Perturbation Modeling and Data Analysis in ASIAEX

Shallow water acoustics and the performance of sonar systems in littoral environments are critical areas of interest to the US Navy. In response to this, the Office of Naval Research sponsored a series of acoustics experiments in the East and South China Seas, hereafter referred to as ASIAEX. Components of these experiments included studies of shallow water reverberation, geoacoustic properties, and short-range propagation variability. The long-term goals of this study are to provide a better understanding of shallow water reverberation, its statistics, and the primary mechanisms that define its structure, as well as the influence of geoacoustic and water column variability on shallow water propagation. By improving our understanding, the negative influence of such variability on active systems may be reduced through smarter data processing.