Origin of the low-frequency sound absorption in sea water

Abstract

Temperature-jump measurements in sea water over the time domain 10−5 to 10−2 sec reveal a single relaxation of 1.5×10−4 sec at 9.7°C, which appears to correspond to the ∼ 1 kHz relaxation found from long-range sound propagation. Laboratory measurements indicate the relaxation to originate from boron with the B(OH)3-B(OH)4− equilibrium the likely relaxation process.