Studies of the infrasonic ocean noise induced by the interaction of surface waves have shown that the noise levels are dependent not only on the ocean-wave field but also on the geoacoustic properties of the environment. A full understanding of the processes involved requires an examination of the role of the inhomogeneous components of the induced acoustic field and the reflection coefficient of a multilayered seabed. An analysis has shown that, at infrasonic frequencies, the inhomogeneous component can be important in waters with depths less than a few hundered meters. It has also been established that the reflection loss for particular models shows energy conversion from interface waves to trapped normal modes, when a low-speed layer is present within the geoacoustic sequence. This conversion leads to an apparent periodicity in the frequency dependence of the reflection loss.