Classification of non-Gaussian reverberation as a mixture.

Abstract

There are a few different ways to obtain non-Gaussian statistics, one of which is through the heterogeneity of the seafloor. It is often the case that the seafloor is a patchwork of different bottom types. Measurements of seafloor reverberation, using omni-directional sources and receivers, often show Gaussian statistics, because it is the result of the superposition of a large number of random contributions, satisfying the central limit theorem. For sonar systems that have the spatial resolution to resolve the patches, the statistics of the reverberation will change from one resolution cell to the next. Due to positional inaccuracies associated with most sonar systems, it is often not possible or feasible to separate the reverberation from each bottom type. When taken as a whole, the reverberation will have non-Gaussian statistics. The statistical properties will be explored. [Work supported by the Office of Naval Research, Ocean Acoustics Program.]