Inversion of sound speed profile based on mode extraction

Abstract Sound speed is an important parameter in underwater acoustics research and how to invert sound speed profile (SSP) is continuously concerned. The paper proposes an inversion method of SSP based on mode extraction. Horizontal wavenumber and modal depth function are extracted using acoustic data received on a vertical linear array. SSP is estimated based on the difference equation satisfied by modal depth function and the result of estimation is optimized by feedforward neural network. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the method in a range-independent waveguide.