On the Possibility of using Vertical Receiving Arrays for Underwater Acoustic Communication on the Arctic Shelf

Abstract

Numerical simulation is applied to analyze the possibilities of using vertical receiving arrays covering the entire waveguide for underwater acoustic communication on the shallow Arctic shelf. Binary phase shift keying with a carrier frequency of 750 Hz is selected for data transfer. It is shown that an algorithm for selecting acoustic signals corresponding to the first waveguide mode or an algorithm based on using passive-phase conjugation eliminates intersymbol interference. In case of spatial signal processing and waveguide depth of 30 m the error-free information transmission is possible when the signal-to-noise ratio is ≈15 dB less than that for a single receiver. It has been demonstrated these advantages to be present in different conditions on the Arctic shelf: with an acoustically soft or acoustically hard bottom, with surface waves, or with ice cover.