A GIS INTERFACED NUMERICAL MODEL FOR THE SIMULATION OF SOUND PROPAGATION IN THE ATMOSPHERE OVER IRREGULAR TERRAIN

摘要

The effort to control environmental noise levels calls for the study of sound propagation in the atmosphere, rather over irregular terrain. We interface a numerical model for low-frequency aeroacoustics, capable of treating complex terrain, with a GIS for retrieving the ground surface topography. The model at hand uses the 'standard' parabolic equation to simulate the far-field, low-frequency sound propagation in a refracting atmosphere. The discretization is based on a finite element technique coupled with a nonlocal artificial boundary condition to cope with a homogeneous atmosphere above the artificial boundary. The proposed model is accurate and efficient for the prediction of atmospheric noise levels.