Sponsor
We gratefully acknowledge our sponsors from the Office of Naval Research Ocean Acoustics and Littoral Geoscience and Optics programs; Julien Bonnel, who provided oceanographic equipment; Laura Brownstead; Johnathan Todd; Drew Wendeborn; and the captain and crew of the R/V NEIL ARMSTRONG for their expertise in helping the experiment come to fruition.
Published In
JASA Express Letters
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-16-2026
Subjects
Marine sediments, sound speed profiles
Abstract
Marine sediment sound speed profiles in the upper ten meters are generally assumed to be constant with time. Models predict that substantive changes occur because of thermal conduction from seasonally varying bottom water temperature. However, definitive measurements have been lacking. In this work, sediment sound speed profiles obtained during different seasons show significant differences in the upper 9 m of mud at the New England Patch. Gradients in late March 2017 are 6.0 s−1 and in early October 2025, 2.6 s−1. This change is shown to have a significant impact on acoustic propagation.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1121/10.0044366
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45010
Citation Details
Holland, C. W., Smith, C., & Sonnemann, T. (2026). Seasonal changes in sediment sound speed profiles. JASA Express Letters, 6(7).