are difficult to estimate in ocean acoustic models. This work presents a frequency-agnostic methodology for accurately estimating numerical derivatives using physics-based parameter preconditioning and Richardson extrapolation. The methodology is validated on a case study of transmission loss in the 50–400Hz band from a range-independent normal mode model for parameters of the sediment. Results demonstrate the utility of this methodology for obtaining Cramér–Rao bound (CRB) related to both model sensitivities and parameter uncertainties, which reveal parameter correlation in the model. This methodology is a general tool that can inform model selection and experimental design for inverse problems in different applications.