On the use of acoustic particle motion in geoacoustic inversion.

Geoacoustic inversion estimates sediment properties based on one or more parameters of an observed acoustic field via inverse mathematical methods. The observed acoustic parameter is usually derived from the acoustic pressure measured at one or more locations. Recent advances in acoustic sensor technology have enabled the simultaneous measurement of the acoustic pressure and particle motion in three dimensions. The additional information provided by such acoustic vector sensors can be used to improve the performance of existing and novel geoacoustic inversion techniques. Current research seeks to use the additional information that is provided by the acoustic vector sensor to pose new inverse problems for the estimation of seabed sediment properties. In particular, data collected during the Sediment Acoustics Experiment 2004 (SAX04) included acoustic pressure and particle acceleration from a small number of acoustic vector sensors arranged in a vertical line, spanning the water‐sediment interface. A varie...