The impact of water column variability on horizontal wave number estimation and mode based geoacoustic inversion results

The influence of water column variability on low-frequency, shallow water geoacoustic inversion results is considered. The data are estimates of modal eigenvalues obtained from measurements of a point source acoustic field using a horizontal aperture array in the water column. The inversion algorithm is based on perturbations to a background waveguide model with seabed properties consistent with the measured eigenvalues. Water column properties in the background model are assumed to be known, as would be obtained from conductivity, temperature, and depth measurements. The scope of this work in addressing the impact of water column variability on inversion is twofold. Range-dependent propagation effects as they pertain to eigenvalue estimation are first considered. It is shown that mode coupling is important even for weak internal waves and can enhance modal eigenvalue estimates. Second, the effect of the choice of background sound speed profile in the water column is considered for its impact on the estimated bottom acoustic properties. It is shown that a range-averaged sound velocity profile yields the best geoacoustic parameter estimates.     

Bayesian geoacoustic inversion using wind-driven ambient noise

This paper applies Bayesian inversion to bottom-loss data derived from wind-driven ambient noise measurements from a vertical line array to quantify the information content constraining seabed geoacoustic parameters. The inversion utilizes a previously proposed ray-based representation of the ambient noise field as a forward model for fast computations of bottom loss data for a layered seabed. This model considers the effect of the array's finite aperture in the estimation of bottom loss and is extended to include the wind speed as the driving mechanism for the ambient noise field. The strength of this field relative to other unwanted noise mechanisms defines a signal-to-noise ratio, which is included in the inversion as a frequency-dependent parameter. The wind speed is found to have a strong impact on the resolution of seabed geoacoustic parameters as quantified by marginal probability distributions from Bayesian inversion of simulated data. The inversion method is also applied to experimental data collected at a moored vertical array during the MAPEX 2000 experiment, and the results are compared to those from previous active-source inversions and to core measurements at a nearby site.     

Hybrid geoacoustic inversion of broadband Mediterranean Sea data

This paper describes an acoustic experiment (PROSIM'97) carried out to investigate inversion for seabed properties at a site off the west coast of Italy where previous acoustic and geophysical studies have been performed. Acoustic fields were measured at a vertical hydrophone array due to a swept-frequency source towed over weakly range-dependent bathymetry. Based on the known geology, the seabed is modeled as a sediment layer overlying a semi-infinite basement with unknown model parameters consisting of the sediment thickness, sediment and basement sound speeds, source range and depth, water depth at the source and array, and array tilt. A hybrid inversion algorithm is applied to determine the model values that minimize the mismatch with the measured acoustic fields. Multiple data sets are analyzed to examine the consistency of the inversion results. It is found that the low sound speed of the sediment layer, together with a large uncertainty in bathymetry, leads to strong correlations between the water depths and sediment thickness. This precludes reliable estimation of these parameters individually; however, the total depth to the basement can be estimated reliably. In addition, the basement speed and geometric parameters are estimated consistently, and all parameters compare favorably with the geophysical ground-truth information and with previous inversion results.     

舰船辐射噪声贝叶斯方法反演浅海底层结构及地声参数EI北大核心CSCD

针对以舰船辐射噪声为参考声源的浅海海底分层结构及地声参数反演问题,研究了一种基于贝叶斯理论的浅海多层海底地声参数反演方法。反演中以舰船辐射噪声的线谱成分为研究对象,进而采用非线性贝叶斯反演方法反演浅海底层结构、层中声速、声速衰减和密度,并对反演结果的不确定性进行分析。反演结果的最大后验概率估计值和边缘概率分布分别通过拨正模拟退火算法和Metropolis-Hastings采样法在各参数先验区间内计算获得,并根据贝叶斯信息准则确定最佳海底分层结构。海上实验表明:根据该方法反演获得海底分层结构及地声参数,计算得到的声压场与实测舰船辐射噪声传播损失误差不超过10%,反演结果能够准确表征实验海区海底特征。反演结果不确定性分析表明:海底纵波声速、横波声速以及密度的不确定性更小,对声压场变化更加敏感,反演结果更有效、准确。     

利用拖船辐射噪声的深海声学参数近场匹配场反演方法

针对深海声学参数难以通过远距离合作声源反演获取的问题,提出了利用拖船低频噪声近场匹配场反演方法。首先,利用聚焦波束形成计算拖曳阵接收拖船噪声的方向性,获得传播路径特征;然后,构建多参数反演模型,由波数积分声传播模型计算拷贝场,采用遗传算法对多频匹配场目标函数进行反演。同时,采用蒙特卡罗方法分析参数后验概率密度。仿真与试验结果表明:深海环境中拖曳阵接收拖船噪声主要来自海底反射路径,利用该特性反演得到海水深度、噪声源距离、阵列深度、沉积层厚度等参数,多频联合反演可以提高沉积层厚度等参数反演准确性。宽带匹配场处理表明,利用反演最优参数模型能准确给出拖船噪声源的空间位置。      

Broadband sound propagation in shallow water and geoacoustic inversion

Part of an experiment to test a measurement package in a shallow water region in the Gulf of Mexico was designed to gather broadband acoustic data suitable for inversion to estimate seabed geoacoustic parameters. Continuous wave tow acoustic signals at multiple frequencies and broadband impulsive source signals were recorded on a horizontal line array in a high-noise environment. Simulated annealing with a normal mode forward propagation model is utilized to invert for a geoacoustic representation of the seabed. Several inversions are made from different data samples of two light bulb implosions, the measured sound speed profiles at the HLA and at the positions of the light bulb deployments, and for two different cost functions. The different cost functions, measured sound speed profiles, and measured time series result in different inverted geoacoustic profiles from which transmission loss is generated for comparison with measurements. On the basis of physical consistency and from the comparison of the transmission loss and time series, a best estimate geoacoustic profile is selected and compared to those obtained from previously reported inversions. Uncertainties in the sound speed profile are shown to affect the uncertainties of the estimated seabed parameters.     

Full wave-field reflection coefficient inversion

This paper develops a Bayesian inversion for recovering multilayer geoacoustic (velocity, density, attenuation) profiles from a full wave-field (spherical-wave) seabed reflection response. The reflection data originate from acoustic time series windowed for a single bottom interaction, which are processed to yield reflection coefficient data as a function of frequency and angle. Replica data for inversion are computed using a wave number-integration model to calculate the full complex acoustic pressure field, which is processed to produce a commensurate seabed response function. To address the high computational cost of calculating short range acoustic fields, the inversion algorithms are parallelized and frequency averaging is replaced by range averaging in the forward model. The posterior probability density is interpreted in terms of optimal parameter estimates, marginal distributions, and credibility intervals. Inversion results for the full wave-field seabed response are compared to those obtained using plane-wave reflection coefficients. A realistic synthetic study indicates that the plane-wave assumption can fail, producing erroneous results with misleading uncertainty bounds, whereas excellent results are obtained with the full-wave reflection inversion.     

Trans-dimensional geoacoustic inversion

This paper develops a general trans-dimensional Bayesian methodology for geoacoustic inversion. Trans-dimensional inverse problems are a generalization of fixed-dimensional inversion that includes the number and type of model parameters as unknowns in the problem. By extending the inversion state space to multiple subspaces of different dimensions, the posterior probability density quantifies the state of knowledge regarding inversion parameters, including effects due to limited knowledge about appropriate parametrization of the environment and error processes. The inversion is implemented here using a reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm and the seabed is parametrized using a partition model. Unknown data errors are addressed by including a data-error model. Jumps between dimensions are implemented with a birth-death methodology that allows transitions between dimensions by adding or removing interfaces while maintaining detailed balance in the Markov chain. Trans-dimensional inversion results in an inherently parsimonious solution while partition modeling provides a naturally self-regularizing algorithm based on data information content, not on subjective regularization functions. Together, this results in environmental estimates that quantify appropriate seabed structure as supported by the data, allowing sharp discontinuities while approximating smooth transitions where needed. This approach applies generally to geoacoustic inversion and is illustrated here with seabed reflection-coefficient data.     

Optimized constraints for the linearized geoacoustic inverse problem

A geoacoustic inversion scheme to estimate the depth-dependent sound speed characteristics of the shallow-water waveguide is presented. The approach is based on the linearized perturbative technique developed by Rajan et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 82, 998-1017 (1987)]. This method is applied by assuming a background starting model for the environment that includes both the water column and the seabed. Typically, the water column properties are assumed to be known and held fixed in the inversion. Successful application of the perturbative inverse technique lies in handling issues of stability and uniqueness associated with solving a discrete ill-posed problem. Conventionally, such problems are regularized, a procedure which results in a smooth solution. Past applications of this inverse technique have been restricted to cases for which the water column sound speed profile was known and sound speed in the seabed could be approximated by a smooth profile. In this work, constraints that are better suited to specific aspects of the geoacoustic inverse problem are applied. These techniques expand on the original application of the perturbative inverse technique by including the water column sound speed profile in the solution and by allowing for discontinuities in the seabed sound speed profile.     

Geoacoustic inversion based on reflection model of effective density fluid approximation

In order to obtain the physical and geoacoustic properties of marine sediments,an inverse method using reflection loss of different grazing angles is presented.The reflection loss is calculated according to the reflection model of effective density fluid approximation.A two-step hybrid optimization algorithm combining differential evolution and particle swarm optimization along with Bayesian inversion is employed in estimation of porosity,mean grain size,mass density and bulk modulus of grains.Based on the above physical parameters,geoacoustic parameters,including sound speed and attenuation,are further calculated.According to the numerical simulations,we can draw a conclusion that all the parameters can be well estimated with the exception of bulk modulus of grains.In particular,this indirect inverse method for bottom geoacoustic parameters performs high accuracy and strong robustness.The relative errors are 0.092%and 17%,respectively.Finally,measured reflection loss data of sandy sediments at the bottom of a water tank is analyzed,and the estimation value,uncertainty and correlation of each parameter are presented.The availability of this inverse method is verified through comparison between inverse results and part of measured parameters.     

利用拖船自噪声进行浅海环境参数贝叶斯反演

研究了以拖船自噪声为参考声源的浅海环境参数反演问题,并针对反演结果不确定性快速量化评估问题,提出了一种基于自适应重要性抽样的贝叶斯反演新方法。反演利用了拖船自噪声低频线谱成分,并采用混合高斯推荐函数自适应推荐声场模型样本,使得样本集中于参数高概率密度区域,实现后验概率密度快速收敛计算。仿真试验结果表明:拖船自噪声反演能够准确估计水深、沉积层及阵列参数等。所提自适应重要性抽样贝叶斯反演方法的计算效率优于快速吉布斯抽样方法。利用试验数据处理验证,反演得到试验海域声学环境参数,计算传播损失与各阵元接收线谱强度变化吻合,说明反演最优环境模型能准确表征声场传播特征。      

基于等效密度流体模型的地声参数分析

目前的地声参数反演多采用液态海底模型,但是实际海底为多孔弹性海底。该文在等效密度流体模型基础上,通过计算液态海底和多孔弹性海底的反射系数及传播损失,给出了等效密度流体模型和液态海底模型的等效性分析。数值仿真结果表明在低频情况下,多孔弹性海底给出的快纵波声速与等效密度流体模型给出的声速以及等效密度流体的实部与真实的海底密度基本一致。将等效密度流体模型近似看作液态海底模型进行反射系数和传播损失计算,在小掠射角和远距离时,计算结果表明与多孔弹性海底计算结果具有较好一致性,从而以此为依据确定海底为液态,进行地声参数反演。     

Geoacoustic inversion in a dispersive waveguide using warping operators

This paper presents a single receiver geoacoustic inversion method adapted for low-frequency impulsive sources. It is applied to light bulb data collected during the Shallow Water 2006 experiment. The inversion is carried out by extracting dispersion curves from the received signal, and comparing them to simulated replicas. To achieve dispersion curve estimation in the time-frequency domain, modal separability is improved using a signal processing method called warping. The inversion scheme allows for a reliable estimation of the New Jersey Shelf sediment properties (compressional sound speed and density). It also provides an accurate estimation of the source/receiver range.     

基于等效密度流体近似反射模型反演海底参数

为了获取海底沉积物的物理和地声特性,根据等效密度流体近似反射模型得到的不同掠射角下的海底反射损失,利用差分进化算法和粒子群算法相结合的两级混合优化算法以及Bayesian反演方法对海底沉积物的孔隙度、平均颗粒粒度、颗粒质量密度以及颗粒体积弹性模量进行反演,再根据这4个物理参数的估计值进一步计算出海底地声参数,包括声速和衰减。通过反演结果与仿真真值的比较可以看出,除颗粒体积弹性模量外,得到的估计结果是令人满意的,特别是这种间接反演海底地声参数的方法对地声参数的估计具有较高的精确性和较强的稳健性,相对误差分别为0.092%和17%。最后,对实验室水池池底沙质沉积物的反射损失数据进行处理,给出了沙质沉积物各参数的估计值、不确定性和相关性,并通过反演结果与部分实测参数值的比较验证了反演方法的可行性。      

射线理论下的浅海环境噪声场空间相干性分析及海底声学参数反演

基于射线理论,以简化海底模型为基础,获得了浅海噪声场空间相干性在频域上的表示方法,并用于海底声学参数反演。将风关海洋噪声看作分布在无限大平面上的点源,通过计算噪声场垂直方向上的能量分布,进一步获得空间两点噪声场频域相干性表达式。利用数值仿真验证了模型对于不同海底类型的敏感性。并结合噪声场空间两点的频域相干性海上实验数据,反演得到该处海域的底质类型,进一步获得海底声速、密度和声衰减系数。结果表明,反演得到的海底参数与实际情况符合较好,文中提出采用的这种计算方法能够有效的反映海底反射对于噪声场空间相干性的影响,并且可在一定程度上提高反演海底声学参数效率。      

Passive geoacoustic inversion with a single hydrophone using broadband ship noise

An inversion scheme is proposed, relying upon the inversion of the noise of a moving ship measured on a single distant hydrophone. The spectrogram of the measurements exhibits striations which depend on waveguide parameters. The periodic behavior of striations versus range are used to estimate the differences of radial wavenumber between couples of propagative modes at a given frequency. These wavenumber differences are stacked for several frequencies to form the relative dispersion curves. Such relative dispersion curves can be synthesized using a propagation model feeded with a bottom geoacoustic model. Inversion is performed by looking for the bottom properties that optimize the fit between measured and predicted relative dispersion curves. The inversion scheme is tested on simulated data. The conclusions are twofold: (1) a minimum 6 dB signal to noise ratio is required to obtained an unbiased estimate of compressional sound speed in the bottom with a 3 m s(-1) standard deviation; however, even with low signal to noise ratio, the estimation error remains bounded and (2) in the case of a multi-layer bottom, the scheme produces a single depth-average compressional sound speed. The inversion scheme is applied on experimental data. The results are fully consistent with a core sample measured around the receiving hydrophone.     

利用时域波形快速反演海底单参数的方法

海底单参数反演由于反演维数少, 较之多维反演具有实施简单快捷的优点. 首先定义小掠射角下反射损失随掠射角变化率F_dB为单个参数描述海底性质, 构建单参数反演模型; 其次, 从简正波与射线理论出发, 对时域脉冲波形与海底反射性质之间的关系进行了推导, 并讨论衰减机制; 最后, 基于该关系设计出利用最小二乘法对时域波形进行反演的方法. 对北黄海实验数据进行了实际反演, 通过海底采样验证反演结果对海底性质估计的正确性, 同时基于反演结果的传播损失预报值与实测值符合良好. 该方法实施仅需要单个水听器, 待测物理量少, 所获结果较为可靠, 且能满足大多数应用的需要. 关键词： 单参数 地声反演 浅海 海底反射损失     

Sequential trans-dimensional Monte Carlo for range-dependent geoacoustic inversion

This paper develops a sequential trans-dimensional Monte Carlo algorithm for geoacoustic inversion in a strongly range-dependent environment. The algorithm applies advanced Markov chain Monte Carlo methods in combination with sequential techniques (particle filters) to carry out geoacoustic inversions for consecutive data sets acquired along a track. Changes in model parametrization along the track (e.g., number of sediment layers) are accounted for with trans-dimensional partition modeling, which intrinsically determines the amount of structure supported by the data information content. Challenging issues of rapid environmental change between consecutive data sets and high information content (peaked likelihood) are addressed by bridging distributions implemented using annealed importance sampling. This provides an efficient method to locate high-likelihood regions for new data which are distant and ∕ or disjoint from previous high-likelihood regions. The algorithm is applied to simulated reflection-coefficient data along a track, such as can be collected using a towed array close to the seabed. The simulated environment varies rapidly along the track, with changes in the number of layers, layer thicknesses, and geoacoustic parameters within layers. In addition, the seabed contains a geologic fault, where all layers are offset abruptly, and an erosional channel. Changes in noise level are also considered.     

Seabed geoacoustic characterization with a vector sensor array

This paper proposes a vector sensor measurement model and the related Bartlett estimator based on particle velocity measurements for generic parameter estimation, illustrating the advantages of the Vector Sensor Array (VSA). A reliable estimate of the seabed properties such as sediment compressional speed, density and compressional attenuation based on matched-field inversion (MFI) techniques can be achieved using a small aperture VSA. It is shown that VSAs improve the resolution of seabed parameter estimation when compared with pressure sensor arrays with the same number of sensors. The data considered herein was acquired by a four-element VSA in the 8-14 kHz band, during the Makai Experiment in 2005. The results obtained with the MFI technique are compared with those obtained with a method proposed by C. Harrison, which determines the bottom reflection loss as the ratio between the upward and downward beam responses. The results show a good agreement and are in line with the historical information for the area. The particle velocity information provided by the VSA increases significantly the resolution of seabed parameter estimation and in some cases reliable results are obtained using only the vertical component of the particle velocity.     

Geoacoustic inversion for bottom parameters in a thermocline environment in the northern area of the South China Sea

Bottom acoustic parameters have important influence on the application of underwater acoustic propagation and source location.The acoustic parameters of the seabed in the northern of the South China Sea(SCS) were inversed using the experiment data from an acoustic experiment in 2015.Based on the comprehensive analysis of the influence of the sound speed fluctuation and the geoacoustic model on seabed inversion,the multi-parameter hybrid acoustic inversion scheme is improved by selecting the equivalent mean sound speed profile(SSP) and half-infinite liquid bottom model to save the inversion dimensions in the matched field processing(MFP) inversion.The inverted bottom sound speed and density are in good agreement with the core sampling measurements.The nonlinear empirical relationship of the attenuation coefficient with frequency is given out.The inversion results are meaningful to the sound propagation research and application in the northern area of the SCS.