Shallow water acoustics (SWA), the study of how low and medium frequency sound propagates and scatters on the continental shelves of the worlds oceans, has both technical interest and a large number of practical applications. Technically, shallow water poses an interesting medium for the study of acoustic scattering, inverse theory, and propagation physics in a complicated oceanic waveguide. Practically, shallow water acoustics has interest for geophysical exploration, marine mammal studies, and naval applications. Additionally, one notes the very interdisciplinary nature of shallow water acoustics, including acoustical physics, physical oceanography, marine geology, and marine biology. In this specialized volume the authors, all of whom have extensive at-sea experience in US and Russian research efforts, have tried to summarize the main experimental, theoretical, and computational results in shallow water acoustics, with an emphasis on providing physical insight into the topics presented.

The continents of our planet have already been exploited to a great extent. Therefore man is turning his sight to the vast spaciousness of the ocean whose resources - mineral, biological, energetic, and others - are just beginning to be used. The ocean is being intensively studied. Our notions about the dynam ics of ocean waters and their role in forming the Earth's climate as well as about the structure of the ocean bottom have substantially changed during the last two decades. An outstanding part in this accelerated exploration of the ocean is played by ocean acoustics. Only sound waves can propagate in water over large distances. Practically all kinds of telemetry, communication, location, and re mote sensing of water masses and the ocean bottom use sound waves. Propa gating over thousands of kilometers in the ocean, they bring information on earthquakes, eruptions of volcanoes, and distant storms. Projects using acoustical tomography systems for exploration of the ocean are presently be ing developed. Each of these systems will allow us to determine the three-di mensional structure of water masses in regions as large as millions of square kilometers.

The objective of this book is to present the main theoretical approaches and models in shallow water acoustics as well as different experimental results. The focus is primarily concentrated on physical results describing the sound field in wave length. The authors show dynamic phenomena (tides, internal waves) from the perspective of acoustic influence as well as the scattering of sound over the macroscopic body in shallow water waveguide. The method of acoustic probing can be used by physicists, geophysicists, geologists and oceanographers.

This is an unparalleled modern handbook reflecting the richly interdisciplinary nature of acoustics edited by an acknowledged master in the field. The handbook reviews the most important areas of the subject, with emphasis on current research. The authors of the various chapters are all experts in their fields. Each chapter is richly illustrated with figures and tables. The latest research and applications are incorporated throughout, including computer recognition and synthesis of speech, physiological acoustics, diagnostic imaging and therapeutic applications and acoustical oceanography. An accompanying CD-ROM contains audio and video files.

Underwater Acoustic Modeling provides the only comprehensive source on how to translate our physical understanding of sound in the sea into mathematical formulas solvable by computers.

As man turns his attention from the overcrowded continents of this planet and explores the spaciousness of the ocean, the applications of ocean acoustics become increasingly numerous and important. This book pro- vides an up-to-date introduction to the theory of sound propagation in the ocean, with much new material having been added throughout the second edition. It includes both ray and wave treatments and considerable attention is paid to stochastic problems such as the scattering of sound at rough surfaces and random inhomogeneties. An introductory chapter that discusses the basic experimental data complements the following theoretical chapters.