Global morphology of infrasound propagation

Atmospheric sound waves in the 0.02–10 Hz region, also known as infrasound, exhibit long‐range global propagation characteristics. Measurable infrasound is produced around the globe on a daily basis by a variety of natural and man‐made sources. As a result of weak classical attenuation (∼0.01 dB km −1 at 0.1 hz), these acoustic signals can propagate thousands of kilometers in tropospheric, stratospheric, and lower thermospheric ducts. To model this propagation accurately, detailed knowledge of the background atmospheric state variables, the global winds and temperature fields from the ground to ∼170 km, is required. For infrasound propagation calculations, we have developed a unique atmospheric specification system (G2S) that is capable of providing this information. Using acoustic ray tracing methods and detailed G2S atmospheric specifications, we investigate the major aspects of the spatiotemporal variability of infrasound propagation characteristics.