WAVE REFLECTION FROM A TRANSITIONAL LAYER BETWEEN THE SEAWATER AND THE BOTTOM

This paper presents a theoretical study of sound wave propagation thro ugh media whose properties change along one of the coordinate rectangu lar axes, and remain constant in the plane orthogonal to this axis. Th e uppermost sea bottom layer could be modeled as such an inhomogeneous medium where the density, sound velocity, and absorption of acoustica l energy varies along one axis. The results were applied to obtain the reflection coefficient of the water-bottom surface considering that t here is a transitional inhomogeneous layer with density, velocity, and absorption gradient, and without discontinuity with the bottom. It wa s concluded that the reflection coefficient of the bottom surface show s a frequency variation, dependent on the physical property gradients in the uppermost sea bottom layer. (C) 1997 Acoustical Society of Amer ica.