Acoustic backscatter measurements from littoral seabeds at shallow grazing angles at 4 and 8 kHz

Direct measurement of acoustic scattering from the seabed at shallow grazing angles and low kilohertz frequencies presents a considerable challenge in littoral waters. Specifically, returns from the air-water interface typically contaminate the signals of interest. To address this issue, DRDC Atlantic has developed a sea-going research system for measuring acoustic scatter from the seabed in shallow-water environs. The system, known as the wideband sonar (WBS), consists of a parametric array transmitter and a superdirective receiver. In this paper, backscatter measurements obtained with the WBS at two sandy, shallow-water sites off North America's Atlantic coast are presented. Data were collected at 4 and 8 kHz at grazing angles from 3 degrees-15 degrees. The backscattering strength is similar at both sites and, below about 8 degrees, it appears to be independent of frequency within the statistical accuracy of the data. The measurements show reasonable agreement with model estimates of backscatter from sandy sediments. A small data set was collected at one of the sites to examine the feasibility of using the WBS to measure the azimuthal variability of acoustic scatter. The data set--although limited--indicates that the parametric array's narrow beamwidth makes the system well-suited to this task.