Comprehensive correlation of ocean ambient noise with sea surface parameters

Ambient noise variability is a critical aspect for the sub-optimal performance of sonar systems. The sea surface parameters (SSP) like wind speed, sea surface temperature and wave height are known to be dominant factors responsible for ambient noise levels and their variability is a major challenge in designing noise mitigation algorithms. Variability across three regions namely tropical, temperate and polar region is significant and quantification of these random fluctuations could potentially facilitate signal processing algorithms to enhance signal to noise ratio. This work presents comprehensive statistical analysis of the spatio-temporal variations of these SSP across three regions and correlates their impact on ambient noise in the specific region. Fluctuations in the tropical region are significant and do justify the challenges for effective sonar design in the region. Analysis has been done on SSP data available in open source collected by ocean observatories deployed at designated sites. Real experimental ambient noise data recordings in tropical littoral waters of the west coast of India and open source acoustic data from other regions have been used to validate the proposed analysis. Understanding of the statistical variability of SSP and its correlation with ambient noise may improve modeling efforts and design generalized mitigation strategy.