An Analysis of Geologic Clutter in Shalow Water: A Workshop
Abstract
A -5-year field and analysis effort to understand, measure, and predict lateral and vertical, naturally-occurring heterogeneities that may produce discrete acoustic returns at low grazing angles, "geologic clutter", in a mid-outer shelf test site was discussed and developed at a 29-30 June, 1999, workshop. The workshop included both geologists/geophysicists and acousticians, and the planned initiative involves both geologic/geophysical and ocean acoustics/signal processing components. In any littoral area, buried geologic features can contribute significantly to acoustic reverberation and clutter, which affect tactical ASW sonar systems. Proper acoustic processing, coupled with quantitative geologic models, can be used to distinguish these buried features from man-made targets. STRATAFORM studies on the continental shelf off New Jersey have shown a general lack of predictability of the shallow subsurface based simply on seafloor imagery, even given 100% coverage. A good candidate site was identified off the U.S. east coast, the ONR/STRATAFORM New Jersey shelf "natural laboratory". The participants developed a precise acoustic reverberation experiment at this site to understand, characterize, and potentially mitigate geologic clutter, so that the false detections likely to occur on tactical sonar systems in this type of marine geologic environment around the world can be characterized properly.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 19, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA379904
Entities
People
- James A. Austin Jr.
Organizations
- University of Texas at Austin