Spatial correlation of hydroacoustic signals in a biaxial underwater sound channel

In the hydrological conditions of a biaxial sound channel, the cross-correlation between acoustic signals received at points spatially separated (from 10 to 63 km) along the sound propagation track is investigated. The signals are received by a narrow-beam array scanning in the vertical plane. The beam width is ∼2° at the mean frequency (1 kHz) of a pseudo-noise signal. It is noted that, as the distance between the points of reception increases, the correlation decreases. This is mainly caused by the effect of the multipath propagation with an incomplete resolution of signals in arrival angles, rather than by changes in the “water” signal spectrum due to the attenuation.