Calibrating multi-frequency acoustic backscatter systems for studying near-bed suspended sediment transport processes

Betteridge, K. F. E.; Thorne, P. D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4261-0937; Cooke, R. D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9259-6205. 2008 Calibrating multi-frequency acoustic backscatter systems for studying near-bed suspended sediment transport processes. Continental Shelf Research, 28 (2). 227-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2007.07.007

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Abstract/Summary

The utilisation of sound backscattered from sediments in suspension, to measure profiles of near-bed particle size and concentration, has been gaining increasing acceptance and usage by sedimentologists and coastal engineers over the past two decades. To obtain the sediment parameters from the backscattered signal requires an inversion to be conducted on the signal and this necessitates a system calibration. The calibration can be carried out by detailed acoustic and electronic measurements, or alternatively by measuring the backscattering from suspensions with known scattering characteristics. Here, we explore the latter approach and describe in some detail the calibration of a triple frequency acoustic backscatter system. The aim is to provide coastal scientists involved in using acoustics as a tool for sediment transport research, with a clear exposition of the calibration process. Suspensions of glass spheres of varying particle size were used as the calibration scatterers. To interpret the signal backscatter from the suspension of glass spheres a simple model for sphere scattering is presented. The results show that consistent calibration results can be obtained in a relatively simple and robust manner

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2007.07.007
Programmes:	Oceans 2025 > Shelf and coastal processes
ISSN:	0278-4343
Additional Keywords:	SAND CONCENTRATION; WAVE GROUPS; SUSPENSIONS; SCATTERING; PARTICLES; SPHERES; MODELS; SEDIMENTS; TRANSPORT; ACOUSTICS; BACKSCATTERING; INSTRUMENTATION; CALIBRATION
NORA Subject Terms:	Marine Sciences
Date made live:	13 Jan 2009 12:32 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/5368

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