Coherent reflection of an acoustic plane wave from a random sediment layer over an elastic sea floor

The problem of coherent reflection of an acoustic plane wave from a seabed consisting of a randomly inhomogeneous sediment layer overlying a uniform elastic sea floor is considered in this analysis. The random perturbation in the sediment layer is attributable to the sound-speed variations, resulting in volume scattering due to medium inhomogeneities. An approach based upon perturbation theory, combining with a derived Green's function for a slab bounded above and below, respectively, by a fluid and an elastic half-space, is employed to obtain an analytic solution for the coherent field in the sediment layer. A linear system is then constructed to facilitate the computation of the coherent reflection field. The results of the coherent reflection coefficient for various sediment randomness, frequency, sediment thickness, and sea floor elasticity have been numerically generated and analyzed. It is found that the higher/larger the randomness, frequency, thickness, and shear-wave speed, the lower is the coherent reflection. Physical interpretations for the characteristics of the various results are provided.     

Coherent reflection of acoustic plane wave from a rough seabed, with a random sediment layer overlying an elastic basement

The problem of coherent reflection of an acoustic plane wave from a rough seabed with a randomly inhomogeneous sediment layer overlying a uniform elastic basement is considered in this analysis. The randomness of the sound field is attributable to the roughness of the seabed and the sound-speed perturbation in the sediment layer, resulting in a joint rough surface and volume scattering problem. An approach based upon perturbation theory, combined with a derived Green's function for a slab bounded above and below by a fluid and an elastic half-space, respectively, is employed to obtain an analytic solution for the coherent field in the sediment layer. Furthermore, a boundary perturbation theory developed by Kuperman and Schmidt (1989) is applied to treat the problem of rough surface scattering. A linear system is then established to facilitate the computation of the coherent reflection field. The coherent reflection coefficients for various surface roughness, sediment randomness, frequency, sediment thickness, and basement elasticity have been generated numerically and analyzed. It was found that the higher/larger size of surface and/or medium randomness, frequency, thickness, and shear-wave speed, the lower the coherent reflection. Physical interpretations of the various results are provided.     

Electric potential due to a ring electrode

Electrical sensors utilizing ring electrodes mounted on cylindrical rods have been used by several workers to measure the resistivity of marine sediments. As the resistivity of sediment is dependent upon the water content of the sediment, such measurements are extremely valuable for determining the density of sediments. Recently, ring electrodes have also been used in instrumentation to determine fluctuations in the marine sediment-seawater interface due to erosion or deposition. In the past, approximate formulas have been used to evaluate the response of the sensors. In this work, an exact formula is derived, and it is shown that the previous formulas are in error by up to 5%. Although this is not serious for most borehole logging applications, it is essential to use the exact formulas to interpret data from electromagnetic sediment level sensors     

Acoustic plane-wave reflection from a rough surface over a random fluid half-space

Plane-wave reflection from a rough surface overlying a fluid half-space, with a sound speed distribution subject to a small and random perturbation, is considered. A theory based upon a boundary perturbation method in conjunction with a formulation derived from Green's function for the coherent field in the random medium have been applied to a typical oceanic environment to study their effects on the plane-wave reflection. By considering the coherent field itself, the plane-wave reflection may be obtained straightforwardly through a procedure consistent with the formalisms currently employed in rough surface scattering. The results show that both the rough surface and medium inhomogenieties may reduce the plane-wave reflection, however, the characteristics of the curves representing their effects are different, enabling us to identify the dominant scattering mechanism. The results for the coherent reflection due to the individual scattering mechanism are compatible with those found in the existing literature.     

Acoustic plane-wave scattering from a rough surface over a random fluid medium

Acoustic plane-wave scattering from a rough surface overlying a fluid half-space with a sound-speed distribution subject to a small random variation is considered. Under the assumption that the surface roughness and medium randomness are statistically independent, the scattered field may be derived by first solving for the mean field in the medium, and then incorporating with boundary-perturbation method to obtain the total mean field and the power spectral density of the scattered field. The employed algorithm is compatible to the analysis available in the existing literature so that the formulations are conveniently integrated. The results for the power spectral density have shown that the effects of medium inhomogeneities on the rough surface scattering are limited in a spectral regime where the scattered components have shallow grazing angles. The distribution of the power spectral density over the space is primarily governed by the power spectrum and correlation lengths of the rough surface.     

Simulating Realistic-Looking Sediment Ripple Fields

Sandy sediment ripples impact sonar performance in coastal waters through Bragg scattering. Observations from data suggest that sandy ripple elevation relative to the mean seafloor as a function of the horizontal coordinates is not Gaussian distributed; specifically, peak amplitude fading over space associated with a random Gaussian process is largely absent. Such a non-Gaussian nature has implications for modeling acoustic scattering from, and penetration into, sediments. An algorithm is developed to generate ripple fields with a given power spectrum; these fields have non-Gaussian statistics and are visually consistent with data. Higher order statistics of these ripple fields and their implications to sonar detection are discussed.      

Seismo-acoustic field statistics in shallow water

The spatial statistics of the acoustic field in shallow water are strongly affected by interfacial roughness and volume fluctuations in the water column or the seabed. These features scatter energy, reducing the coherence of the acoustic field. This paper introduces a consistent, mode-based modeling framework for ocean scattering. First, the rough surface scattering theory of Kuperman and Schmidt is reformulated in terms of normal modes, resulting in computation times which are reduced by several orders of magnitude. Next, a perturbation theory describing scattering from sound speed and density fluctuations in acoustic media is developed. The scattering theories are combined with KRAKEN, creating a unified normal mode code for wave theory modeling of shallow-water spatial statistics. The scattered field statistics are found to be a complicated function of scattering mechanism, scatterer statistics, and acoustic environment. Bottom properties, including elasticity, strongly influence the scattered field     

一种分层海底反向散射模型

In order to predict the bottom backscattering strength more accurately, the stratified structure of the seafloor is considered. The seafloor is viewed as an elastic half-space basement covered by a fluid sediment layer with finite thickness. On the basis of calculating acoustic field in the water, the sediment layer, and the basement, four kinds of scattering mechanisms are taken into account, including roughness scattering from the water-sediment interface, volume scattering from the sediment layer, roughness scattering from the sediment-basement interface,and volume scattering from the basement. Then a backscattering model for a stratified seafloor applying to low frequency(0.1–10 kHz) is established. The simulation results show that the roughness scattering from the sediment-basement interface and the volume scattering from the basement are more prominent at relative low frequency(below 1.0 kHz). While with the increase of the frequency, the contribution of them to total bottom scattering gradually becomes weak. And the results ultimately approach to the predictions of the high-frequency(10–100 kHz) bottom scattering model. When the sound speed and attenuation of the shear wave in the basement gradually decrease, the prediction of the model tends to that of the full fluid model, which validates the backscattering model for the stratified seafloor in another aspect.     

Experimental study on recycling dredged marine sediment and phosphate tailing to produce earth fill

Environmental friendly earth fill was produced by recycling dredged marine sediment and phosphate tailing. The properties of the marine sediment and tailing were tested. Composite soil samples of different mix ratios were prepared. The optimum moisture contents, basic physical properties, compression characteristics, and shear strength characteristics under the optimum moisture contents were tested and analyzed. The results indicated that the optimum moisture content decreases with increasing phosphorus tailing content and that composite soil is preferable over both marine sediment and phosphate tailing because of its higher dry density, lower compressibility, and higher shear strength. When the phosphorus tailing content is in 50–65%, the dry density is maximized and the void ratio is minimized, indicating the best ratio. The coefficient of compressibility is in 0.07–0.12?MPa^?1. When the phosphorus tailing content is 50%, the compression index and coefficient of compressibility are minimized, whereas cohesion is maximized. The internal friction angle increases with increasing phosphorus tailing content. The optimum phosphorus tailing content is 50%; at this phosphorus tailing content, the compacted composite soil can be reutilized as good earth fill. The results demonstrate the properties and optimal conditions of composite soil composed of mud and silty sand.     

The potential impact of shell fragment distributions on high-frequency seafloor backscatter

There has been much recent activity on developing and testing high-frequency seafloor volume scattering models and on the related high-resolution characterization of seafloor volumes. This paper will address another plausible volume scattering mechanism that has not yet received much attention-distributions of broken shell fragments in sediment (commonly referred to as shell hash). The shell fragments are modeled as nonaggregating spherical scatterers, and the spatial distribution of the shell pieces is determined using the Percus-Yevick packing factor. Computer simulations of the multiple scattering and a single scattering model are used to study the power backscattered by shell hash sediments as a function of the volume of scatterers and the frequency of the incident wave (10-100 kHz). Parameter values for simulations are obtained by stereological analysis of x-ray computed tomography scans of sediment cores.     

Sediment Stripping Correction to Marine Gravity Data

The knowledge of the bedrock topography (instead of the ocean-floor relief) is required in various geoscience studies investigating the evolution and structure of the oceanic lithosphere. The gross density structure and thickness of marine sediments were obtained from ocean drilling data or seismic surveys. Alternatively, marine gravity data corrected for the ocean and sediment density contrasts can be used for a detailed mapping of the bedrock topography. In this study, we compute and apply the sediment stripping correction to marine gravity data. The sediment density distribution is approximated by a 3-D density model derived based on the analysis of density samples from the Deep Sea Drilling Project. Methods for a spherical harmonic analysis and synthesis are utilized in computing the sediment stripping correction. Results show that this correction varies between 0 and 32 mGal. We also demonstrate that the approximation of heterogeneous sediment structures by a uniform density model yields large errors. The spectral analysis reveals a high correlation (>0.75) between the sediment-stripped marine gravity data and the bedrock topography. The application of the sediment stripping correction to marine gravity data enhanced the gravitational signature of the sediment-bedrock interface.     

Effect of Pollutants on the Physical and Engineering Behavior of Lime-Treated Marine Clay

Rapid industrial growth and increasing population has resulted in the discharge of wastes into the ocean, wastes which ultimately reach the seabed and contaminate the marine sediments. The soil-contaminants interaction, and their associated physico chemical properties with sediments control the behavior of marine clays. Marine clay deposits of low strength and high compressibility are located in many coastal and offshore areas. There are several foundation problems encountered in these weak marine clays. In this study, experimental work was carried out in the laboratory to stabilize soft marine clays using the lime column technique. Also the lime-induced effects on the physical and engineering behavior of marine clays in sulfate-contaminated marine environment was investigated. Consolidation tests indicate that compressibility of the lime-treated samples was reduced to 1/2-1/3 of the virgin soil after 45 days treatment. The test results also suggest that the lime column technique can be conveniently used to improve the behavior of contaminated marine clay deposits.     

南海海底沉积物声学物理参数测定的温度和时间优化研究

海洋沉积物含水率、密度和孔隙度等物理参数是沉积物声学特性研究中的重要指标。由于南海沉积物类型多样、成分复杂, 特别是深海沉积物样品珍贵, 需精确测定沉积物声学及物理参数并无损害地保持沉积物化学性质。文章以黏土、粉砂和砂三种典型海底沉积物为研究对象, 使用环刀法和烘干法, 在不同温度条件下(60℃、80℃、100℃和120℃)测定和分析了这三种沉积物的含水率、密度、孔隙度随烘干时间的变化趋势及特征, 并进行了回归分析和综合研究。结果表明: 1) 对同类型沉积物, 温度越高, 完全失去孔隙水的时间越短, 且失水过程具有阶段性;2) 同一温度下, 三种典型沉积物完全失去孔隙水的时间为t_砂<t_粉砂<t_黏土, 且不同时间段, 失去孔隙水的速率差异较大, 这主要与沉积物的颗粒大小、颗粒间的间隙大小以及烘干后期沉积物中所含的水分均已大部分流失有关;3) 建议声学沉积物样品的烘干温度以80℃左右为宜, 并给出三种沉积物完全烘干的参考时长和临界时间;4) 在温度为80℃时, 将临界时间处的物理参数带入经验方程进行声速预报是可行的。     

Effect of Pollutants on the Physical and Engineering Behavior of Lime-Treated Marine Clay

Abstract

Rapid industrial growth and increasing population has resulted in the discharge of wastes into the ocean, wastes which ultimately reach the seabed and contaminate the marine sediments. The soil-contaminants interaction, and their associated physico chemical properties with sediments control the behavior of marine clays. Marine clay deposits of low strength and high compressibility are located in many coastal and offshore areas. There are several foundation problems encountered in these weak marine clays. In this study, experimental work was carried out in the laboratory to stabilize soft marine clays using the lime column technique. Also the lime-induced effects on the physical and engineering behavior of marine clays in sulfate-contaminated marine environment was investigated. Consolidation tests indicate that compressibility of the lime-treated samples was reduced to 1/2–1/3 of the virgin soil after 45 days treatment. The test results also suggest that the lime column technique can be conveniently used to improve the behavior of contaminated marine clay deposits.     

舟山潮差带海相沉积物的物理和化学特征

为舟山潮差带海相沉积物固结机理的深入研究提供物质基础,采用激光粒度仪分析了海相沉积物的粒度组成,并测试了海相沉积物的化学元素、化合物种类及其相对含量,还使用X-射线衍射技术分析了海相沉物的矿物组成。结果表明:海相沉积物含水率高、初始孔隙比大、呈流塑状,为低液限粉质黏土;活性指数为12.4,属于活动黏性土,矿物的亲水性较好;全盐含量高达9～11.2 g/kg,阳离子交换能力不强,有机质含量(5.82～12.7 g/kg)较高;pH值为7.35～8.36,呈弱碱性,加上孔隙水中K^+,Na^+,Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺的存在,使得高岭石常不稳定,有向伊利石、蒙脱石或绿泥石转化的趋势。     

Movement of large gas bubbles in unsaturated fine‐grained sediments

Abstract

Where undissolved gas occurs within fine‐grained marine sediments it usually takes the form of discrete bubbles that are much larger than the normal void spaces. The possibility of buoyancy‐induced movement of these relatively large bubbles must be included when considering the transport of gas through marine sediments. A theoretical analysis shows that, under static loading conditions, bubbles larger than a critical size should have sufficient buoyancy to move upward through a fine‐grained sediment stratum, whereas bubbles smaller than the critical size should remain fixed in position. The critical radius is directly proportional to sediment shear strength, and bubbles of a realistic size should move upward only in extremely weak sediments. Further theoretical analysis shows that the critical bubble size is reduced under cyclic loading conditions, but movement of typical‐sized bubbles should still be restricted to sediments of low shear strength. A simple laboratory experiment provides support for the conclusions of the theoretical analysis. The results indicate that buoyancy‐induced movement of relatively large gas bubbles in fine‐grained sediments is most likely to occur under storm loading conditions and is unlikely to occur at depths greater than a few meters below the seabed.     

Paleogeographic sedimentation settings in the northern Baltic Sea

The grain-size and chemical composition of the bottom sediments and their diatom assemblages from the northern Baltic Sea is discussed. Characteristic layers are distinguished based on the lithostratgraphy and sediment core correlation, which reflect the transition from the lacustrine to marine sedimentation settings during the initial Holocene. Sediment cores demonstrate lateral variations in the sedimentation patterns during the marine (Yoldia Sea), the lacustrine (Ancylus Lake), and the subsequent marine (Littorina Sea) stages: first two stages were characterized by the clay deposition, while the latter one featured accumulation of silty-clayey and clayey muds in bottom depressions. Sea-level fluctuations and corresponding environmental changes are recorded in microlaminated sequences, in particular, sapropelic muds.     

Tests of models for high-frequency seafloor backscatter

The interaction of high-frequency sound with the seafloor is inherently a stochastic process. Inversion techniques must, therefore employ good stochastic models for bottom acoustic scattering. An assortment of physical models for bottom backscattering strength is tested by comparison with scattering strength data obtained at 40 kHz at three shallow water sites spanning a range of sediment types from fine silt to coarse sand. These acoustic data are accompanied by sediment physical property data obtained by core sample analysis and in situ probes. In addition, stereo photography was used to measure the power spectrum of bottom relief on centimeter scales. These physical data provided the inputs needed to test the backscatter models, which treat scattering from both the rough sediment-water interface and the sediment volume. For the three sites considered here, the perturbation model for scattering from a slightly rough fluid seafloor performs well. Volume scattering is predicted to be weak except at a site having a layer of methane bubbles     

The cause of the acoustically impenetrable,or turbid,character of Chesapeake Bay sediments

Many shallow water, fine-grained sediments are almost acoustically impenetrable to the energy from high resolution, low energy continuous seismic profilers. It has been alleged that this anomalous acoustic behavior is the result of interstitial gas bubbles that produce reverberation within the sediment, but no analyses were made until recently to test this hypothesis. Determinations of the compressibility of sediments from acoustically impenetrable, or turbid, zones and from contiguous zones of good penetration in Chesapeake Bay showed that the acoustically turbid sediments are several orders of magnitude more compressible than acoustically clear sediments of very similar grain size. The increased compressibility is a result of the presence of interstitial gas bubbles. Other acoustically turbid zones are produced by buried shell beds, and do not show an increase in compressibility.Contribution No. 181, Chesapeake Bay Institute, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. 21218, U.S.A.