Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T18:42:07.916Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sound generation in the ocean by breaking surface waves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2006

Y. P. Guo
Y. P. Guo
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Various flow processes resulting from the breaking of ocean surface waves are examined in order to determine their relative efficiencies as sources of sound. Momentum fluctuation arising from splashing water sprays is identified as the major contributor to the underwater sound. It is shown that the splashing is more efficient in radiating sound than other processes, such as unsteady foaming that entrains air bubbles into water, and turbulent motions in the surface layer associated with compressibility of the entrained bubbles. A model is presented to estimate the sound power radiated in terms of parameters of the wind and surface wave field. Comparison of theory with measurements is made and good agreement is discovered.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 181 , August 1987 , pp. 329 - 347
Copyright
© 1987 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Crighton, D. G. & Ffowcs Williams, J. E. 1969 Sound generation by turbulent two-phase flow. J. Fluid Mech. 36, 588–603.Google Scholar
Ffowcs Williams, J. E. 1965 Sound radiation from turbulent boundary layers formed on compliant surfaces. J. Fluid Mech. 22, 347–358.Google Scholar
Ffowcs Williams, J. E. 1986 Waves in turbulent mixing layers. Recent Advances in Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics (ed. A. Krothapalli & C. A. Smith), pp. 3–24. Springer.
Guo, Y. P. 1987 On sound generation by weakly nonlinear interactions of surface gravity waves. J. Fluid Mech. 181, 311–328.Google Scholar
Jones, D. S. 1982 The Theory of Generalized Functions. Cambridge University Press.
Knudsen, V. O., Alford, R. S. & Emling, J. W. 1948 Underwater ambient noise. J. Mar. Res. 7, 410–429.Google Scholar
Lighthill, J. M. 1952 On sound generated aerodynamically. I. General theory. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 211, 564–587.Google Scholar
Morris, G. B. 1978 Depth dependence of ambient noise in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 64, 581–590.Google Scholar
Perrone, A. J. 1969 Deep-ocean ambient-noise spectra in the Northwest Atlantic. J. Acost. Soc. Am. 46, 762–770.Google Scholar
Phillips, O. M. 1977 The Dynamics of the Upper Ocean. Cambridge University Press.
Phillips, O. M. 1985 Spectral and statistical properties of the equilibrium range in wind-generated gravity waves. J. Fluid Mech. 156, 505–531.Google Scholar
Wenz, G. W. 1962 Acoustic ambient noise in the ocean: spectra and sources. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 34, 1936–1956.Google Scholar