Very shallow waters; a brief review of some acoustic based methods to explore the environment

This paper is a brief summary of how acoustics can help man in going into the environment defined by what is understood by very shallow waters (from 30 m depth up to the surf zone). This scenario is very complex under oceanographically and physical points of vie. The main part of the civil works and activities take place in this part of the seas. Harbours, estuaries, bays, etc.., play important roles in man’s activities. These kinds of waters are not always friendly enough to go by. The visibility plays an important role and when optics do not support a secure activity, to switch to acoustics is other way to overcome the possible difficulties. The acoustic camera helps in “seeing” in turbid waters. The sediments are the whiteness of many processes that take place in and around those waters. To explore them and to evaluate their economical impact in specific activities is another work in which acoustics plays a main role