Acoustic Backscattering from the Basin and Margins of the Arctic Ocean
Abstract
Sound waves created by high-energy explosives were used to measure reverberation and backscattering in the Arctic Ocean. From an ice camp in the Beaufort Sea, signals were backscattered from the continental margin and other major features of the basin. An acoustic array was used to analyze the signals in azimuth. Based on these data we constructed charts of normalized backscatter level, which can be compared with known topography of the Arctic Ocean. Resolution of this remote sensing technique for our experimental conditions (analysis frequency, 9 Hz; averaging time, 20 s; array size, 600 x 600 m) is about 8 deg in azimuth, 15 km in radial extent, and 1 km in depth. We obtained interpretable signals out to 2700 km. For 1000 km or less, the backscatter charts provide continuous coverage of the margins and major submerged features. Strong returns from about 73.2 deg N, 139.0 deg W indicate one or more prominent features that many contemporary topographic charts do not show, but which we believe to be real. Other strong returns are evident from the Northwind Escarpment and from the continental slopes of Alaska and the Canadian Archipelago. Via a backscatter model, we estimate the roughness product (rms height times correlation radius) of these features to be about 4500 sq m on average. Reprints
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 20, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA196338
Entities
People
- A. B. Baggeroer
- I. Dyer
- J. D. Zittel
- R. J. Williams
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology