Global warming impact on acoustic propagation along the Maritime Silk Road (MSR)

The Maritime Silk Road (MSR) from Suez to China is an equatorial sea route whose acoustic transmission properties are vulnerable to global warming. Perhaps the principal impact will be in the surface ducts created by various monsoons. Changes in low frequency attenuation due to ocean acidification, in sound speed due to water temperature, in surface duct frequency limitation from depth changes due to the total precipitation, and variation in ambient noise and surface scatter due to changes in wind speed/wave height; all can be significant. Adding to the complexity of these multifaceted changes is the fact that they all may have different climatic time scales. This will indeed provide a challenge for our modelling and data collection abilities.