Abstract
A monostatic temporal model of seafloor acoustic backscatter has been developed to investigate the relative contributions of interface roughness and inhomogeneities in the sediment volume for measurements made at various angles of incidence. The model takes into account sonar parameters such as acoustic wavelength, beam pattern, pulse length, and angle of incidence, and it includes a theoretical angular dependence of seafloor scattering strength that is controlled by the roughness statistics of the surface insonified, by its refraction index, and by a volume reverberation term. Simulations have been carried over angles of incidence from 0° to 60°, and at acoustic frequencies ranging from 10 to 100 kHz for various types of substrates. The theoretical angular dependence predicts that the contribution from the sediment volume becomes noticeable for angles of incidence greater than about 6°; however, in the temporal model it is shown that this contribution can be detected closer to normal incidence for small beamwidths (e.g., 2°). When applied to a multi-narrow-beam sonar geometry this temporal model shows greater potential for bottom classification than the angular dependence function of acoustic backscatter obtained by integrating the returns received in each beam. [Work supported by ONR.]
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