Effect of the sound velocity stratification in the bottom sediment layer on the diffraction focusing of an acoustic field in a shallow sea

It is shown that an increase in the sound velocity gradient in the bottom sediment layer results in the formation of additional zones of diffraction focusing of the acoustic field generated by a vertical line array in the water layer. It is also established that, depending on the sound velocity step at the upper boundary of the sediment layer, the diffraction focusing of the acoustic field in the main focusing zones can be enhanced or reduced.     

Conditions for the excitation of interface waves in a thin unconsolidated sediment layer

The reflection of a plane acoustic wave from the seabed is considered. Conditions for the generation of an interface wave in a thin unconsolidated sediment layer overlying a solid substrate are examined, with particular attention to a resonance excited at low frequency and near grazing incidence. Assuming that the sediment layer can be treated as a fluid, the main requirement is for the sediment-substrate impedance ratio (evaluated at grazing incidence) to be less than −1, and very high reflection loss is shown to arise when this condition is only just met. The bottom reflection loss is evaluated at resonance for realistic combinations of seabed parameters, and lower limits are placed on the substrate compressional and shear speeds required for the high losses to occur. Finally, the influence of a small non-zero sediment rigidity is considered.     

Effects of sediment acoustic characteristics on low-frequency acoustic field distribution in shallow water

Most of the published literatures on low-frequency underwater sound propagation are focused on the sound propagation features in the water column,while studies on sound propagation features in the sediment layer or the semi-infinite basement are rare.In this paper,based on the wave equation,a computational model for sound energy flux in the sediment layer and the basement as well as in the water column is proposed under a cylindrical coordinate system.On this basis,the effects of various sediment acoustic parameters on the sound energy distribution and the corresponding mechanisms are elaborated through numerical examples and acoustic theory.Simulation results reveal that,in a situation where sediment P-wave speed>water sound speed> sediment S-wave speed,the greater the values of density and P-wave speed in sediment,the more likely it is that the sound energy remains in the water column without leaking to the sea floor.Conversely,the influence of the variation of S-wave speed is reversed.Basement influence on the sound propagation in the fluid layer is approximately negligible if the sediment layer is sufficiently thick.     

Acoustic measurements of boundary layer flow and sediment flux

Results are reported on an assessment of the application of coherent Doppler and cross-correlation techniques to measure nearbed boundary layer flow. The approaches use acoustic backscattering from sediments entrained into the water column from the bed, to obtain high-resolution profiles of the nearbed hydrodynamics. Measurements are presented from a wave tunnel experiment in which sediment was entrained by unidirectional, oscillatory, and combined flows. The data collected have been used to evaluate the capability of the two flow techniques to measure boundary layer mean, turbulent, and intrawave velocity profiles. Further, the backscattered signal has been used to measure suspended sediment concentration profiles, which have been combined with the velocity profiles to obtain high-resolution measurements of boundary layer sediment flux.     

沉积层声学特性对浅海低频声场分布的影响

已有对浅海低频水声场的讨论多是关注声能量在水体中的分布特性,对水体下沉积层、基底中低频声传播的同步研究相对较少。本文基于波动方程,在柱坐标系下推导了一种浅海水体/海底统一波导下低频声能流的计算模型,在此基础上结合具体仿真算例与波动理论阐述了不同沉积层声学参数对声场能量分布的影响规律及机理。仿真结果表明,在沉积层纵波声速>水中声速>沉积层横波声速的前提下,沉积层中密度与纵波声速数值越大,声能量越趋于保留在水体中而不向海底泄漏,横波声速的影响正好相反;沉积层厚度增加到一定量后,基底对流体层中声传播的影响可近似忽略不计。      

Effects of sediment physical properties on the phosphorus release in aquatic environment

Particle size, porosity, and the initial phosphorus concentration in sediments are the main factors affecting phosphorus release flux through the sediment-water interface. Sediments can be physically divided to muddy and sandy matters, and the adsorption-desorption capacity of sediment with phosphorus depends on particle size. According to phosphorus adsorption-desorption experiments, phosphorus sorption capacity of the sediment decreases with the increase of particle dimension. But among the size-similar particles, sediment with a bigger particle size has the larger initial phosphorus release rate. In terms of muddy and sandy sediments, there are inversely proportional relationships between the release rate and the flux. Due to the contact of surface sediment and the overlying water, the release flux from the sediment is either from direct desorption of surface sediment layer or from the diffusion of pore water in the sediment layer, which is mainly determined by sediment particle size and porosity. Generally, static phosphorus release process may include two stages: the first is the initial release. As for coarse particles, phosphorus is desorbed from surface sediment. And for fine particles, phosphorus concentration in water often decreases, mainly from pore water by the molecular diffusion. During the second stage, pore water flows faster in coarse sediment, and phosphorus is easy to desorb from the surface of the particles as diffusion dominates. For the smaller liquid-solid ratio of fine particles and the larger amount of phosphorus adsorption, the release flux from pore water due to diffusion is very small with longer sorption duration.     

Statistical analysis of sound transmission results obtained on the New Jersey continental shelf

Experiments have been conducted near the site of AMCOR Borehole 6010 on the New Jersey Shelf to evaluate propagation predictability in sandy shallow-water environments. The influence of a nonlinear frequency dependence of the sediment volume attenuation in the uppermost sediment layer at this location is examined. Previously it was determined that a frequency power-law exponent of 1.5 was required for the best modeling of experimental results over the band 50-1000 Hz. The approach here references the attenuation to an accepted value at 1 kHz and makes extensive comparisons between measurements and calculations, to determine a power-law exponent of 1.85+/-0.15.     

一种低声速沉积层海底参数声学反演方法

软泥底环境下沉积层参数的声学反演是国际水声领域的一个研究热点.浅海中,当高声速基底和海水之间存在一层低声速(小于海水声速)的沉积层时,小掠射角情况下不同频率声传播损失会出现周期性增大现象.基于此现象,提出一种适用于低声速沉积层的海底参数声学反演方法.首先,推导给出小掠射角情况下传播损失周期增大的频率间隔与沉积层声速、厚度及近海底海水声速之间的解析表达式;其次,利用一次黄海实验中软泥底环境下的宽带声传播信号,提取了小掠射角下传播损失增大的频率周期;再次,把该解析表达式作为约束条件,结合Hamilton密度与声速的经验公式,采用匹配场处理反演给出沉积层的声速、密度、厚度及基底的声速、密度;然后,利用声传播损失数据反演得到泥底环境下不同频率的声衰减系数,通过拟合发现泥底声衰减系数随频率近似呈线性关系;最后,给出了双层海底模型和半无限大海底模型等效性的讨论.反演结果为低声速沉积层海底声传播规律研究与应用提供了海底声学参数.     

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.     

The effect of temperature on sound wave absorption in a sediment layer

The effect of temperature on sound velocity, absorption, and reflection coefficient in the seabed sediment layer is investigated. Experimental measurements of sound speed, absorption, and the reflection coefficient in a sandy sediment layer have been carried out at several temperatures. An absorption reduction of 75 dB/m and a velocity increase of 65 m/s have been measured at a frequency of 1 MHz when the temperature increases from 5 to 25 degrees C. Because of the absorption temperature dependence the amplitude of the reflected wave from the back surface of the sub-bottom layer after going back and forth across the layer increases with the temperature.     

Effect of the sediment layer on the diffraction focusing of an acoustic field in a shallow sea

Features characterizing the formation of the spatial (in depth and horizontal distance) interference structure of an acoustic field generated by a point tone source or a vertically distributed tone source in a shallow-water oceanic waveguide are considered. The waveguide is modeled by a three-layered fluid medium. The main object of the study is the effect of the acoustic parameters of the sediment layer on the formation and structure of the spatial regions within which the diffraction focusing of the acoustic field takes place.     

由波模频移确定矩形管道沉积层的厚度

提出了用波模的频率偏移求矩形管道中沉积层厚度的方法。在已知无沉积层矩形管道内横截面的情形下,将测量的波模频率与用有限元计算得到的波模频率进行比对,确定沉积层的厚度。给出了有限元计算结果以及实验结果(长15m,截面为449mm×425mm的矩形管道,沉积层厚度分别为40mm和60mm)及其相对误差。实验和有限元计算的结果有很好的一致性,验证了本方法的正确性。     

Sound Propagation in Shallow Water with an Inhomogeneous GAS-Saturated Bottom

We present the methods and results of numerical experiments studying the low-frequency sound propagation in one of the areas of the Arctic shelf with a randomly inhomogeneous gas-saturated bottom. The characteristics of the upper layer of bottom sedimentary rocks (sediments) used in calculations were obtained during a 3D seismic survey and trial drilling of the seafloor. We demonstrate the possibilities of substituting in numerical simulation a real bottom with a fluid homogeneous half-space where the effective value of the sound speed is equal to the average sound speed in the bottom, with averaging along the sound propagation path to a sediment depth of 0.6 wavelength in the bottom. An original technique is proposed for estimating the sound speed propagation in an upper inhomogeneous sediment layer. The technique is based on measurements of acoustic wave attenuation in water during waveguide propagation.     

Effect of the Refraction of Sound Waves in the Sediment Layer on the Sound Field Levels in the Ocean at Short Ranges

On the basis of the results of an acoustic experiment, which was carried out in the Indian Ocean with the use of explosive sources of sound, the effect of the refraction of sound waves in the sediment layer on the levels and the structure of the sound field formed in the water column at short ranges, namely, in the first geometric shadow zone and in the insonified zone below the channel axis, is considered. The length of the acoustic track under study is 45.0 km, and the frequency range is 10–500 Hz.     

Beta-gradient isochron dating of thin tooth enamel layers using ESR

The theoretical and experimental basis for the development of a new dating technique using beta-gradient isochrons and ESR is presented. For uranium-free portions of enamel adjacent to sediment, we can determine a beta-dose gradient due to sources in the nearest 2 mm layer of the sediment. If the equivalent dose to successive layers of enamel is plotted against the beta dose rate to each layer, an estimate of the age (equal to the slope of the line) that depends only on the environmental beta dose rate can be determined. Experimental methods and results for four teeth are discussed. The significance of this approach lies in its ability to isolate an age estimate that is independent of the uranium uptake model, since only portions of the enamel which are far away enough from internal sources of uranium, such as dentine, are used. In addition, this technique provides a time-averaged estimate of the actual gamma plus cosmic dose rate provided that a reasonable estimate of the average moisture content is used to calculate the environmental beta dose rate.     

Bottom parameter behavior in shallow water

This paper discusses the matched field processing behavior of key geoacoustic parameters as a function of frequency (25-100 Hz), range (250 m-2 km), and sediment layer thickness (12, 22, 40 m with scenarios corresponding to possible Shallow Water'06 tests) in a systematic manner for simulated data. It considers ideal, as well as approximate knowledge of other conditions, such as source depth, phone depth, and an ocean sound-speed profile. Some of these approximations cause more trouble than others, but they are all still manageable at the low frequencies and short ranges of interest here. A single layer sediment is always assumed here, as is a vertical array and range independence. However, the approach is easily adaptable to other situations. Finally, we introduce a new way of processing broadband information and find that averaging over all available frequencies and ranges may not be optimal for maximizing sensitivity to, e.g., finding, geoacoustic parameters.     

Effect of sediment formation on the filtration of a liquid from suspension

The problem of the gravitational filtration of a liquid in suspension is considered taking into account the formation of deposition by sedimentary disperse particles. The behavior of the suspension has been described using the system of equations of 1D inertia-free motion of a two-phase mixture, while the flow of the liquid through the porous sediment layer has been described by the filtration equation based on the Darcy law. The dynamics of sediment formation has been analyzed. Limiting cases of equidense and equilibrium suspensions have been studied separately. The expressions for integrated characteristics of the filtration of a disperse mixture in the gravity field have been derived, and the intensities of filtration in different regimes have been compared. The effect of key parameters on the dynamics of filtering a liquid from a suspension has been investigated.     

The degradation of <Superscript>14</Superscript>C-labelled drilling chemicals in a simulated seabed study

In an experiment, which lasted nine months, real sea bed sections and naturally occurring sediment dwelling organisms have been used to study the decomposition of today’s “green” chemicals, i.e. drilling mud chemicals comprising α-olefins or esters made from fatty acid extracted from fish. Both types have been shown to be degraded at aerobic conditions at sea bed. However, the fate of the alcoholic part of the ester has been unknown, as was the rate of degradation of the olefin. Both olefin and alcohol were labelled with ¹⁴C at the C1 atom. The results show that the ester hydrolyses quickly and after a lag phase the alcohol is oxidised, while the olefin degrades more slowly. ¹³³Ba-labelled baryte was used as a bioturbidity marker. The measurements, i.e. scanned sediment columns, show very little bioturbation in the boxes where oil-contaminated sediment was present whereas the control boxes showed more activity from the sediment dwelling organisms down to the depth of the contaminated layer.     

Improving riverbed sediment classification using backscatter and depth residual features of multi-beam echo-sounder systems

Riverbed and seafloor sediment classification using acoustic remote sensing techniques is of high interest due to their high coverage capabilities at limited cost. This contribution presents the results of riverbed sediment classification using multi-beam echo-sounder data based on an empirical method. Two data sets are considered, both taken at the Waal River, namely Sint Andries and Nijmegen. This work is a follow-up to the work carried out by Amiri-Simkooei et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 126(4), 1724-1738 (2009)]. The empirical method bases the classification on features of the backscatter strength and depth residuals. A principal component analysis is used to identify the most appropriate and informative features. Clustering is then applied to the principal components resulting from this set of features to assign a sediment class to each measurement. The results show that the backscatter strength features discriminate between different classes based on the sediment properties, whereas the depth residual features discriminate classes based on riverbed forms such as the "fixed layer" (stone having riprap structure) and riverbed ripples. Combination of these two sets of features is highly recommended because they provide complementary information on both the composition and the structure of the riverbed.