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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, L05611, doi:10.1029/2005GL025085, 2006

Infrasound from large surf

M. Garcés

Department of Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


J. Aucan

Department of Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


D. Fee

Department of Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


P. Caron

Department of Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


M. Merrifield

Department of Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


R. Gibson

BBN Technologies, Arlington, Virginia, USA


J. Bhattacharyya

BBN Technologies, Arlington, Virginia, USA


S. Shah

BBN Technologies, Arlington, Virginia, USA


Abstract

Simultaneous infrasonic, visual, and ocean-bottom pressure sensor observations of large swells on the island of Kauai and small to medium-sized surf on the island of Hawaii yielded a clear relationship between breaking wave height and low-frequency atmospheric sound amplitudes in the 1–20 Hz frequency range. These experiments confirmed that infrasound can be generated by barreling waves as well as by waves crashing against rocky shorelines and exposed ledges. As will be demonstrated in a companion paper, breaking wave period may also be extracted from infrasound data. The results of these experiments demonstrate that low-frequency sound may be used for real-time estimates of the amplitude, period, and spatial distribution of surf in the littoral zone, with a potential application to the identification of breaking wave types.

Received 28 October 2005; accepted 21 December 2005; published 10 March 2006.

Index Terms: 4546 Oceanography: Physical: Nearshore processes; 4560 Oceanography: Physical: Surface waves and tides (1222); 4594 Oceanography: Physical: Instruments and techniques; 4504 Oceanography: Physical: Air/sea interactions (0312, 3339).

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Citation: Garcés, M., J. Aucan, D. Fee, P. Caron, M. Merrifield, R. Gibson, J. Bhattacharyya, and S. Shah (2006), Infrasound from large surf, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L05611, doi:10.1029/2005GL025085.