Measurement of the acoustic parameters of the ocean bottom using multiply scattered sound pulses

Abstract

A multibeam echo sounder of a new generation has been developed at the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology on the basis of a transmitting device and a receiving multielement array installed on the Akademik Ioffe research vessel. This development makes it possible to measure the angular spectrum of bottom-scattered acoustic signals. The analysis of the spectrum records obtained in the North Atlantic during the vessel motion demonstrates a possibility to use triply-scattered signals (bottom-surface-bottom) for the determination of the coefficient of sound reflection in the case of an oblique incidence on the bottom, whereas similar measurements with a conventional technique require the utilization of horizontally separated transmitter and receiver. The results of calculating the reflection coefficient from the experimental data are presented.