THE REFLECTION COEFFICIENT FOR A TWO-LAYER SEA FLOOR WITH DOWNWARD SLOPING INTERFACE BETWEEN THE LAYERS

摘要

In this work, the reflection coefficient of a plane wave in the case of a bottom consisting of two layers with sloping interface between them is examined. The mathematical formulation in the case of a down sloping interface is presented and its restrictions and problems encountered concerning the angle of incidence of the plane wave are discussed. Since in the case of a sloping interface the reflection coefficient is not anymore the sum of a geometric series - as in the case of two horizontally stratified layers - only the first few terms of the sum are used in the calculations. These terms correspond to the first reflections from the layers but not to any subsequent multiple reflections. Finally, comparison of the model with laboratory data obtained during a tank experiment are presented and analyzed.