The international standard algorithm, often known as the UNESCO algorithm, is due to Chen and Millero (1977), and has a more complicated form than the simple equations above, but uses pressure as a variable rather than depth. For the original UNESCO paper see Fofonoff and Millard (1983). Wong and Zhu (1995) recalculated the coefficients in this algorithm following the adoption of the International Temperature Scale of 1990 and their form of the UNESCO equation is:
| c(S,T,P) = | Cw(T,P) + A(T,P)S + B(T,P)S3/2 + D(T,P)S2 |
| Cw(T,P) = | (C00 + C01T + C02T2 + C03T3 + C04T4 + C05T5) + |
| (C10 + C11T + C12T2 + C13T3 + C14T4)P + | |
| (C20 +C21T +C22T2 + C23T3 + C24T4)P2 + | |
| (C30 + C31T + C32T2)P3 | |
| A(T,P) = | (A00 + A01T + A02T2 + A03T3 + A04T4) + |
| (A10 + A11T + A12T2 + A13T3 + A14T4)P + | |
| (A20 + A21T + A22T2 + A23T3)P2 + | |
| (A30 + A31T + A32T2)P3 | |
| B(T,P) = | B00 + B01T + (B10 + B11T)P |
| D(T,P) = | D00 + D10P |
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T = temperature in degrees Celsius S = salinity in Practical Salinity Units (parts per thousand) P = pressure in bar |
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Range of validity: temperature 0 to 40 °C, salinity 0 to 40 parts per thousand, pressure 0 to 1000 bar (Wong and Zhu, 1995).
Please note that for consistency, within the interactive version, the pressure must be input in kPa.
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(1)C-T. Chen and F.J. Millero, Speed of sound in seawater at high pressures (1977) J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 62(5) pp 1129-1135
(2)N.P. Fofonoff and R.C. Millard Jr. Algorithms for computation of fundamental properties of seawater (1983), UNESCO technical papers in marine science. No. 44, Division of Marine Sciences. UNESCO, Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris.
(3)G.S.K. Wong and S Zhu, Speed of sound in seawater as a function of salinity, temperature and pressure (1995) J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 97(3) pp 1732-1736