Ice model for under-ice communication simulation

There is a need for a concise statistical model of the arctic ice to aid in the development and simulation of under-ice acoustic propagation models for communication. Four main environment types were identified in the arctic ice: open water, loose ice, ice floe and ice keels. Each one was assigned a probability density function (PDF). The ice draft statistics were modeled as the sum of the four PDFs. Observations over one annual cycle were analyzed to reveal seasonal changes in the four components. The spatial statistics were also estimated, given the drift speed of the ice over the stationary upward looking sonar, yielding the spatial frequency of the keels, floes and open water/loose ice components. This provides a rudimentary model for the ice that can be used to model acoustic communications under the arctic ice.