An estimate of plankton distribution in the ocean based on acoustic sounding

Doklady Earth Sciences -     

Acoustic studies of zooplankton in the Sea of Japan and Eastern Arctic

We present the results of sound scattering studies to estimate the distribution and dynamics of zooplankton in the upper sea layer under various conditions. The measurements of the sound scattering coefficients were carried out over different pathways during the ship motion and at individual stations at frequencies of 100–250 kHz. The studies were carried out in 2004–2014 in the Sea of Japan and in 2013 in the Eastern Arctic seas. The studies of sound scattering were performed simultaneously with net catches of plankton in situ. These data allowed us to study the details of correlation between the sound scattering coefficient and zooplankton concentration. The studies revealed significantly stronger sound scattering in the Eastern Arctic, which is related to the greater concentration of zooplankton, the migration of which differs strongly from the migration of plankton in the warm seas.     

The first discovery of cryptotephra of the catastrophic eruptions of the Baitoushan volcano in the tenth century A.D. in the shelf deposits of the Sea of Japan

The interlayers of the cryptotephra of different episodes of the catastrophic eruption of the Baitoushan volcano (Paektu-san, Changbaishan-Tianchi) in the 10th century were discovered in the sedimentary cover of Amur Bay in the Sea of Japan by the geochemical and paleomagnetic characteristics. The petrochemistry of the volcanic glass indicates the possible occurrence of pyroclastic material in the B–Tm layer and more recent episodes that have not been identified before in the sediments of the Sea of Japan. The impact of the eruption on the bay environment is noted. It is shown that the medieval state of Balhae occupying vast areas and adjacent to the volcano no longer existed after the more earlier episodes of eruption.     

Peculiarities of the Formation of the Interference Structure of Scalar-Vector Acoustic Fields on the Shelf of the Sea of Japan

The results of experimental study of the spatial structure of the scalar-vector acoustic field formed during towing of a tone low-frequency emitter over the shelf of the Sea of Japan are discussed. The experiment was accomplished by towing the source of a tone signal with a frequency of 134 Hz at a depth of 20 m over various acoustic tracks at distances up to 10 km from an integrated receiving system consisting of a receiver of acoustic pressure and three orthogonal components of the acoustic pressure gradient. Special attention has been focused on study of the interference structure of the scalar and vector fields with provision of the technical reliability of the method and the results of the experiment under controlled hydrological conditions. We discuss the quantitative characteristics and peculiarities of the interference formation along tracks that differ in depth. The unique results of comparing the horizontal and vertical components of the fields are most interesting of all. They allowed us to reveal the existence of eddy structures in the acoustic field of the source over several tracks. We analyze the possibility of practical application of the results of our research.

     

Acoustic tomography for monitoring the Sea of Japan: a pilot experiment

A pilot experiment was conducted in the Sea of Japan (also called the East Sea) in September-October 1999, to assess the possibility of using acoustic tomographic techniques for monitoring water mass structure and dynamics. Acoustic m-sequence signals at various frequencies between 250 and 634 Hz were transmitted from bottom-mounted acoustic sources in shallow water off the coast of Vladivostok to vertical-array receiving systems deployed off the north coast of Ulleung-Do island (S. Korea), 558 km to the south. The data are analyzed for temporal correlation, time spread, and transmission loss and are interpreted in terms of a tomographic system for monitoring the East Sea.     

Application of complex acoustic signals in communication systems and navigation of submersible units

Doklady Earth Sciences -