Comparison of horizontal, vertical, and L-array signal processing: Application to shallow water ocean acoustics
David P. Knobles, R. A. Koch, and J. D. Sagers

         Information about the physical parameter values for the seabed in a littoral region can be extracted from acoustic measurements in the water column. While acoustic data from both horizontal line arrays (HLAs) and vertical line arrays (VLAs) have been processed successfully to infer seabed properties, the simultaneous signal processing of acoustic data recorded on both a vertical and a horizontal aperture for seabed properties is a new research area. Relative to only a bottom-mounted horizontal aperture, an L-array (bottom mounted HLA and a VLA) provides access to the sensitivity of the depth-dependence of the acoustic field to seabed parameters. However, the utility of the additional information can be negated by uncertainty in the assumed water sound speed profile. Acoustic data collected on two L-arrays deployed on the New Jersey continental shelf are examined for the additional information about the seabed that can be obtained relative to the case for a single aperture. The information from simultaneous and individual processing of the subapertures is quantified in terms of the marginal distributions and an entropy functional approach.

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