Determining the Distance to an Underwater Source in Convergence Zones

Abstract

An algorithm has been substantiated for determining the distance to noisy sources in the passive sonar in convergence zones, which are observed in most deep-sea areas of the World Ocean. The algorithm is based on the well-known pattern of formation of the ray structure of the acoustic field of the source signal at the input of the receiving antenna. This pattern is that when a source enters a convergence zone by crossing its near boundary, the maximum energy of its signal arrives at the antenna along rays with negative grazing angles, and when a source enters a convergence zone by crossing its far boundary, along rays with positive grazing angles. The accuracy of determining the distance using the proposed algorithm in the case of detection of surface and underwater sources is assessed.