The acoustic transient recording buoy (ATRB): system description and initial measurement results

Author

Tattersall, J. Matthew ; King, Peter C. ; Mingrone, Joseph A. ; Herstein, Peter D.

Author_Institution

US Naval Underwater Syst. Center, New London, CT, USA

Volume

17

Issue

3

fYear

1992

fDate

7/1/1992 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

227

Lastpage

238

Abstract

An acoustic transient recording buoy (ATRB) developed to provide improved dynamic range and recording capacity in a reconfigurable manner is described. This digital system can acquire and record up to 16 h of broadband wide dynamic range (≈80 dB) acoustic data from eight hydrophones. A unique feature is the use of two inexpensive video cassette recorders to obtain up to 10 Gb of data storage capacity. The system is self-contained and capable of unattended bottom-moored operation. An experiment designed and conducted using a single ship and this system to obtain simultaneous measurements of sea surface forward scatter, propagation loss, and sea floor interaction is reported. Data obtained demonstrate the utility of this system for ocean acoustic experiments. Explosive charge source levels using direct path measurements agreed with previous measurements. Surface reflected data exhibited a frequency dependence attributed to sea surface swell and roughness

Keywords

acoustic variables measurement; acoustic wave propagation; data acquisition; digital instrumentation; hydrophones; oceanographic equipment; underwater sound; 10 Gbit; acoustic data; acoustic transient recording buoy; digital system; direct path measurements; dynamic range; explosive charge; frequency dependence; hydrophones; ocean acoustic experiments; propagation loss; recording capacity; roughness; sea floor interaction; sea surface forward scatter; ship; surface reflected data; swell; video cassette recorders; Acoustic measurements; Charge measurement; Current measurement; Digital systems; Dynamic range; Rough surfaces; Sea measurements; Sea surface; Surface roughness; Video recording;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Oceanic Engineering, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0364-9059

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/48.153440

Filename

153440