Multibeam sonar water column data simulation for improved and automated detection of gas seeps

• DOI: 10.1121/10.0022905
• Publication Date: 2023-11-28T16:09:23Z
• Authors: Amy Nau; Vanessa Lucieer; Yoann Ladroit; Haris Kunnath; Tara Martin
• Keywords: Petroleum seep; Seafloor Spreading; Echo sounding; Seabed; Backscatter (email)

Water column data (WCD) collected by multibeam echosounders (MBES) provide valuable datasets for the detection of gas bubbles. However, presence noise patterns, primarily caused sidelobe interference from seafloor reverberation, limits usability WCD. We present a method simulating characteristic patterns in WCD, particularly Mills Cross configurations, predicted reverberation and transducer artefacts. The simulation is based on reference pattern created subset then applied as correction depth backscatter each ping within dataset. Noise can be removed subtracting simulated original data, allowing improved analysis near-benthic water features such seeps. This requires no prior knowledge specific characteristics, making it applicable to wide range MBES systems acoustic targets. was two simultaneously over seep field Bay Plenty, New Zealand, part Quantitative Ocean-Column Imaging (QUOI) voyage July 2018. demonstrate utility applying detecting spatial extent bases mapped using different frequencies.