Acoustic propagation experiments in a turbulent atmosphere

A series of acoustic propagation experiments are conducted in the University of Florida Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel (UFBLWT) to investigate tornadic infrasound propagation in the turbulent atmosphere. A synthetic acoustic wave is generated within a boundary layer wind field using a speaker, and is distorted by the surrounding turbulent atmosphere as it propagates along the UFBLWT fetch where it is measured by an acoustic microphone 22 meters downwind of the speaker. The wind tunnel operating speed and the configuration of the mechanical turbulence generating roughness elements are varied between experiments to alter the turbulence characteristics and thus the distortion in the acoustic wave. The wind field turbulence data is obtained by three Cobra probes mounted on an actuated and automated gantry. The turbulent induced distortion of the acoustic wave is captured by analyzing the signal at its source and as-measured downwind. The resultant dataset is presented in four stages: 1)The design of the synthetic acoustic wave at its source; 2) the characterization of the background turbulent noise in the UFBLWT at the same location as the acoustic wave measurement; 3) the acoustic wave propagation measurement within turbulence; and 4) turbulence profiles through the depth of the UFBLWT to capture the longitudinal evolution of the boundary layer. The major purpose of this study is to offer a publicly accessible dataset of acoustic wave propagation in a turbulent medium. The dataset comprises acoustic propagation through a wide range of turbulence to investigate turbulent effect.