Measuring Shallow Sediment Velocity Structure with CDP Gathers and Sonobuoy Profiles

Abstract

As part of USNS Bowditch Cruise 621098, a high resolution MCS reflection survey of the Persian Gulf, 48 NAVO-supplied sonobuoys were deployed and recorded. 32 of these returned useful data, the analysis if which is presented here. The principal purpose of this study was to determine detailed shallow velocity structure which would complement those obtained as part of the MCS processing and analysis. Two analysis methods were employed: interactive ray tracing and determination of the angle of critical reflection from the seafloor. This latter method can tell us the velocity of sediment on the seafloor, which cannot be determined using "normal" means. Ray tracing returned velocity functions extending as deep as 2 km in some cases. An important result is that in an area of the central gulf, there exists a thin, high velocity layer not far below the seafloor. It is difficult to measure the thickness of this layer, but its velocity and depth are well constrained.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 31, 1999
Accession Number
ADA367499

Entities

People

  • John B. Diebold

Organizations

  • Columbia University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustic Detectors
  • Acoustic Equipment
  • Acquisition
  • Amplitude
  • Buoys
  • Frequency
  • Gulfs
  • High Resolution
  • New York
  • Persian Gulf
  • Ray Tracing
  • Reflection
  • Seabed
  • Sediments
  • Sonobuoys
  • Thickness
  • Water

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography
  • Maritime and Naval Warfare Studies
  • Wave Propagation and Nonlinear Chaotic Dynamics.