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Abstract
The most effective method for surveying underwater archeological sites is visually identifying areas with relics or remains through diving surveys. However, during underwater excavations, it is difficult to obtain images in turbid water. Furthermore, on-site diving is costly and time-consuming. Marine acoustic geophysical survey equipment is not significantly affected by underwater turbidity, and underwater excavations often rely on geophysical equipment for surface inspections. This study aimed to improve existing underwater excavation imaging through the application of acoustic survey methods. Underwater surveys were conducted via acoustic marine geophysical survey devices at three historically significant underwater sites in South Korea: Dangampo, Nakwoldo Island, and the Battle of Myeongnyang. At the Dangampo site, surveys were conducted using three different sonar devices—side scan sonar, multibeam echo sounder, and scanning sonar—and the results were compared; scanning sonar was the most effective. The methodology was further refined during excavations at the Nakwoldo and Myeongnyang sites. Results show that the scanning sonar can produce images that are more accurate than on-site drawings produced during underwater excavations, even in turbid underwater environments. Moreover, applied in conjunction with high-frequency geophysical exploration techniques, scanning sonar can significantly increase the reliability of investigations of buried underwater remains and relics.
Highlights
In underwater archeological site surveys, marine geophysical survey (MGS) devices are used to detect underwater relics such as ancient shipwrecks
Comparing the images acquired at 400 and 1250 kHz, at 400 kHz, only the sediment removal area (SRA) could be distinguished from the remaining seafloor in the images acquired, whereas the images obtained at 1250 kHz delivered an accurate image of the seafloor topography of the SRA
In the sonar images obtained at the Myeongnyang site, the locations of the reflector were displayed in red in contrast to the surroundings
Summary
In underwater archeological site surveys, marine geophysical survey (MGS) devices are used to detect underwater relics such as ancient shipwrecks. The first underwater archeological geophysical survey in South Korea was the Chilcheollyang seafloor survey conducted by the Cultural Heritage Administration in 1973 [1]. McCarthy et al [19] described the application of sonar, laser, optics, and other sensor-based technologies that capture ground, intertidal, subsea, and sub-segment deposits in 3D and high resolution, while Sakellariou et al, Kim et al [20] generated 2D data as 3D data using a commercial 2D Chirp SBP system with a newly designed recording system(Daejeon, Korea) at the site where an ancient wooden shipwreck was buried, and the ancient shipwreck was successfully imaged through 3D rendering. Sakellariou et al [21] conducted comparative studies on traditional underwater survey methods in the Aegean Sea by comparing the results to those derived through the application of the latest techniques in geophysical exploration. The current survey report comprises a map indicating previously surveyed sections only and does not provide enough information to infer the state of the remains, such as the topographic profile of the seafloor or the presence of foreign objects
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