Considerations in the Modelling of Seafloor Acoustic Backscatter

Abstract

The modelling of acoustic backscatter has long been of interest to the U.S. Navy because the application of these models offers the possibility of remote characterization of the seafloor. Basic scattering mechanisms and empirical studies of seafloor backscatter are reviewed in this paper. The Rayleigh criterion offers a means of classifying a rough surface. The Rayleigh parameter, a measure of vertical roughness, and the Rayleigh reflection coefficient, a measure of reflection loss between boundaries, are reviewed. The task of modelling the scattering from a surface with two scales of roughness is approached using a combination of two scattering approximations, one valid for small-scale roughness and one valid for large-scale roughness. The method of small perturbation is used for small-scale roughness, and the method of tangent plane, or Kirchoff approximation, is used for large-scale roughness.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA275404

Entities

People

  • Andrew B. Martinez
  • Brian S. Bourgeois
  • Rebecca M. Gott

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustic Propagation
  • Acoustic Properties
  • Backscattering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Frequency
  • Grain Size
  • Grazing Angles
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • New York
  • Optical Properties
  • Particles
  • Physical Properties
  • Roughness
  • Scattering
  • Seabed
  • Specular Reflection

Readers

  • Acoustical Oceanography.
  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Operations Research