2005: Effects of suspended sediment on acoustic detection using reverberation

Sonar operates by ensonifying a broad swath of the seabed using a line array of acoustic projectors with acoustic backscattering from the ensonified sediment. The sus-pended sediment layer affects the sonar imagery through the volume scattering strength. Understanding the acoustic characteristics of the suspended sediment layer can aid the Navy in detecting sea mines with sonar imagery. In this study, the Navy’s Comprehen-sive Acoustic Simulation System is used to investigate such an effect. A range of criti-cal values of volume scattering strength for buried object detection is found through repeated model simulations. The suspended sediment layer occupies the lower water column. Presence of the sus-pended sediments creates a volume scatter-ing layer which affects acoustic detection. Understanding the acoustic effects of the suspended sediment layer leads to the de-velopment of acoustic sensors with capabil-ity to scan the seafloor and to detect ord-nance such as sea mines. 2. Comprehensive Acoustic Simulation System Sonar equations provide guidelines for system design (Urick, 1983). The govern-ing equation for beam patterns with domi-nating volume reverberation is given b