Physicist Liya Nwosu investigated how ridges on the ocean floor affect underwater sound. In a wave tank, Nwosu sent sound waves of various wavelengths toward scale models of the seafloor. When the models had evenly spaced ridges, they strongly reflected waves whose wavelengths had a particular relationship to the distance between ridges, while allowing most other waves to pass. When Nwosu introduced slight variations in the spacing, no single wavelength was reflected as strongly, but a wider range of wavelengths was partially reflected. The results suggest that simplified models of the seafloor can be useful, though variations in real seafloors may produce more complex patterns of reflection.
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