High-Frequency Sound Interaction in Ocean Sediments: Modeling Environmental Controls

Abstract

The goal of the High-Frequency Acoustics Departmental Research Initiative (DRI) is to develop accurate models for high-frequency acoustic penetration into, propagation within, and scattering from shallow-water ocean sediments. This project will provide the statistical characterization of surficial sediment properties that is required to test, compare, and validate these physical acoustic models. The emphasis of the first experiments is testing the various acoustic models proposed to account for the anomalous penetration of high-frequency energy at subcritical angles in sand. These experiments should also improve our general understanding of high-frequency acoustic bottom scattering and frequency-dependent acoustic propagation within sediments. Additional objectives of this project are to understand and model the complex interactions among environmental processes, sediment structure, properties, and behavior. We (with other DRI investigators) will document the effects of biological, geological, biogeochemical, and hydrodynamic processes on the spatial and temporal distribution of sediment physical, geotechnical and geoacoustic properties at the experimental site and develop predictive empirical and physical models of the relationships among those properties. These models allow portability of high-frequency bottom interaction models to sites of naval interest.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 30, 1999
Accession Number
ADA630779

Entities

People

  • Dale Bibee
  • Dawn Lavoie
  • Kevin B. Briggs
  • Michael Richardson

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustic Measurement
  • Bulk Modulus
  • Cameras
  • Computer Programs
  • Frequency
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Measurement
  • Photographs
  • Photography
  • Physical Properties
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Scattering
  • Seabed
  • Sediments
  • Sonar
  • Three Dimensional
  • Two Dimensional

Readers

  • Acoustical Oceanography.
  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers