Acoustic Observation of the Time Dependence of the Roughness of Sandy Seafloors

A statistical model for the time evolution of seafloor roughness due to biological activity is applied to photographic and acoustic data. In this model, the function describing small scale seafloor topography obeys a time-evolution equation with a random forcing term that creates roughness and a diffusion term that degrades roughness. When compared to acoustic data from the 1999 and 2004 Sediment Acoustics Experiments (SAX99 and SAX04), the model yields diffusivities in the range from 3.5$,times {hbox {10}} ^{-11}$ to 2.5 $,times {hbox {10}} ^{-10}~{hbox {m}}^{2} {hbox {s}} ^{-1}$ (from 10 to 80 cm$^{2} {hbox {yr}}^{-1}$), with the larger values occurring at sites where bottom-feeding fish were active. While the experimental results lend support to the model, a more focused experimental and simulation effort is required to test several assumptions intrinsic to the model.      

Attenuation Measurements Across Surface-Ship Wakes and Computed Bubble Distributions and Void Fractions

A surface ship's wake is composed of several hydrodynamic phenomena. A large part of that wake contains a mixture of air bubbles of various sizes in turbulent water. Eventually, as the wake ages, the turbulence subsides and bubbles begin to rise at rates that are determined by their sizes. These bubbles of various sizes and concentrations control the propagation of acoustic signals inside and across a wake. To further our understanding of these phenomena, a series of three continuous-wave (CW)-pulsed signals were transmitted across a wake as the wake aged. Each transmission contained a set of four 0.5-ms-long pulses. The 12 pulses ranged over frequencies from 30 to 140 kHz in 10-kHz steps. The acoustic attenuations across wakes that were due to varying bubble-size densities within the wakes were determined experimentally. From those data, estimates of the bubble densities as functions of the speed of the wake-generating ship, the wake's age, and acoustic frequency were calculated. From the bubble-density results, power-law fits and void fractions are calculated. The attenuation measurements were taken at 7.5-m intervals behind the wake-generating ship and continued for about 2 km. The experiment was run for wakes generated at ship speeds of 12- and 15-kn wakes, and the 15-kn run was repeated for consistence determination. The bubble densities were observed to have power-law forms with varying parameters with the strongest, for early ages, having an exponent of ${-}$3.6 and a void fraction of 4 $times$ 10$^{-7}$ , and with both diminishing for older wakes, as might be expected.      

$H_{2}$ and $H_{infty}$ Designs for Diving and Course Control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle in Presence of Waves

$H_{2}$ and $H_{infty}$ designs applied to the diving and course control of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) considering the presence of wave disturbances are described. The six-degrees-of-freedom equations of motion of the vehicle are described as a linear model and divided into three noninteracting (or lightly interacting) subsystems for speed control, steering, and diving. This work is based on the slender form of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS, Monterey, CA) AUV, considering that the subsystems can be controlled by means of two single-screw propellers, a rudder, port and starboard bow planes, and a stern plane. A model of the AUV dynamics is presented with the first- and the second-order wave force disturbances, i.e., the Froude–Kriloff and diffraction forces. An algorithm of nonlinear regression for the rationalization of the subsurface sea spectrum is provided in this case study. The obtained results are analyzed and evaluated in the frequency domain comparing the controllers performance considering or not the inclusion of the model of waves.      

High-Frequency Scattered Envelope Statistics of Patchy Seafloors

The scattering properties of the individual components of seafloors consisting of discrete patches of different materials may have a complicated relationship in terms of their angular response and/or frequency dependence. Consequently, this relationship directly influences the angular and frequency response of scattered envelope probability density functions (pdfs). In this paper, the influence of the relative scattering strength of seafloor patches on scattered envelope statistics will be explored through both a modified form of a recently developed model [Abraham and Lyons, IEEE J. Ocean. Eng., vol. 27, pp. 800-813, 2002] and analysis of experimental data collected off Elba Island, Italy, in May 2003, by the NATO Undersea Research Centre, La Spezia, Italy. Qualitative comparisons of the $K$-distribution shape parameter $(alpha)$ between that predicted by the model and that measured from data display promising similarities such as the inverse relationship between $alpha$ and bandwidth, the relative difference in values of $alpha$ for the various seafloor types studied, and the dependence on grazing angle. The favorable model/data comparisons show that it is possible to link the scattered envelope distribution to measurable geoacoustic properties, providing the foundation necessary for solving several important problems related to the detection of targets in non-Rayleigh clutter including performance prediction for different systems based on seafloor properties, extrapolation of performance to other system/bandwidths, and optimization of system parameters such as bandwidth to local environment.      

Buried Sphere Detection Using a Synthetic Aperture Sonar

This paper presents observations of a buried sphere detected with a low-frequency (5–35-kHz) synthetic aperture sonar (SAS). These detections were made with good signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) at both above and below the critical grazing angle. The raw data for the below-critical-grazing angle detection shows that the acoustic penetration is skewed by the 29$^{circ}$ offset of the ripple field relative to the sonar path. This observed skew is in agreement with T-matrix calculations carried out to model penetration into the bottom via ripple diffraction. Additionally, measured SNRs over different frequency bands are compared to predictions made using both first- and second-order perturbation theory for ripple diffraction. Both the data and the models indicate a peak detection region around 25 kHz for the environmental conditions present during the test. These results confirm that ripple diffraction can play a critical role in long range (subcritical angle) buried target detection.      

Evaluation of Laser Scanning and Stereo Photography Roughness Measurement Systems Using a Realistic Model Seabed Surface

The topography of the seabed is influenced by sediment transport due to wave motion, current disturbance, and biological activities. The bottom roughness generated by these processes can substantially alter acoustic wave penetration into and scattering from the bottom, and therefore, it is essential to make accurate measurements of the bottom roughness for such acoustic applications. Methods to make direct measurements of bottom roughness include stereo photography, laser line scanning, and sediment conductivity. Roughness can also be measured indirectly using high-frequency sound backscatter. For optically-based methods, the accuracy of these measurements is typically evaluated using the elevations, lengths, or diameters of simple surface features of known dimensions. However, for acoustic applications, the statistical characteristics of the surface, e.g., the roughness spectrum, are more meaningful. In this paper, we present a fabricated rough surface milled into a 40 $,times ,$60 cm $^{2}$ plastic block for use as a benchmark in the assessment of two in situ roughness measurement systems: a laser scanning system and a digital stereo photography system. The surface has a realistic roughness power spectrum that is derived from the bottom roughness measured during the 1999 Sediment Acoustics Experiment (SAX99) and was fabricated by a computer numerical controlled milling machine. By comparing the fabricated surface spectrum to the measured spectrum, a determination of the accuracy of the roughness measurement is evaluated, which is of direct relevance to acoustic applications.      

Geoacoustic Inversion for the New Jersey Shelf: 3-D Sediment Model

A 3-D model of sediment sound speed for a 90-km $^{2}$ area on the New Jersey shelf was constructed by application of a geoacoustic inversion technique. This approach is based on a combination of seismic reflection measurements and a perturbative inversion scheme using horizontal wave number estimates. In a two-step process, seismic reflection measurements were used to identify depths at which discontinuities in the sound-speed profile (SSP) likely occur. Then, the perturbative inversion algorithm made use of this a priori information by employing qualitative regularization, an optimal method for addressing stability and uniqueness issues associated with solving the ill-posed inversion problem that provides for resolution of the layered seabed structure.      

Measurement of Low-Frequency Sound Attenuation in Marine Sediment

Marine sediment compressional wave attenuation and its frequency dependence have been active topics in the ocean acoustics community. To support the predictions of the frequency dependence of the sediment attenuation, experimental studies are essential for providing the observations of the sediment attenuation as a function of frequency in different environments, such as sediment type, source–receiver range, water depth, etc. This paper proposes an experimental method for estimating marine sediment attenuation at low frequencies in shallow water. The experimental geometry is short range between a vertical line array and multiple source depths to cover bottom reflections over a wide span of grazing angles. Single bounce bottom-reflected (BR) and sub-bottom-reflected signals are used in the analysis to obtain the best approximation of the sediment intrinsic attenuation. The attenuation estimating method is demonstrated on chirp data (1.5–4.5 kHz) collected on the New Jersey Continental Shelf during the 2006 Shallow Water Experiment (SW06). The data indicate a linear frequency dependence of the compressional wave attenuation for clay rich sediments on the outer shelf, and the estimated value is 0.15 dB/ $lambda$ within the frequency band of 1.75–3.15 kHz. The observation of small sound-speed dispersion of $sim$15 m/s over the frequency band is consistent with a linear frequency dependence of attenuation.      

The Impact of Multipath on High-Resolution SAS Image Statistics

As with traditional sonar, synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) is susceptible to multipath contamination, reducing the quality and also modifying the statistics of the image. Such multipath contaminants may either be environmentally induced, as is often the case when attempting to image ranges greater than the water depth resulting in returns from the boundaries, or may be induced by the system's supporting structure itself. A clear understanding of such statistical impact is necessary to advance synthetic aperture formation algorithms and for predicting system performance. Broadband acoustic data suitable for SAS processing collected with a rail-mounted mobile-tower as part of the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR)-funded Sediment Acoustics eXperiment 2004 (SAX04) are analyzed in this paper. Analysis focused on both system structure and environmentally induced multipath using the $K$ -distribution shape parameter as a metric. High-resolution sonar imagery often exhibited significantly non-Rayleigh, heavy-tailed envelope statistics, characterized by a low equivalent $K$-distribution shape parameter. Analysis showed a clear and significant increase in the estimated shape parameter in the presence of multipath, representing a trend toward a Rayleigh-distributed envelope. A model for reverberation is presented to provide bounds of the statistical impact using observable image intensity level increases in synthetic-aperture-formed images caused by multipath contamination. This model further shows potential for statistical impact when multipath arrivals are of similar level as the direct path even when not observable in the image (e.g., within 10 dB).      

The effect of concentration and temperature on the conductivity ratio of potassium chloride solutions to standard seawater of salinity 35 ‰(Cl 19.3740 ‰)

The ratiosZ_{K,t}of electrical conductivities of potassium chloride (KCI) solutions of known concentration (K) to standard seawater at the same temperature have been measured at15degC and24degC for solutions withZ_{k,15}between 0.96 and 1.04. The "normal" concentration (N or K_{N}) givingZ_{N,15}= 1was found to beK_{N} = 32.4356gKCI/kg solution. The effect of temperature onZ_{N,t}was measured over the range15degC to30degC. Equations are given for KCI concentration as a function ofZ_{15}and the inverse function, forZ_{15}/Z_{24}as a function ofZ_{24}(to allow use of a laboratory salinometer for the KCI-seawater comparisons), andZ_{N,t}as a function of temperature.     

Properties of superresonant systems of spherical scatterers

Systems of identical precisely spaced bubbles or similar monopole scatterers in water-e.g., inflated balloons or thin-walled shells-insonified at frequenciesomega_{SR}dose to their fundamental radial resonanceomega_{0}(bubble) frequency may themselves display resonance modes or superresonances (SR's) [1]. Ordinary single-bubble resonances magnify the local free-field pressure amplitudep_{1}by a factor(ka)^{-1},abeing the radius andkthe wavenumber in water: for air bubbles or balloons in water, this factor is of the order of 70. Under SR conditions each member of the system amplifies the local free-field amplitude by a further factor of order(ka)^{-1}. Depending upon geometry and other constraints, the pressure fieldP_{SR}on the surface and in the interior of each scatterer will then be in the range of10^{3}p_{1}to5 times 10^{3} p_{1}. This paper investigates the sensitivity of this phenomenon to small departures from the ideal model. In particular, it examines the effect of small differences in scatter positioning and volumes in the context of an SR system consisting of two bubbles/balloons close to the boundary of a thin elastic plate overlying a fluid half-space. It is found that, to observe the SR phenomenon, radii and positions should be controlled to within approximately 1/2 percent.P_{SR}is also sensitive to the angle of incidence of the plane wave train. For the simple system examined here, this sensitivity is considerable for either flexural wave trains or volume acoustic waves incident upon the bubble/ balloon pair (doublet). Practical uses of the phenomenon may range from the design of passive high-Qacoustical filter/amplifiers and acoustical lenses to improved source efficiencies.     

The electrical conductivity of weight diluted and concentrated standard seawater as a function of salinity and temperature

The ratiosR_{s,t,o}of electrical conductivity of seawater samples of precisely known salinity to standard seawater at the same temperature have been measured over a wide range of salinities from 0 to42permilS and over the full range of oceanic temperatures from -2 to35degC. The samples withS<35permilwere prepared by accurate weight dilution of standard seawater with distilled water. High salinity samples were prepared by fast evaporation of standard seawater and subsequent weight dilution into the already determined <35permilrange. An equation was derived which expresses the S versusR_{s,t,o}relationship very precisely from1-42permiland at all temperatures, i.e.,S = f_{1}(R_{s,t,o}) + f_{2}(R_{s, t,o},t) =Sigma_{n=0}^{5} a_{n}R^{n/2}+ frac{Delta t}{1+kDelta t} Sigma_{n=0}^{5} b_{n}R^{n/2}whereDelta t = t-15degC,R = R_{s, t.o}; only the first termf_{1}is required at15degC. The effeet of temperature on the electrical conductivity of standard seawater was also measured. The ratior_{t}of the conductivity at temperaturetto the conductivity at15degC (C_{35,t, o}/C_{35,15,o}) is very aeenrately expressed by a fourth degree equation int. i.e,r_{t}=Sigma_{n=0}^{4} c_{n}t^{n}These two equations are sufficient for all salinity determinations at normal atmospheric pressure.     

Channel capacity in bits per joule

Underwater acoustic telemetry has a total input energy constraint, since the energy is stored in the transmitter's batteries. This work is primarily rephrasing the work in channel capacity in terms ofC_{J}bit/J as compared toCbit/s, to emphasize the energy efficiency and to deemphasize the speed of the telemetry. The energy channel capacityC_{J}, for any waveform channel with well-defined capacityCbit/s at signal powerSwatts, is defined asC/Sbit/J. It is shown that for coherent binary frequency shift keying (BFSK) and waveform channels, the supremum ofC_{J}overSis approached asSapproaches zero. For the Gaussian channel the best coding uses narrow bands with the highest S/N.     

The extension of the Practical Salinity Scale 1978 to low salinities

The Practical Salinity Scale (PSS) 1978 is defined only for salinities within the range 2-42. We have investigated the relationship between mass-determined salinity, electrical conductivity, and temperature for salinities between 0 and 2 with the aim of developing an extension to the Practical Salinity Scale 1978. The paper presents our data, on the basis of which the following correction is proposed to extend the validity of the equations defining the scale to the entire 0-42 range:S=summin{i=0}max{5} (a_{i}+b_{i}f(t))R_{t}^{i/2}-frac{a_{0}}{1 + 1.5x + x^{2}}-frac{b_{0}f(t)}{1+y^{1/2} + y + y^{3/2}}wheref(t)=frac{(t-15)}{1 + k(t-15)x=400R_{t}y=100R_{t}and the constanta_{i}, b_{i}, andkare defind by the Practical Salinity Scale 1978.     

Tsunami detectability using open-ocean bottom pressure fluctuations

Rationale for the measurement of open-ocean tsunami signatures are presented, and available pertinent data are reviewed. Models for tsunami signature and background noise are proposed in order to synthesize an optimum tsunami receiver. Using these models, the minimum tsunami amplitude (in cm) to yield the probability of correct tsunami detectionP_{D} = 0.999and probability of false alarmP_{F} = 10^{-3}is found to be0.718/sqrt{f_{0}}, wheref_{0}is the tsunami dominant frequency (in cycles/h). A realizable receiver is proposed and its performance is evaluated using actual tsunami signatures. It is demonstrated that the detection of a tsunami with an average amplitude as small as 0.7 cm is possible for theP_{D}andP_{F}as above. Simulation results using synthesized background noise are shown. Tidal effects on the receiver performance also are considered and are found negligible for a certain range of the receiver parameters, resulting in a considerable reduction of the signal processing required.     

Matched-Filter Envelope Detector Deflection Performance for a Correlated Phase Channel

In this paper, the effect of channel phase coherence upon a matched filter envelope detector output is investigated for a pulsed radar or active sonar. A novel model for the correlated channel phases allows the explicit calculation of the loss in detection performance using the deflection criteria. The theoretical model yields good agreement with simulations when the phase correlation coefficients between the first and last pulses are between 0.1 and 1.0. It is shown that a 3-dB loss in performance, as compared to the optimum detector for perfect coherence, requires phase correlation between adjacent pulses ofrho_{i,i+1} = 0.91, 0.96, and 0.96 for 10, 20, and 30 pulses, respectively. On the other hand, the same performance is obtained with a noncoherent combiner of the matched filter pulse returns when correlation between adjacent pulses,rho_{i,i+1} = 0.8, 0.835, and 0.84 for 10, 20, and 30 pulses, respectively. Ifrho_{i,i+1}is smaller than these quantities, one is better off performing noncoherent detection.     

A portable salinometer based on direct measurement of the conductivity ratioR_{t}

A new portable salinometer has been developed which is based On a direct determination of the conductivity ratioR_{t} = (C_{x}/ C_{s})_{t}of sample(x)to standard(s)seawater in a dual-cell, continuous-flow system. The new salinometer requires only 10 ml of unknown and much less of standard, drawn from the source bottles through fine Teflon tubes, to obtain complete flushing and several repeat readings to the order ofpm0.001, in salinity. The system is autobalancing over the full range of conductivity ratio from 0 to 1.3 and in the future will be direct reading in salinity units. The amount of standard water required is so low that standard water ampoules, at the rate of l/day, can be used as the source. The method used offers a possibility of a direct measurement of salinity in the ocean by measuringR_{t}in situ.     

High-resolution mapping of oceanic wind fields with skywave radar

The direction of the mean surface wind field in the North Pacific Ocean was mapped on September 25 and 26, 1973, over an area of3 times 10^{6}(km)²by OTH-B HF radar. A spatial resolution of 60 km in range and 15 km in cross range was used at points spaced by 150 km in range and 80 km in cross range. Wind directions were inferred from the upwind/downwind first-order Bragg ratio and the measure of the maximum ratio occuring for radial winds at points near each observation. Over 90 percent of the recorded data were usable for this purpose.High spatial resolution is essential to make detailed measurements of the wind speed and direction across and along an atmospheric cold front. The location of the atmospheric cold front derived from the wind field agreed well with the ESSA VIII satellite frontal location.     

A versatile sonar system for ocean research and fisheries applications

An echo sounder has been developed with features ideally suited to oceanographic and fisheries research. Instruments commonly used for such research are inaccurate, limited in dynamic range, unstable, and generally inflexible. An effort has been made to overcome these deficiencies with the sonar system discussed here. The echo sounder to be described has a time-varied-gain receiver (20 log_{10} Ror40 log_{10} R + 2alphaR) accurate to withinpm0.5dB over a 100-dB range. The equivalent dynamic range is 140 dB (the ratio of the maximum signal at minimum gain to the equivalent input noise at maximum gain in a 4-kHz bandwidth). The temperature stability ispm0.5dB from10degto35degC at any range. Operating parameters, including frequency, can be easily altered to accommodate a variety of needs.     

Aircraft measurements of the microwave scattering signature of the ocean

Microwave scattering signatures of the ocean have been measured over a range of surface wind speeds from 3 m/s to 23.6 m/s using the AAFE RADSCAT scatterometer in an aircraft. Normalized scattering coefficients are presented for vertical and horizontal polarizations as a function of incidence angle (nadir to55deg) and radar azimuth angle (0degto360deg) relative to surface wind direction. For a given radar polarization, incidence angle, and azimuth angle relative to the wind direction, these scattering data exhibit a power law dependence on surface wind speed. The relation of the scattering coefficient to azimuth angle obtained during aircraft circles (antenna conical scans) is anisotropic and suggests that microwave scatterometers can be used to infer both wind speed and direction. These results have been used for the design of the Seasat-A Satellite Scatterometer (SASS) to be flown in 1978 on this first NASA oceanographic satellite.