Ocean acoustic circumpropagation in the ice seas of Europa

Abstract

In recent years increased attention has been paid to the potential uses of acoustics for
extraterrestrial exploration. A number of important papers have discussed propagation
on Europa, primarily with respect to sound in the ice sheet which is believed to cover
a salt water ocean. The models used to date assume a flat ice surface and a
gravitational acceleration which does not vary with depth. Models of long range
acoustic propagation through Europa’s ice seas require models which do not make
these two assumptions. This report applies such a model to simple Europan
geometries to show how observables can be affected by the values of physical
parameters: the report considers the specific case of the effect on the travel time of a
circumpropagating pulse of the ice and water thicknesses, and water temperature
(assumed to be uniform), on a simple spherical planet. Such effects could be the basis
of acoustic inversion experiments, although it is recognised that the complexities and
uncertainties associated with the actual ice seas of Europa would make the task very
much more challenging than the calculations undertaken in this simple study.

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Identifiers

ORCID for T.G. Leighton: orcid.org/0000-0002-1649-8750

ORCID for P.R. White: orcid.org/0000-0002-4787-8713

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