Time-Frequency Features of 3-D Sound Propagation in Wedge-Shaped Oceanic Waveguides

This paper considers propagation of low-frequency broadband pulses in shallow water. It focuses on across-slope propagation in wedge-shaped oceanic waveguides and on single hydrophone receiving configurations. In a low-frequency shallow-water context, propagation is dispersive and usually described by modal theory. However, in the presence of a tilted bottom, propagation is also affected by 3-D effects (horizontal refractions). The paper shows that time-frequency analysis is a suitable tool to illustrate and understand 3-D propagation. It illustrates the pertinence of the time-frequency analysis of 3-D signal by proposing an algorithm to estimate the seabed slope using a single receiver. The method is benchmarked on numerical simulations, and successfully applied on small-scale experimental data.