An Efficient Normal Mode Solution to Wave Propagation Prediction

In this paper, an overview of a normal mode method of solving the Helmholtz wave equation to describe the underwater sound field for a fixed-point source in a plane multilayered medium is presented. The mode functions are well-defined at all depths of the medium as they are continuous across turning points of the separated depth-dependent differential equation. Comparisons of model results to a limited number of measured data sets and benchmark propagation codes are presented.