Altimetry or Bathymetry File


The format is the same for top altimetry or bottom bathymetry. Only BELLHOP uses these files.

Syntax:

TYPE
NPOINTS

R(1)       Z(1)

R(2)       Z(2)
 
.
 
.
 .
R
(NPOINTS)  Z(NPOINTS)

Description:

TYPE
'L' for piecewise linear
'C' for curvilinear

NPOINTS: Number of r-z points to follow.
R():     Range (km)
Z():     Depth (m).

Example:

'L'
5
  0  3000
 10  3000
 20   500
 30   3000
100   3000


Generally the piecewise linear option should be selected. However, if the boundaries are sampled on a very fine scale (a few wavelengths) then the curvilinear option produces a smoother fit. That in turn improves the results obtained with geometric ray tracing. The curvilinear option was implemented to treat fine scale scattering effects.