Comment on ``Multiple scattering in a reflecting cavity: Application to fish counting in a tank [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. {\bf 109}, 2587-2597 (2001)]"

This paper presents a comment on the recent work on fish counting in a tank (J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 109, 2587-2597 (2001)). It is pointed out that there are ambiguities with the counting method.Comment: 2 page

Estimation of biological parameters of marine organisms using linear and nonlinear acoustic scattering model-based inversion methods

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2016. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 139 (2016): 2885, doi:10.1121/1.4948759.The linear inversion commonly used in fisheries and zooplankton acoustics assumes a constant inversion kernel and ignores the uncertainties associated with the shape and behavior of the scattering targets, as well as other relevant animal parameters. Here, errors of the linear inversion due to uncertainty associated with the inversion kernel are quantified. A scattering model-based nonlinear inversion method is presented that takes into account the nonlinearity of the inverse problem and is able to estimate simultaneously animal abundance and the parameters associated with the scattering model inherent to the kernel. It uses sophisticated scattering models to estimate first, the abundance, and second, the relevant shape and behavioral parameters of the target organisms. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the abundance, size, and behavior (tilt angle) parameters of marine animals (fish or zooplankton) can be accurately inferred from the inversion by using multi-frequency acoustic data. The influence of the singularity and uncertainty in the inversion kernel on the inversion results can be mitigated by examining the singular values for linear inverse problems and employing a non-linear inversion involving a scattering model-based kernel.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE-0928801 and the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Fisheries Science Center. G.L.L. was partially supported by NOAA Cooperative Agreement Nos. NA09OAR4320129 and NA14OAR4320158 through the NOAA Fisheries Quantitative Ecology and Socioeconomics Training (QUEST) program

Protocols for calibrating multibeam sonar

Development of protocols for calibrating multibeam sonar by means of the standard-target method is documented. Particular systems used in the development work included three that provide the water-column signals, namely the SIMRAD SM2000/90- and 200-kHz sonars and RESON SeaBat 8101 sonar, with operating frequency of 240 kHz. Two facilities were instrumented specifically for the work: a sea well at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and a large, indoor freshwater tank at the University of New Hampshire. Methods for measuring the transfer characteristics of each sonar, with transducers attached, are described and illustrated with measurement results. The principal results, however, are the protocols themselves. These are elaborated for positioning the target, choosing the receiver gain function, quantifying the system stability, mapping the directionality in the plane of the receiving array and in the plane normal to the central axis, measuring the directionality of individual beams, and measuring the nearfield response. General preparations for calibrating multibeam sonars and a method for measuring the receiver response electronically are outlined. Advantages of multibeam sonar calibration and outstanding problems, such as that of validation of the performance of multibeam sonars as configured for use, are mentioned

A phase-compensated distorted wave Born approximation representation of the bistatic scattering by weakly scattering objects : application to zooplankton

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 1999. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 106 (1999): 1732-1743, doi:10.1121/1.428036.The distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) method has been successfully used in modeling the acoustic backscattering by weakly scattering zooplankton [Stanton et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 94, 3463–3472 (1993), Wiebe et al., IEEE J. Ocean. Eng. 22(3), 445–464 (1997)]. However, the previously developed DWBA model ignores the imaginary part of the scattering amplitude and thus results in a zero-extinction cross section. As a consequence, the model fails to predict the scattering-induced attenuation which could be important under certain circumstances. In this paper, a phase-compensated DWBA-based approximation is presented. The improved method allows us to compute not only the scattering strength but also the acoustic attenuation. The new scattering model is validated by comparing with the existing exact solution for certain representative finite objects. The results from this study can be applied to bioacoustic applications where the attenuation due to scattering and/or multiple scattering by zooplankton is relevant, and where this information might be used to infer the acoustic properties of live animals.This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE-9730680

Sound scattering by rough elongated elastic objects. II: Fluctuations of scattered field

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 1992. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 92 (1992): 1665-1678, doi:10.1121/1.403906.Sonar echoes from unresolved features of rough objects tend to interfere with each other. Because of these interferences, properties of the echoes, such as its envelope level, will vary from realization to realization of stochastically rough objects. In this article, the nature of the fluctuations of the backscattered echo envelope of rough solid elastic elongated objects is investigated. A general formulation is initially presented after which specific formulas are derived and numerically evaluated for straight finite-length cylinders. The study uses both the approximate modal-series- and Sommerfeld–Watson-transformation-based deformed cylinder solutions presented in the first part of this series [T. K. Stanton, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 92, XXX (1992)]. The fluctuations of the backscattered echo envelope are related to the Rice probability density function (PDF) and shown to depend upon δ/a and [script L]/L in the Rayleigh scattering region (ka≪1) and kδ and [script L]/L in the geometric region (ka≫1), where δ is the rms roughness, a is the radius of the cylinder, [script L] is the correlation length of the roughness, L is the length of the cylinder, and k is the acoustic wave number in the surrounding fluid. There are similarities shown between these fluctuations in the geometric region and those from rough planar interfaces. In addition, analytical expressions and numerical examples show that the fluctuation or ``incoherent'' component of the scattered field is random only in amplitude—its phase approaches a constant value, in phase with the mean scattered field, which needed to be taken into account in the formulation. Finally, applications of the theory developed in this article to backscatter data involving live marine shrimp-like organisms are discussed.This work was supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research Grant Nos. N00014-89-J-1729 and N00014-90-J-1804

Comparisons among ten models of acoustic backscattering used in aquatic ecosystem research

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 138 (2015); 3742, doi:10.1121/1.4937607.Analytical and numerical scatteringmodels with accompanying digital representations are used increasingly to predict acoustic backscatter by fish and zooplankton in research and ecosystem monitoring applications. Ten such models were applied to targets with simple geometric shapes and parameterized (e.g., size and material properties) to represent biological organisms such as zooplankton and fish, and their predictions of acoustic backscatter were compared to those from exact or approximate analytical models, i.e., benchmarks. These comparisons were made for a sphere, spherical shell, prolate spheroid, and finite cylinder, each with homogeneous composition. For each shape, four target boundary conditions were considered: rigid-fixed, pressure-release, gas-filled, and weakly scattering. Target strength (dB re 1 m2) was calculated as a function of insonifying frequency (f = 12 to 400 kHz) and angle of incidence (θ = 0° to 90°). In general, the numerical models (i.e., boundary- and finite-element) matched the benchmarks over the full range of simulation parameters. While inherent errors associated with the approximate analytical models were illustrated, so were the advantages as they are computationally efficient and in certain cases, outperformed the numerical models under conditions where the numerical models did not convergeThis work was supported by the NOAA Fisheries Advanced Sampling Technologies Working Group, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Oceanic Partnership Program. Josiah S. Renfree

Application of pulse compression techniques to broadband acoustic scattering by live individual zooplankton

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 1998. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 104 (1998): 39-55, doi:10.1121/1.424056.Distinct frequency dependencies of the acoustic backscattering by zooplankton of different anatomical groups have been observed in our previous studies [Chu et al., ICES J. Mar. Sci. 49, 97–106 (1992); Stanton et al., ICES J. Mar. Sci. 51, 505–512 (1994)]. Based mainly on the spectral information, scattering models have been proposed to describe the backscattering mechanisms of different zooplankton groups [Stanton et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 103, 236–253 (1998b)]. In this paper, an in-depth study of pulse compression (PC) techniques is presented to characterize the temporal, spectral, and statistical signatures of the acoustic backscattering by zooplankton of different gross anatomical classes. Data collected from various sources are analyzed and the results are consistent with our acoustic models. From compressed pulse (CP) outputs for all three different zooplankton groups, two major arrivals from different parts of the animal body can be identified: a primary and a secondary arrival. (1) Shrimplike animals (Euphausiids and decapod shrimp; near broadside incidence only): the primary one is from the front interface (interface closest to the transducer) of the animal and the secondary arrival is from the back interface; (2) gas-bearing animals (Siphonophores): the primary arrival is from the gas inclusion and the secondary arrival is from the body tissue ("local acoustic center of mass"); and (3) elastic shelled animals (Gastropods): the primary one is from the front interface and the secondary arrival corresponds to the subsonic Lamb wave that circumnavigates the surface of the shell. Statistical analysis of these arrivals is used to successfully infer the size of the individual animals. In conjunction with different aspects of PC techniques explored in this paper, a concept of partial wave target strength (PWTS) is introduced to describe scattering by the different CP highlights. Furthermore, temporal gating of the CP output allows rejection of unwanted signals, improves the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the spectra of selected partial waves of interest, and provides a better understanding of the scattering mechanism of the animals. In addition, it is found that the averaged PWTS can be used to obtain a more quantitative scattering characterization for certain animals such as siphonophores.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE-9201264 and the U.S. Office of Naval Research under Grant Nos. N00014-89-J-1729, N00014-94-1-0452, and N00014-95-1-0287

A Methodology for Multihazards Load Combinations of Earthquake and Heavy Trucks for Bridges

Issues of load combinations of earthquakes and heavy trucks are important contents in multihazards bridge design. Currentload resistance factor design(LRFD)specificationsusually treat extreme hazards alone and have no probabilistic basis in extreme load combinations. Earthquake load and heavy truck load are considered as random processes with respective characteristics, and the maximum combined load is not the simple superimposition of their maximum loads. Traditional Ferry Borges-Castaneda model that considers load lasting duration and occurrence probability well describes random process converting to random variables and load combinations, but this model has strict constraint in time interval selection to obtain precise results. Turkstra’s rule considers one load reaching its maximum value in bridge’s service life combined with another load with its instantaneous value (or mean value), which looks more rational, but the results are generally unconservative. Therefore, a modified model is presented here considering both advantages of Ferry Borges-Castaneda's model and Turkstra’s rule. The modified model is based on conditional probability, which can convert random process to random variables relatively easily and consider the nonmaximum factor in load combinations. Earthquake load and heavy truck load combinations are employed to illustrate the model. Finally, the results of a numerical simulation are used to verify the feasibility and rationality of the model.</jats:p

A preliminary study of shallow-water sonar issues : signal motion loss and reverberation noise

This preliminary investigation addresses key program elements for sonar sensing in a shallow-water environment to establish bounds on possible solutions and to reduce program uncertainty. The modeling and experimental program focuses on two issues - the potential degradation of sonar data due to signal masking by shallow-water reverberation and signal loss caused by extreme platform motions. The research program combines theoretical analysis, experimental validation in a shallow-water environment, and development of a computer model to explore parametric sensitivity. Results from an initial dock-side test show good agreement with the theoretical predictions. From the shallow-water experiments and acoustic modeling we conclude that: (1) Signal motion loss can influence the reverberation level significantly but is not the dominant factor in target detection for sonars in the frequency range of interest (>200 kHz); a high-quality (velocity-aided) inertial navigation and attitude system will be sufficient to correct for geometric distortions caused by platform motion. (2) Although surface reverberation and multipath noise can be a factor, partcularly in shadow-mode imaging, reverberation levels are rapidly attenuated at the frequencies of interest and beam patterns can be manipulated to reject most interferences; echo-mode imaging is still dominated by the contrast between target strength and bottom reverberation.Funding was provided by the Mitre Corporation and the Office of Naval Research under Contract N00014-92-C-602