Acoustics of Underwater Sediments

Abstract

The long-term goal of this research is to understand environmental effects on acoustic propagation to and scattering from a known object buried in the ocean bottom. Enhanced acoustic transmission into sandy ocean sediments has been observed when a sound field incident on the bottom impinges at grazing angles below critical but the mechanism for the enhancement is not clear. Of particular interest here is a mechanism suggested by researchers from the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington (APL/UW), who propose small-scale surface roughness can enhance acoustic penetration by diffracting energy down according to the spatial wavelengths exhibited by the roughness. The goal of this work is to isolate and quantify the role of ocean bottom roughness on the transmission process and understand its implications to modifying the acoustic response of an object buried at extended ranges from an acoustic source.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 30, 1998
Accession Number
ADA537349

Entities

People

  • Joseph L. Lopes
  • Raymond J Lim

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustic Propagation
  • Acoustics
  • Diffraction
  • Electronic Mail
  • Frequency Bands
  • Grazing
  • Grazing Angles
  • Hydrophones
  • Measurement
  • Physics
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Roughness
  • Scattering
  • Sediments
  • Simulations
  • Surface Roughness
  • Transducers

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography
  • Electromagnetic Wave Scattering and Antenna Radiation Engineering
  • Research Science/Academic Research