Sensitivity Analysis of Deep-Sea Reliable Sound Paths Based on Proxy Models to Sound Speed Profiles

The Reliable Acoustic Path (RAP) plays a crucial role in acoustic propagation within deep-sea environments, primarily serving deep-sea exploration and positioning purposes. However, variations in sound velocity profiles, attributed to environmental factors like monsoon currents in different sea regions-especially differences in parameters such as mixed layer thickness and seasonal thermocline gradients-can alter the maximum range of RAP. Therefore, to investigate the impact of these variations on the maximum range of RAP, this study utilizes the Sobol sensitivity index analysis method in tandem with a Kriging surrogate model. We isolate six key parameters from the sound velocity profile and construct a surrogate model. This model utilizes the RAP maximum range as the evaluation metric to analyze the impact of individual parameters and their interactions on the RAP maximum range. The findings indicate that the strength of the sound velocity gradient near the core of the main thermocline has the most significant influence on the maximum operating distance. A stronger sound velocity gradient near the core of the main thermocline extends the range of the reliable acoustic path.