Using reflection seismic data to quantify sub-seabed effects on short-range sound propagation

Abstract

Project AbstractBAA Number: N00014-21-S-B001Approved for Public ReleaseProposal Title: Using reflection seismic data to quantify sub-seabed effects on short-range sound propagationPIs: 1.Shima Abadi, University of Washington, [e-mail], Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], https://sites.google.com/a/uw.edu/abadi/ 2.Warren T. Wood, Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), [e-mail], Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], Telework: [phone]The sound field in the ocean is strongly influenced by interaction with the seabed. The sound speed, attenuation, and acoustic impedance contrasts in the seabed are affected by sometimes highly variable geologic properties, including porosity, grain composition and pore composition. Error in sub-seabed parameters often leads to uncertainty in the water-column sound field. Using reflection seismology, geophysicists have historically developed techniques that use small variations in the water-column sound field (seismic traces) to accurately image deep layers of the seabed. These techniques can be used to great effect in characterizing the seabed for purposes of constraining ocean acoustic predictions. Inthis study, we use marine seismic data to characterize sea-bottom interaction. We study the impact of seabed (a few meters below the seafloor) and sub-seabed (a kilometer or more below the seafloor) on sound propagation in the water column. We use tools and techniques that are common in marine seismology to convert this dataset to a suitable format for bottom loss and attenuation characterization. This rich dataset provides a unique opportunity for us to use seismic airguns as sources of opportunity for studying sea-bottom interactions at a wide variety of geographic locations. The broadband and wide-angle seismic recordings allow us to fully characterize seabed. We will provide tools and guideline on how to access seismic data in a format that is more familiar to ocean acousticians and will disseminate our findings through code-sharing platforms (such as GitHub), journal publications, and conference presentations.

Document Details

• Document Type: DoD Grant Award
• Publication Date: Aug 05, 2021
• Source ID: N000142112727

Entities

People

• Shima Abadi

Organizations

• Office of Naval Research
• United States Navy
• University of Washington

Tags

Fields of Study

• Environmental science

Readers

• Oceanography.
• Seismology
• Wave Propagation and Nonlinear Chaotic Dynamics.