title: Infrasonic ray tracing applied to mesoscale atmospheric structures: refraction by hurricanes.
abstract: A ray-tracing program is used to estimate the refraction of infrasound by the temperature structure of the atmosphere and by hurricanes represented by a Rankine-combined vortex wind plus a temperature perturbation. Refraction by the hurricane winds is significant, giving rise to regions of focusing, defocusing, and virtual sources. The refraction of infrasound by the temperature anomaly associated with a hurricane is small, probably no larger than that from uncertainties in the wind field. The results are pertinent to interpreting ocean wave generated infrasound in the vicinities of tropical cyclones.
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0216.
authors.forename: Alfred J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bedard
authors.forename: R Michael
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009038:Motion; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013016:Sound; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D035501:Uncertainty; D014919:Wind