Acoustic Backscattering from Rough Ocean Bottoms

The discrete nature of acoustic backscatter from the rough seafloor and its estimation are being hypothesized and checked.

For example, acoustic backscatter measured from the rough bottom on the western flank of the mid-Atlantic ridge is far from a continuous process. It is discrete, with peaks having a time scale of less than 100 msec (a length scale of less than 75 m). The peaks appear to be consistent with a simple hypothesis: each peak results from a rare interaction of the incoming sound wave with a local scattering plane having sharply defined edges, whose orientation is within 45 degrees of normal to the wave, and whose size is about one wavelength. Should such scattering processes rule, the fundamental nature of high-resolution sonar-system design would be revolutionized. Research has entailed the gathering of rough-bottom scattering data and the development of theoretical models to understand them.