Seafloor sound-speed profile characterization with non-parallel layering by the image source method: Application to CLUTTER'09 campaign data

The image source method was originally developed to estimate sediment sound speed as a function of depth assuming plane-layered sediments. Recently, the technique was extended to treat dipping, i.e., non-parallel layers and was tested using synthetic data. Here, the technique is applied to measured reflection data with dipping layers and mud volcanoes. The data were collected with an autonomous underwater vehicle towing a source (1600-3500 Hz) and a horizontal array of hydrophones. Data were collected every 3 m criss-crossing an area about 1 km². The results provide a combination of two-dimensional sections of the sediment sound-speeds plotted in a three-dimensional picture.