Estimating structure and geoacoustic parameters of sub-bottom by using spatial characteristics of ocean ambient noise in shallow water

Abstract

The field of ocean ambient noise contains numerous information about the water column, especially the information about the sub-bottom. The geoacoustics parameters of sub-bottom are very important factors influencing the spatial characteristics of ocean ambient noise field. For different layered structures of the sub-bottom, the bottom-loss shows different critical angles according to sound speed of each layer, while the structure of interference fringe is dependent on the thickness of the sediment. Flux theory of ocean ambient noise proposed by Harrison is used in this paper. Using this theory, the curve of bottom-loss can be extracted by computing the ratio between the energy of the upward wave and the downward wave. From the ideal reflection coefficient, the influence of sound speed, density and attenuation coefficient on reflection coefficient are discussed in the situation of the sub-bottom of acoustic half space, while the reflection coefficient of 1 layer of sediment is simplified. Initially, the reflection coefficient is the sum of sound waves reflect from the sub-bottom transmitted from the same source at the same angle. Only the first two terms are reserved, so that the mechanism of the interference fringe can be easily discussed. The structure of interference fringe can be explained which is affected by the thickness of the sediment. The curve of bottom-loss oscillates periodically with the increase of the thickness of the sub-bottom. Also by the reciprocity principle, the interference fringe of the reflection coefficient can be explained by considering the sound transmitted from two point sources at the surface of the sea. In this way the same result can be obtained as that from the method of simplification. The result of the experiment in China Yellow Sea shows that the information about the reflection coefficient of the sub-bottom can be extracted by the vertical azimuth spectrum of ocean ambient noise. In this way, the critical angle can be obtained, so that the sound speed of the sub-bottom can be estimated by using Snell law. The structure of the interference fringe is also contained in the bottom-loss curve estimated by ocean ambient noise. Therefore the layered structure, sound speed and the thickness of the layer of the sub-bottom can be estimated.