An evaluation of methods for characterizing the air / water interface for parabolic equation transmission loss modeling

Proper characterization of underwater acoustic transmission loss (TL) relies on proper treatment of the air/water and water/sediment interfaces. This paper will focus on how the air/water interface is treated in parabolic equation (PE) models such as the range dependent acoustic model (RAM) [Collins, M. D., ¿Applications and time-domain solution of higher-order parabolic equations in underwater acoustics,¿ J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 86 (3), 1097-1102, 1989] and the finite element parabolic equation (FEPE) model [Collins, M.D., "A higher-order parabolic equation for wave propagation in an ocean overlying an elastic bottom", J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 86, 1459-1464, 1989]. Two surface loss methods have been implemented in RAM, a surface loss versus angle (LVA) and a conformal mapping (CM) method. Additionally, the CM method has been implemented in FEPE. These two methods are discussed and compared for realistic test cases and a third option, which has accuracy consistent with the CM but speed more aligned with the LVA approach is discussed.