Efficient modeling of atmospheric infrasound propagation with the Semi-Analytical-Finite-Element (SAFE) method

Downward refraction in the lower atmosphere, attributed to winds and temperature inversion, can enable infrasound to efficiently propagate over long distances inside acoustic waveguides. In this study, we use the semi-analytic finite element (SAFE) method to predict this effect in stratified, inhomogeneous, moving air for range-independent noise propagation over reflective half-planes. We present solutions for different temperature and velocity profiles and compare them to direct numerical solutions of the two-dimensional linearized Euler equations. The SAFE method separates the exact two-dimensional wave equation for a stratified, inhomogeneous, moving medium by expressing the pressure field as a sum of vertical eigenmodes propagating in the range direction. This simplifies the acoustic problem into a one-dimensional eigenvalue problem. As this problem is addressed with the finite-element method, the method can accommodate arbitrary wind and temperature profiles. For large, range-independent domains, the proposed procedure proves to be much more efficient than the tested direct numerical computations. Additionally, it converges against the exact solution of the acoustic problem if enough modes are included in the calculation. Therefore, the method offers a viable procedure for benchmarking other pressure field prediction techniques.