Tests of new in-situ seabed acoustic measurement system in Qingdao

A new in-situ seabed acoustic measurement system is developed for direct in-situ measurement of sediment geoacoustic properties （compressional wave velocity and attenuation）. The new in-situ system consists of two parts： the deck control unit and the underwater measurement unit. The underwater measurement unit emits sonic waves that propagate through the seafloor sediment, receives the returning signals, and transmits them to the deck control unit for waveform display and analysis. The entire operation is controlled and monitored in real time by the deck control unit on the research vessel and can provide recording of full waveforms to determine the sound velocity and attenuation. This paper outlines the design of the system, the measurement process, and demonstrates its application in tests carded out on seabed sediment off the Qingdao coast, China. The test results show that the system performed well and rapidly provided accurate in-situ acoustic velocity and attenuation estimates of the seafloor sediment.     

大洋海底数据可视化和成图设计与分析

随着全球大洋调查的不断开展以及各种海底探测技术的进步,海洋调查数据积累日益增多。以往主要通过使用不同的专业软件来进行各类大洋数据的可视化和成图分析。在海洋调查方面目前迫切需要一种可视化软件,能够快速显示海底大洋的观测和探测数据,并能够快速简单地综合分析和成图。为了解决快速可视化和多种类型数据同界面显示问题,本文利用Matlab中的图形用户界面工具,开发和设计了简单易操作的OceanVis1.0数据可视化和图形用户界面。通过使用OceanVis1.0,用户可以方便地对全球海底大洋多波束水深、海洋重力异常、海洋磁异常、地震波形数据等进行可视化和成图分析,能够解决大洋关键区域的多种数据可视化综合分析问题。对不同类型的数据可以进行二维测线和三维空间数据变化的显示,也可以实现数据成图的放大、缩小和旋转功能。对于多波束、重磁数据空间变化数据,可以进行二维测线的任意切割和成图输出,不用保留中间成图即可满足用户的实时数据显示和快速查看功能。OceanVis1.0也能为具体航次的海底调查提供各类海底探测数据的快速显示,以及包括航次中获取的数据显示和初步分析功能,能够为研究区航次测线的规划提供数据可视化和图形支撑平台。     

Effect of Temperature on the Acoustic Reflection Characteristics of Seafloor Surface Sediments

Because the sound speeds of seawater and seafloor sediment both increase with temperature,the influence of tempera-ture on the bottom reflection characteristics of seafloor sediments needs to be investigated.Based on the calculation of the temperature-controlled experimental measurement data of typical seafloor surface sediment samples,the temperature-dependent acoustic characteristics,including acoustic impedance,acoustic impedance ratio between surface sediment and seawater,and reflection coefficient,were analyzed.The effective density fluid model was used to analyze and explain the reflection coefficient variation of surface sediments with temperature and predict the dispersion characteristics.Results show that the acoustic impedance of the seabed sediment increases with temperature,whereas the acoustic impedance ratio and acoustic reflection coefficient slightly decrease.The acoustic impedance,acoustic impedance ratio,and acoustic reflection coefficient of sandy,silty,and clayey sediments vary similarly with tem-perature variation.Moreover,the influence of temperature on these acoustic characteristics is independent of detection frequencies.     

用于海底底质分类的多波束声强数据选取研究

高质量的海底声强图是进行多波束海底底质分类、目标识别的基础。要得到"单纯"反映海底底质信息的声强图,就需要对原始声强数据进行地形改正,消除地形因素的影响。在描述了多波束数据中水深数据不能满足声强数据的改正要求问题的基础上,提出了以水深数据覆盖范围为约束的声强数据选取方法。实例计算结果表明:该方法在能有效地选取高质量的声强数据,提高了基于声强图像的海底底质分类精度。     

深海6000 m拖曳式瞬变电磁系统及其应用

针对我国西南印度洋合同区热液硫化物矿快速、有效以及便捷地质勘探装备的要求,研发了由甲板控制系统、万米光电复合缆、仪器舱拖体和天线拖体组成的深海6000 m拖曳式瞬变电磁系统.为了便于拖体布放和快速发现异常,选择重叠回线收发装置类型;采用理论数值计算确定了在拖曳高度不大于50 m的前提下,观测1～100ms窗范围内的二次场响应,可以发现近海底深海热液硫化物矿堆;另外,通过不同拖延深度海上试验,研究了拖曳深度对瞬变电磁的影响规律及仪器性能.大洋第30航次第二航段在西南印度洋脊热液区,应用该系统发现了明显的瞬变电磁异常.印证了系统的有效性.     

南海北部陆坡西部海域“海马”冷泉甲烷渗漏及其海底表征

2015年3月"海马"号遥控无人潜水器(ROV)在南海北部陆坡西部海域首次发现活动冷泉,并命名为"海马"冷泉,此后中国地质调查局广州海洋地质调查局先后组织了3个航次,对"海马"冷泉开展进一步勘查和研究。本次研究在综合分析4个航次调查数据的基础上,初步阐述"海马"冷泉的分布范围、地形地貌、生物群落、自生碳酸盐岩和流体活动等特征。总体而言,"海马"冷泉区地势平缓,气体渗漏现象非常发育,是以CH4为主要气体渗漏形成的活动冷泉区,且气体渗漏活动具有时空迁移性。气体碳同位素组成表明,海马冷泉区的CH4为混合成因气,且以微生物成因为主;"海马"冷泉区发育有多种类型的化能自养冷泉生物群落,冷泉区种类丰富,目前已报道了多个冷泉生物新种。这些发现为研究南海北部陆坡西部海域天然气水合物分解及其环境效应、冷泉生物生命起源与演化和南海与印度洋及太平洋物种迁移贯通等科学问题提供重要依据。     

First arrival cycle-based calculation methods of in situ sound speed and attenuation in sediments

The acoustic properties of seafloor sediments are of great importance in geoacoustic modeling, detecting, and oceanic engineering. The methods based on the first arrival cycle are investigated to calculate sound speed and attenuation of sediment more precisely in in situ measurements. The comparison of different data analysis methods based on the first arrival cycle approach for in situ measurement results in the following conclusions: (1) the calculated methods can help find the effective cycles and reduce the errors in calculating sound speed and attenuation; (2) using this approach, the point judgment method-based data analysis has the same effectiveness as the cross-correlation method-based data analysis in calculating group sound speed and has the same effectiveness in calculating attenuation in the time domain as the spectrum analysis method-based data analysis has in calculating attenuation in frequency domain; and (3) measurement in water can help not only calibrate the transmitting distance but also can calculate the time delay for the sound speed and the attenuation loss in the transmitting process. Finally, theoretical calculation was used to calculate the measured results, indicating a good agreement, which supports that first arrival cycle-based calculated methods can be used to analyze the measured data and the effective density fluid model can be used to analyze more acoustic properties and invert several physical properties in this experiment.     

静水压力取样器冲击头冲击速度的理论与试验研究

介绍了一种用于海底沉积物取样的静水压力取样器,它能依次利用重力势能和静水压力能,将其转换为冲击动能,以冲击形式将取样管插入海底沉积物进行取样。结合既定取样器对其冲击头的冲击速度进行了理论推导,并提出相关经验公式。通过取样器冲击试验,验证了静水压力取样器冲击头冲击速度理论模型的正确性和合理性。在理论推导和实验验证的基础上,对影响取样器冲击头冲击速度三个主要因素进行了探讨,并提出了提高冲击头冲击速度的具体措施。     

Seismic and Petrophysical Relationships from UK Continental Shelf Rocks at Elevated Pressures

Abstract

There are few published seismic (P- and S-waves) properties for seafloor bedrocks. At low pressures (1 to 10 MPa), velocities and attenuations are determined mainly by open microcracks. At higher pressures, the microcracks close, and the velocities and attenuations depend primarily on the matrix porosity. We have investigated both the relationships between the acoustic, petrophysical, and geological properties of the rocks at 40 MPa pressure and the effect of microcracks on the acoustic properties at 10 MPa pressure. In this paper we discuss the former; the latter will be discussed separately.

P- and S-wave velocity and attenuation measurements were carried out on a suite of seabed sedimentary and igneous rocks at effective pressures from 10 to 40 MPa at ultrasonic frequencies. The porosities and permeabilities of the rocks ranged from 0% to 32% and 0 to 110 mDarcy, respectively. Characterization of the rocks revealed that most of the sandstones have a substantial clay content (kaolinite, illite, and chlorite) and fractures. Most of the igneous rocks are chloritized.

The seismic properties of the rocks are markedly lower than those of similar continental rocks because of the microporosity formed by the alteration of feldspars, micas, and mafic minerals to clays (e.g., chloritization of pyroxenes) and the corresponding reduction of the elastic moduli. The results of this study suggest that the values of velocities and quality factors used for ocean acoustic propagation models are lower than normally assumed.