Waterborne acoustic signals carry information about the ocean environment. Ocean geoacoustic inversion is the task of estimating environmental parameters from received acoustic signals by matching the measured sound with the predictions of a physics-based model. A lower bound on the uncertainty associated with environmental parameter estimates, the Cramér-Rao bound, can be calculated from the Fisher information, which is dependent on derivatives of a physics-based model. Physics-based preconditioners circumvent the need for variable step sizes when computing numerical derivatives. This work explores the feasibility of using a neural network to perform geoacoustic inversion for environmental parameters and their associated uncertainties from ship noise spectrogram data. To train neural networks, a synthetic dataset is generated and tested for generalizability against 31 measurements taken during the SBCEX2017 study of the New England Mud Patch.

Thesis (S.M. in Electrical Engineering)--Joint Program in Oceanography and Oceanographic Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-65). / by James Willard Partan. / S.M.in Electrical Engineering

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 124-126). / This thesis introduces an algorithm for inverting for the geoacoustic properties of the seafloor in shallow water. The input data required by the algorithm are estimates of the amplitudes of the normal modes excited by a low-frequency pure-tone sound source, and estimates of the water column sound speed profiles at the source and receiver positions. The algorithm makes use of perturbation results, and computes the small correction to an estimated background profile that is necessary to reproduce the measured mode amplitudes. Range-dependent waveguide properties can be inverted for so long as they vary slowly enough in range that the adiabatic approximation is valid. The thesis also presents an estimator which can be used to obtain the input data for the inversion algorithm from pressure measurements made on a vertical line array (VLA). The estimator is an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), which treats the mode amplitudes and eigenvalues as state variables. Numerous synthetic and real-data examples of both the inversion algorithm and the EKF estimator are provided. The inversion algorithm is similar to eigenvalue perturbation methods, and the thesis also presents a combination mode amplitude/eigenvalue inversion algorithm, which combines the advantages of the two techniques. / by Travis L. Poole. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Ocean Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2005. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Bibliography: leaves 292-301. / This thesis investigates the application of acoustic measurements in the deep and shallow ocean to infer the sound velocity profile (svp) in the seabed. For the deep water ocean, an exact method based on the Gelfand-Levitan integral equation is evaluated. The input data is the complex plane-wave refection coefficient estimated from measurements of acoustic pressure in water. We apply the method to experimental data and estimate both the refection coefficient and the seabed svp. A rigorous inversion scheme is hence applied in a realistic problem. For the shallow ocean, an inverse eigenvalue technique is developed. The input data are the eigenvalues associated with propagating modes, measured as a function of source receiver range. We investigate the estimation of eigenvalues from acoustic fields measured in laterally varying environments. We also investigate the errors associated with estimating varying modal eigenvalues, analogous to the estimation of time-varying frequencies in multicomponent signals, using time-varying autoregressive (TVAR) methods. We propose and analyze two AR sequential estimators, one for model coefficients, another for the zeros of the AR characteristic polynomial. / (cont.) The decimation of the pressure field defined in a discrete range grid is analyzed as a tool to improve AR estimation. The nonlinear eigenvalue inverse problem of estimating the svp from a sequence of eigenvalues is solved by iterating linearized approximations. The solution to the inverse problem is proposed in the form of a Kalman filter. The resolution and variance of the eigenvalue inverse problem are analyzed in terms of the Cramer-Rao lower bound and the Backus{Gilbert (BG) resolution theory. BG theory is applied to the design of shallow-water experiments. A method is developed to compensate for the Doppler deviation observed in experiments with moving sources. / by Luiz Alberto Lopes de Souza. / Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2012. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-143). / Adaptive equalization is an important aspect of communication systems in various environments. It is particularly important in underwater acoustic communication systems, as the channel has a long delay spread and is subject to the effects of time- varying multipath fading and Doppler spreading. The design of the adaptation algorithm has a profound influence on the performance of the system. In this thesis, we explore this aspect of the system. The emphasis of the work presented is on applying concepts from inference and decision theory and information theory to provide an approach to deriving and analyzing adaptation algorithms. Limited work has been done so far on rigorously devising adaptation algorithms to suit a particular situation, and the aim of this thesis is to concretize such efforts and possibly to provide a mathematical basis for expanding it to other applications. We derive an algorithm for the adaptation of the coefficients of an equalizer when the receiver has limited or no information about the transmitted symbols, which we term the Soft-Decision Directed Recursive Least Squares algorithm. We will demonstrate connections between the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm and the Recursive Least Squares algorithm, and show how to derive a computationally efficient, purely recursive algorithm from the optimal EM algorithm. Then, we use our understanding of Markov processes to analyze the performance of the RLS algorithm in hard-decision directed mode, as well as of the Soft-Decision Directed RLS algorithm. We demonstrate scenarios in which the adaptation procedures fail catastrophically, and discuss why this happens. The lessons from the analysis guide us on the choice of models for the adaptation procedure. We then demonstrate how to use the algorithm derived in a practical system for underwater communication using turbo equalization. As the algorithm naturally incorporates soft information into the adaptation process, it becomes easy to fit it into a turbo equalization framework. We thus provide an instance of how to use the information of a turbo equalizer in an adaptation procedure, which has not been very well explored in the past. Experimental data is used to prove the value of the algorithm in a practical context. / by Atulya Yellepeddi. / S.M.

Thesis: S.M., Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2014. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 123-125). / Underwater acoustic communication is an extremely complex field that faces many challenges due to the time-varying nature of the ocean environment. Vector sensors are a proven technology that when utilizing their directional sensing capabilities allows us to minimize the effect of interfering noise sources. A traditional pressure sensor array has been the standard for years but suffers at degraded signal to noise ratios (SNR) and requires maneuvers or a lengthly array aperture to direction find. This thesis explores the effect of utilizing a vector sensor array to steer to the direction of signal arrival and the effect it has on equalization of the signal at degraded SNRs. It was demonstrated that utilizing a single vector sensor we were able steer to the direction of arrival and improve the ability of an equalizer to determine the transmitted signal. This improvement was most prominent when the SNR was degraded to levels of 0 and 10 dB where the performance of the vector sensor outperformed that of the pressure sensor in nearly 100% of cases. Finally, this performance improvement occurred with a savings in computational expense. / by Matthew Robert Lewis. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-121). / This thesis develops and utilizes a method for analyzing data from the North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory's (NPAL) Basin Acoustic Seamount Scattering Experiment (BASSEX). BASSEX was designed to provide data to support the development of analytical techniques and methods which improve the understanding of sound propagation around underwater seamounts. The depth-dependent sound velocity profile of typical ocean waveguides force sound to travel in convergence zones about a minimum sound speed depth. This ducted nature of the ocean makes modeling the acoustic field around seamounts particularly challenging, compared to an isovelocity medium. The conical shape of seamounts also adds to the complexity of the scatter field. It is important to the U.S. Navy to understand how sound is diffracted around this type of topographic feature. Underwater seamounts can be used to conceal submarines by absorbing and scattering the sound they emit. BASSEX measurements have characterized the size and shape of the forward scatter field around the Kermit-Roosevelt Seamount in the Pacific Ocean. Kermit-Roosevelt is a large, conical seamount which shoals close to the minimum sound speed depth, making it ideal for study. Acoustic sources, including M-sequence and linear frequency-modulated sources, were stationed around the seamount at megameter ranges. A hydrophone array was towed around the seamount to locations which allowed measurement of the perturbation zone. Results from the method developed in this thesis show that the size and shape of the perturbation zone measured coincides with theoretical and experimental results derived in previous work. / by Joseph J. Sikora, III. / S.M.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-169). / Hurricanes, powerful storms with wind speeds that can exceed 80 m/s, are one of the most destructive natural disasters known to man. While current satellite technology has made it possible to effectively detect and track hurricanes, expensive 'hurricane-hunting' aircraft are required to accurately classify their destructive power. Here we show that passive undersea acoustic techniques may provide a promising tool for accurately quantifying the destructive power of a hurricane and so may provide a safe and inexpensive alternative to aircraft-based techniques. It is well known that the crashing of wind-driven waves generates underwater noise in the 10 Hz to 10 kHz range. Theoretical and empirical evidence are combined to show that underwater acoustic sensing techniques may be valuable for measuring the wind speed and determining the destructive power of a hurricane. This is done by first developing a model for the acoustic intensity and mutual intensity in an ocean waveguide due to a hurricane and then determining the relationship between local wind speed and underwater acoustic intensity. / (cont.) Acoustic measurements of the underwater noise generated by hurricane Gert are correlated with meteorological data from reconnaissance aircraft and satellites to show that underwater noise intensity between 10 and 50 Hz is approximately proportional to the cube of the local wind speed. From this it is shown that it should be feasible to accurately measure the local wind speed and quantify the destructive power of a hurricane if its eye wall passes directly over a single underwater acoustic sensor. The potential advantages and disadvantages of the proposed acoustic method are weighed against those of currently employed techniques. It has also long been known that hurricanes generate microseisms in the 0.1 to 0.6 Hz frequency range through the non-linear interaction of ocean surface waves. Here we model microseisms generated by the spatially inhomogeneous waves of a hurricane with the non-linear wave equation where a second-order acoustic field is created by first-order ocean surface wave motion. We account for the propagation of microseismic noise through range-dependent waveguide environments from the deep ocean to a receiver on land. We compare estimates based on the ocean surface wave field measured in hurricane Bonnie with seismic measurements from Florida. / by Joshua David Wilson. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 145-152). / by Sarah Alden Little. / Ph.D.

In this thesis, we explore a novel approach to solving the Helmholtz equation,the WaveHolz iteration method. This method aims to overcome some ofthe difficulties with solving the Helmholtz equation by providing a highlyparallelizable iterative method based on solving the time-dependent Waveequation. If this method proves reliable and computationally feasible it wouldhave great value for future application. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluatethe performance and properties of this method. To fully evaluate this method,the method was implemented and conclusions were based on results fromsimulations of the method. The method was able to solve problems in threedimensions and it seems that the method is very well suited for parallelized computations. To replicate real-world scenarios simulations of problems ininfinite and curvilinear domains were conducted. Based on the result presentedhere it is possible to further refine the method, especially regarding the setupof the domain and the implementation of boundary conditions for infinitedomains. / I detta examensarbete presenteras en ny metod för att lösa Helmholtz ekvation, WaveHoltz iterativa metod. Målet med denna metod är att undkomma vissa problem som uppstår med andra metoder för att lösa Helmholtz ekvation genom att tillhandahålla iterativ metod som baseras på lösningar av den tidsberoende vågekvationen samt kan parallelliseras effektivt. Om denna metod visar sig vara stabil och effektiv beräkningsmässigt skulle detta medföra stor potential för framtida tillämpningar. Av denna anledning undersöks metoden och dess egenskaper. För att fullt ut kunna evaluera denna method implementerades den vartefter simuleringar genomfördes och slutsatser drogs. Med metoden var att det var möjligt att lösa problem i tre dimensioner och metoden visade sig vara lämplig för parallella beräkningar. För att återskapa verklighetstrogna scenarion beräknades problem i oändliga och kroklinjiga domäner. Baserat på resultaten som presenteras i denna rapport är det möjligt att förfina metoden, speciellt vid konstruktionen av komplicerade beräkningsnät och randvillkoren för de oändliga problemen.