Underwater sound mitigation system for explosive testing

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor. A sound mitigation system and method reduce the transmission of acoustic output from explosions underwater. The system is submerged to bottom terrain of a body of water and has at a series of gas-generating devices providing volumes of gas that are fed to refractory heat resistant tubing assemblies and flexible general tubing assemblies. The heat resistant and general tubing assemblies extend between adjacent gas generating devices and are provided with at least one row of holes to vent bubbles of gas and form a virtually continuous curtain of bubbles rising to the surface of the water between detonating explosives and areas of interest. The curtain of bubbles mitigates the effects of the explosions on marine mammals and endangered, threatened, or protected species within an area adjacent to the explosions.