Synthesis of Acoustic Propagation Loss Measurements on Coral Reefs

An empirical model of propagation loss, based on acoustic characteristics of geometric spreading and attenuation, allows baseline analysis of a coral reef propagation environment. This work presents a synthesis study from published values of propagation loss as a function of range on coral reef sites in different geographic locations. The geoacoustic approach conducted evaluates spreading and attenuation values which reflect a more gradual decrease in sound intensity, relative to the sound pressure level on the reef, over ranges of 1 km, than theoretically predicted by cylindrical and spherical spreading models. These results quantify ambient coral reef acoustic propagation loss for sites of opportunity and indicate similarities between reef type and the acoustic propagation parameters.