Entry Date:
December 6, 2006

Acoustic Propagation Modeling


MIT researchers have produced a variety of computer models to help understand how sound travels in the ocean.

These models are capable of predicting the path that sound waves will follow through the water column. This particular prediction shows that there is a “channel” in the ocean that transmits a larger amount of sound (shown by the brighter colors). These channels allow certain sound frequencies to travel great distances, and may be used by whales to communicate across the ocean.