The Parameterization of the Sound Speed Profile in the Sea of Japan and Its Perturbation Caused by a Synoptic Eddy

Abstract

This study presents the description of the parameterization of sound speed distribution in the Sea of Japan in the presence of a synoptic eddy. An analytical representation of the background sound speed profile (SSP) on its periphery is proposed. The perturbation of sound speed directly associated with the presence of an eddy is investigated. The proposed parameterization of the background SSP leads to a Sturm–Liouville problem for normal mode computation, which is equivalent to the eigenvalue problem for the Schrödinger equation with the Morse potential. This equivalence leads to simple analytical formulae for normal modes and their respective horizontal wavenumbers. It is shown that in the presence of an eddy causing moderate variations in sound speed, the standard perturbation theory for acoustic modes can be applied to describe the variability in horizontal wavenumbers across the area in which the eddy is localized. The proposed parameterization can be applied to the sound propagation modeling in the Sea of Japan.