Adaptive detection for shallow-water acoustic telemetry withcochannel interference

Adaptive decision feedback equalization (DFE) has recently been used to enable high-rate data transmission through shallow-water acoustic channels. This adaptive receiver successfully tracks and suppresses intersymbol interference due to a dispersive multipath channel. However, acoustic modems which are used for network applications must also contend with interference due to cochannel signals from proximal modems. In this work, we propose and evaluate a multiuser receiver with cochannel interference suppression. The advantages of this multiuser receiver in the presence of strong cochannel interference are shown by a performance comparison to a bank of the single-user DFEs described above. Conclusions are supported in part by the demodulation of experimental data for two simultaneous cochannel signals and by a steady-state performance analysis     

Multichannel processing of broad-band multiuser communicationsignals in shallow water acoustic channels

High-throughout multiple-access communication networks are being considered for use in underwater acoustic channels. Bandwidth limitations of underwater acoustic channels require receivers to process broad-band communications signals in the presence of several active users. To deal with the resulting multiple-access interference in addition to high intersymbol interference, the spatial variability of ocean multipath is exploited in a multichannel multiuser receiver. Two configurations of such a receiver, a centralized and a decentralized one, are presented in fully adaptive modes of operations. While greatly reducing intersymbol and multiple-access interference, spatial diversity implies high increase in adaptive multiuser receiver complexity. To reduce the complexity of the optimal multichannel combiner, spatial structure of multipath is exploited. The complexity of resulting adaptive decentralized multichannel multiuser receiver is reduced at almost no cost in performance. Comparison of proposed multichannel receivers in an experimental shallow water channel demonstrates superior performance of spatial signal combining. The use of multiple input channels is shown to provide high level of tolerance for the near-far effect in both centralized and decentralized receivers. Decentralized receiver with reduced-complexity combining is found to satisfy the performance/complexity trade-off required for practical receiver realization in shallow water networks     

Multichannel Detection for Wideband Underwater Acoustic CDMA Communications

Direct-sequence (DS) code-division multiple access (CDMA) is considered for future wideband mobile underwater acoustic networks, where a typical configuration may include several autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) operating within a few kilometers of a central receiver. Two receivers that utilize multichannel (array) processing of asynchronous multiuser signals are proposed: the symbol decision feedback (SDF) receiver and the chip hypothesis feedback (CHF) receiver. Both receivers use a chip-resolution adaptive front end consisting of a many-to-few combiner and a bank of fractionally-spaced feedforward equalizers. In the SDF receiver, feedback equalization is implemented at symbol resolution, and receiver filters, including a decision-directed phase-locked loop, are adapted at the symbol rate. This limits its applicability to the channels whose time variation is slow compared to the symbol rate. In a wideband acoustic system, which transmits at maximal chip rate, the symbol rate is down-scaled by the spreading factor, and an inverse effect may occur by which increasing the spreading factor results in performance degradation. To eliminate this effect, feedback equalization, which is necessary for the majority of acoustic channels, is performed in the CHF receiver at chip resolution and receiver parameters are adjusted at the chip rate. At the price of increased computational complexity (there are as many adaptive filters as there are symbol values), this receiver provides improved performance for systems where time variation cannot be neglected with respect to the symbol rate [e.g., low probability of detection (LPD) acoustic systems]. Performance of the two receivers was demonstrated in a four-user scenario, using experimental data obtained over a 2-km shallow-water channel. At the chip rate of 19.2 kilochips per second (kc/s) with quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulation, excellent results were achieved at an aggregate data rate of up to 10 kb/s     

Implementation of multiuser detection strategies for coherentunderwater acoustic communication

This paper presents multiple access interference cancellation techniques based on joint implementation of spatial-beamforming and multiuser detection strategies for coherent underwater acoustic communication network. Performances of adaptive multiuser detection strategies based on weighted parallel, successive, and recursive successive interference cancellation techniques are compared using experimental sea-trial data. Results show that the receiver structure adopting weighted recursive successive interference cancellation (RSIC) exhibits robustness in extracting useful data for weak users in the presence of co-channel interference from strong users. In addition, this type of structure simultaneously suppresses the summed interference effects contributed by weaker users toward the strongest user. The RSIC structure is therefore a potential candidate for multiple access interference suppression in coherent shallow water acoustic communication systems     

An environmental assessment in the Strait of Sicily: measurementand analysis techniques for determining bottom and oceanographicproperties

In October 1997, the EnVerse 97 shallow-water acoustic experiments were jointly conducted by SACLANT Centre, TNO-FEL, and DERA off the coast of Sicily, Italy. The primary goal of the experiments was to determine the sea-bed properties through inversion of acoustic data. Using a towed source, the inversion method is tested at different source/receiver separations in an area with a range-dependent bottom. The sources transmitted over a broadband of frequencies (90-600 Hz) and the signals were measured on a vertical array of hydrophones. The acoustic data were continuously collected as the range between the source and receiving array varied from 0.5 to 6 km. An extensive seismic survey was conducted along the track providing supporting information about the layered structure of the bottom as well as layer compressional sound speeds. The oceanic conditions were assessed using current meters, satellite remote sensing, wave height measurements, and casts for determining conductivity and temperature as a function of water depth. Geoacoustic inversion results taken at different source/receiver ranges show sea-bed properties consistent with the range-dependent features observed in the seismic survey data. These results indicate that shallow-water bottom properties may be estimated over large areas using a towed source fixed receiver configuration     

Performances of multi-element multi-user detection strategies in ashallow-water acoustic network (SWAN)

A multi-element receiver strategy is proposed in this paper for a multi-user shallow-water acoustic network (SWAN). The base station receiver, equipped with prior knowledge of the synchronization and training sequences of all intended users, has the task of demodulating the received signals of each user independent of the presence of other users. The adopted receiver strategy enables robust communications through the challenging underwater environment which is limited by both environmental and system factors. The channel is characterized by inter-symbol interference due to multipath propagation and multiple access interference. In this paper, we propose a number of multi-user detection receiver structures employing adaptive decision feedback equalization and spatial diversity to mitigate the effect of these two types of interference. Computer simulations and experimental sea trials conducted in the North Sea in 1999 were used to test the receiver strategies' performance for a two user near far scenario. Amongst a number of strategies tested, the structure based on recursive successive interference cancellation demonstrated improved performance overall     

The range-averaged intensity model: a tool for underwater acousticfield analysis

The range-averaged intensity model (RAIM) long known as a powerful method for transmission loss estimation in waveguides, is extended to other aspects of the acoustic field: impulse response and angular pattern estimations at a receiver, general time spreading in a waveguide, signal fluctuations, reverberation levels, and ambient noise structure. An example of its application to a SOFAR propagation and detection case is presented. This method appears to be a very efficient and reliable analysis tool for many underwater acoustics configurations: particularly long-range horizontal telemetry and shallow-water sonar     

Statistics of broad-band bottom reverberation predictions in shallow-water waveguides

A new coherent reverberation model developed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, and the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic Undersea Research Centre, La Spezia, Italy, is exercised in the 17-750-Hz band to estimate the degree of non-Rayleighness of shallow-water reverberation envelopes as a function of waveguide multipath, system bandwidth, directivity, and frequency. Findings suggest that reverberation from diffuse, but non-Gaussian, scatterer distributions is significantly more Rayleigh for multipath environments than for equivalent environments excited by a single or small number of modes or for broadside receiver array processing that extracts narrow angles of reception. These findings suggest that the problem of non-Rayleigh reverberation in shallow-water waveguides can be ameliorated through the use of tuned ensonification and reception schemes, which retain high probabilities of detection while reducing the associated probability of false alarm.     

Multicarrier Communication Over Underwater Acoustic Channels With Nonuniform Doppler Shifts

Underwater acoustic (UWA) channels are wideband in nature due to the small ratio of the carrier frequency to the signal bandwidth, which introduces frequency-dependent Doppler shifts. In this paper, we treat the channel as having a common Doppler scaling factor on all propagation paths, and propose a two-step approach to mitigating the Doppler effect: 1) nonuniform Doppler compensation via resampling that converts a “wideband” problem into a “narrowband” problem and 2) high-resolution uniform compensation of the residual Doppler. We focus on zero-padded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) to minimize the transmission power. Null subcarriers are used to facilitate Doppler compensation, and pilot subcarriers are used for channel estimation. The receiver is based on block-by-block processing, and does not rely on channel dependence across OFDM blocks; thus, it is suitable for fast-varying UWA channels. The data from two shallow-water experiments near Woods Hole, MA, are used to demonstrate the receiver performance. Excellent performance results are obtained even when the transmitter and the receiver are moving at a relative speed of up to 10 kn, at which the Doppler shifts are greater than the OFDM subcarrier spacing. These results suggest that OFDM is a viable option for high-rate communications over wideband UWA channels with nonuniform Doppler shifts.      

A Variable-Rate Spread-Spectrum System for Underwater Acoustic Communications

A key research area in underwater acoustic (UWA) communication is the development of advanced modulation and detection schemes for improved performance and range-rate product. In this communication, we propose a variable-rate underwater data transmission system based on direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) and complementary code keying (CCK), particularly for shallow-water acoustic channels with severe multipath propagation. We provide a suboptimum receiver that consists of a bidirectional decision feedback equalizer (BiDFE) to cancel both postcursor and precursor intersymbol interference (ISI). We also develop iterative signal processing and time-reversal (TR) diversity processing to mitigate the effect of error propagation in BiDFE. We present performance analysis on bit error rate (BER) for different data rates. Our works show that this new variable-data-rate DSSS-CCK is a suitable candidate for UWA communications over varying channel conditions and distance.      

Vertical Directionality of Midfrequency Surface Noise in Downward-Refracting Environments

The vertical directionality of ambient noise due to surface agitation for frequencies between 2 and 5 kHz propagated to a subsurface receiver has a characteristic shape, knowledge of which may enhance shallow-water operations. In general, the noise level is highest at upward-looking angles and attenuated at downward-looking angles depending on the nature of the bottom. In environments with a negative profile gradient, the noise level is also greatly reduced in a low-angle shadow zone or "notch" at angles around horizontal. This paper reviews the character of vertical noise directionality by examining two measured data sets and considering the underlying physical mechanisms that drive the form of the distribution. A discussion of the implications of vertical noise directionality for design and operation of receiving sonar systems is presented. In particular, the effect of mainlobe beamwidth and sidelobe suppression are considered along with the directionality of the noise field. Finally, an overview of the derivation of a vertical noise model based on the integrated mode method of propagation prediction is followed by model reproduction of measurements.     

松辽盆地黒帝庙地区姚一段浅水三角洲沉积特征及沉积演化

根据岩心、测井解释、录井资料和地震资料,对姚一段的沉积微相类型、展布特征及其沉积演化规律进行了系统研究,结果表明黒帝庙地区姚一段发育浅水三角洲沉积体系。本次研究建立了浅水三角洲沉积体系的沉积模式,其可划分出浅水三角洲平原、浅水三角洲前缘和前浅水三角洲,根据不同的沉积特征,各亚相可进一步划分为多种沉积微相。与正常三角洲不同的是,浅水三角洲前缘河口沙坝不发育,且在该地区前浅水三角洲地带发育出露湖面的浅滩。     

Estimation of Rapidly Time-Varying Sparse Channels

The estimation of sparse shallow-water acoustic communication channels and the impact of estimation performance on the equalization of phase coherent communication signals are investigated. Given sufficiently wide transmission bandwidth, the impulse response of the shallow-water acoustic channel is often sparse as the multipath arrivals become resolvable. In the presence of significant surface waves, the multipath arrivals associated with surface scattering fluctuate rapidly over time, in the sense that the complex gain, the arrival time, and the Dopplers of each arrival all change dynamically. A sparse channel estimation technique is developed based on the delay-Doppler-spread function representation of the channel. The delay-Doppler-spread function may be considered as a first-order approximation to the rapidly time-varying channel in which each channel component is associated with Doppler shifts that are assumed constant over an averaging interval. The sparse structure of the delay-Doppler-spread function is then exploited by sequentially choosing the dominant components that minimize a least squares error. The advantage of this approach is that it captures both the channel structure as well as its dynamics without the need of explicit dynamic channel modeling. As the symbols are populated with the sample Dopplers, the increase in complexity depends on the channel Doppler spread and can be significant for a severely Doppler-spread channel. Comparison is made between nonsparse recursive least squares (RLS) channel estimation, sparse channel impulse response estimation, and estimation using the proposed approach. The results are demonstrated using experimental data. In training mode, the proposed approach shows a 3-dB reduction in signal prediction error. In decision-directed mode, it improves significantly the robustness of the performance of the channel-estimate-based equalizer against rapid channel fluctuations.     

Laboratory model of the Obukhov geostrophic vortex

The results of laboratory modeling of geostrophic adjustment in a shallow-water layer in rotating paraboloid are presented. According to the Rossby-Obukhov theory, this process excites nonstationary wave and stationary vortex (geostrophic) components of motion in a rotating fluid. In our experiments, the wave and vortex components were excited by extracting a preliminarily imbedded hemisphere (which made the initial distribution of the depth of the fluid inhomogeneous) from the central area of a rotating vessel with a parabolic base. Under this excitation technique, a prominent cyclonic eddy is formed in the central portion; the structure of this eddy is satisfactorily described within the linear theory of adjustment. Along with the shallow-water experiments, the published experimental data on modeling geostrophic adjustment in a two-layer medium are analyzed. A simple analytic solution to the corresponding problem of the adjustment theory is obtained, and this solution agrees with the experiment.     

An Implicit Coupled 1D/2D Model for Unsteady Subcritical Flow in Channel Networks and Embayment

In this study, 1D and 2D shallow-water models were coupled to simulate unsteady flow in channel networks and embayment. The 1D model solved the 1D shallow-water equations (St. Venant) using the Preissmann box method and targeted long narrow reaches of the river networks, while the 2D model targeted broad channels and embayment and solved the 2D shallow-water equations using a semi-implicit scheme applied to an unstructured grid of triangular cells. The 1D and 2D models were solved simultaneously by building a matrix for the free surface elevation at every 1D junction and 2D cell center. Velocities were then computed explicitly based on the results at the previous time step and the updated water level. The originality of the scheme arose from a novel coupling method. The results showed that the coupled 1D/2D model produced identical results as the full 2D model in classical to benchmark problems with considerable savings in computational effort. Application of the model to the Pearl River Estuary in southern China showed that complex patterns of tidal wave propagation could be efficiently modeled.     

Monthly variation of some parameters about internal solitary waves in the South China sea

In this paper, by non-dimensional analysis, it is found that finite-depth theory is more appropriate to the study of internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the South China Sea (SCS) than shallow-water theory. The 1-degree grid data of monthly mean temperature and salinity data at standard levels in the SCS are used to solve the linearized vertical eigenvalue problem. The nonlinear parameter and the wave phase speed are computed, then the nonlinear phase speed and the characteristic half-width of ISWs are calculated respectively by two different theories to investigate the difference between these two parameters in the SCS. The nonlinearity is the strongest near the continental slope of the SCS or islands where the bottom topography changes sharply, it is stronger in summer than that in winter; it increases (decreases) as pycnocline depth deepens (shallows), stratification strengthens (weakens) and pycnocline thickness thins (thickens). The nonlinear wave phase speed and the characteristic half-width are the largest in deep sea area, they then reduce peripherally in shallower water. The nonlinear wave phase speed in the SCS changes slightly with time, but the characteristic half-width changes somewhat larger with time. In most of the SCS basin, the nonlinear wave phase speed derived from shallow-water theory is very close to that derived from finite-depth theory, but the characteristic half-width derived from shallow-water theory is about 0.2–0.6 times larger than that derived from finite-depth theory. The ISW induced horizontal current velocity derived from shallow-water theory is larger than that derived from finite-depth theory. Some observed and numerical modeled ISW characteristic half-widths are compared with those derived from shallow-water and finite-depth theories, respectively. It is shown that, the characteristic half-widths derived from finite-depth theory agree better with observational and numerical modeled results than those derived from shallow-water theory in most cases, finite-depth theory is more applicable to the estimation of ISW characteristic half-widths in the northern SCS. It is also suggested that, to derive the precise ISW parameters in further study, the physical non-dimensional ratios which are related with ISW characteristic half-width, amplitude, thermocline and water depths should be calculated, so that an appropriate theory can be chosen for estimation.     

浅海均匀层远程混响的垂直相干性

混响是主动声纳在浅海环境中的一种干扰,有关其空间相关特性,Urick和Lund发表了两篇实验性报告[7].本文根据浅海平均声场角度谱分析法[3],从理论上计算了浅海均匀层远程混响垂直相关特性与界面反射、散射等环境参数之间的关系,及其随距离、水听器间隔的变化,供声纳设计或在浅海环境中研究低频、小掠角的散射特性时参考.     

High-Rate Communication for Underwater Acoustic Channels Using Multiple Transmitters and Space–Time Coding: Receiver Structures and Experimental Results

In this paper, we consider the use of multiple antennas and space-time coding for high data rate underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. Recent advances in information theory have shown that significant capacity gains can be achieved by using multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems and space-time coding techniques for rich scattering environments. This is especially significant for the UWA channel where the usable bandwidth is severely limited due to frequency-dependent attenuation. In this paper, we propose to use space-time coding and iterative decoding techniques to obtain high data rates and reliability over shallow-water, medium-range UWA channels. In particular, we propose to use space-time trellis codes (STTCs), layered space-time codes (LSTCs) and their combinations along with three low-complexity adaptive equalizer structures at the receiver. We consider multiband transmissions where the available bandwidth is divided into several subbands with guard bands in between them. We describe the theoretical basis of the proposed receivers along with a comprehensive set of experimental results obtained by processing data collected from real UWA communications experiments carried out in the Pacific Ocean. We demonstrate that by using space-time coding at the transmitter and sophisticated iterative processing at the receiver, we can obtain data rates and spectral efficiencies that are not possible with single transmitter systems at similar ranges and depths. In particular, we have demonstrated reliable transmission at a data rate of 48 kb/s in 23 kHz of bandwidth, and 12 kb/s in 3 kHz of bandwidth (a spectral efficiency of 4 bs^-1Hz^-1) at a 2-km range.     

Comparison between amphipod assemblages associated with Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea and those of other Mediterranean habitats on soft substrate

The spread of the invasive alga Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea in shallow-water habitats can present different faunal assemblage composition. We compared the amphipod assemblages associated with C. racemosa and natural habitats found on shallow-water Mediterranean soft substrata. Four vegetated habitats were compared: C. racemosa, Caulerpa prolifera, Cymodocea nodosa and Posidonia oceanica with unvegetated substrata. Samples were collected during two sampling periods (September 2004 and March 2005). A total of 63 amphipod species were recorded. The results showed that the vegetated habitats sampled, including C. racemosa stands, supported a higher abundance and species richness of amphipods. Furthermore, the assemblage structure differed between the different habitats, while the abundance of some species was significantly different, depending on habitat. For example, Microdeutopus obtusatus was favoured by C. racemosa habitat; Ampelisca diadema was associated with C. prolifera beds; and Hyale schmidti was more abundant in P. oceanica meadows. Habitat invasion by C. racemosa can exert an important influence on biotic assemblages, modifying habitat structure and associated fauna.     

Underwater Acoustic Communications Using Vertical Receiver Arrays in Ice-Covered Shallow-Water Areas

Oceanology - The feasibility of underwater acoustic communications in an ice-covered shallow-water area is demonstrated in a field experiment and by computer modeling. The advantages of vertical...