Geoacoustic and Geological Characterization of Surficial Marine Sediment by Insitu Probe and Remote Sensing Techniques

摘要

Surficial marine deposits in shallow coastal areas and in deep ocean basins areinvestigated in detail by in situ probe and remote sensing techniques to characterize the geoacoustic and geological properties of surficial sediments. Quantitative static and dynamic data of surficial sediments, three-dimensional structure, morphology, and time-dependent sea floor process are collected to provide environmental information for basic geological and geophysical research investigations and for naval applications. Geological properties and processes such as bottom roughness, sediment type, sediment transport, physical, mechanical, and acoustic properties, and dynamic wave-current stress on the sea floor sediments are measured, studied, and modeled in the field and in the laboratory. Geosciences research at the Naval Oceanographic and Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NOARL) supports specific naval requirements in mine and Arctic warfare, acoustic bottom and subbottom interaction, coastal engineering, mapping, geoacoustic antisubmarine warfare. The resulting instrumentation and technology have been applied to other basic research problems in deep-ocean waste disposal, sea floor stability, and sediment transport processes. Interdisciplinary research is an integral aspect of the surficial sediment investigations carried out by NOARL. Programs are designed to maximize the return on investments in ocean science while making optimum scientific contributions that benefit the U.S. Navy. Studies include site-specific investigations at sea, as well as extensive laboratory studies coupled with theory and modeling.