Underwater acoustic channel models have been studied in the context of communication and sonar applications. Acoustic propagation channel in an underwater environment exhibits multipath, time-variability and Doppler eects. In this thesis, multipath fading channel models, underwater physical properties and sound propagation characteristics are studied. An underwater channel model for sonar applications is proposed. In the proposed model, the physical characteristics of underwater environment are considered in a comprehensive manner. Experiments /simulations were carried out using real-life data. Model parameters are estimated for a specific location, scenario and physical conditions. The channel response is approximated by fitting the model output to the recorded data. The optimization and estimation are conducted in frequency domain using Mean Square Error criterion.

The purpose of this investigation was to integrate the knowledge and techniques of marine geotechnical engineering, underwater acoustic and optical observation into studying the engineering problems of artificial reefs off south-western coast of Taiwan (Fang-Liau ,Lin-Yang, Yung-An artificial reefs etc.) and the destruction of mooring system on farming cages caused by the interaction of wave-current system. The ultimate goal of this investigation was to understand the scouring activities of loosely and closely spaced artificial reefs; as well as, to evaluate the feasibility of using artificial reefs as deadweight anchoring devices for farming cages at Fang-Liau reef site. The results of this research were as follows: Fang-Liau artificial reef site: The maximum scouring depth can reach as deep as 2.2m around closely distributed reefs at this site. Only a few loosely deployed reefs were buried there, and the scouring depressions around these buried reefs had been filled up completely. To sum up, the behavior of scouring produced by the action of wave, current and typhoon around this site, merely limited to loosely distributed reefs, and the rim of closely distributed reefs. With the scouring time increasing, there were no obvious evidences for the burial of artificial reefs at this site. Lin-Yang artificial reef site: The scouring depressions around part of loosely deployed reefs expand as typhoons attacking at this site. The horizontal range of the scouring depressions can reach 92.3m in length, and parts of the reefs were buried during the process of scouring. Besides, as time went on, part of closely distributed reefs illustrated periodic variations of being buried by sediments with ripple marks, then shown up with evident height, and then buried again. To sum up, the behavior of scouring produced by the action of wave, current and typhoon around this site could cause the complete burial of the reefs. The possible procedures for the burial of reefs in the scouring depression were the actions of backfill of sandy sediments at this site. Yung-An artificial reef site: During summer time, especially with typhoons passed by, surficial sediments at this site were evident with mega ripple marks. The effects of scouring at this site were prominent than those at Fang-Liau reef site. The textures of surficial sediments were the major factor which induced this difference. Based on the considerations of safety of sliding, bearing capacity and overturning, the usage of artificial reefs as anchoring devices for farming cages could not satisfy the basic engineering requirements under the action of extreme wave and current. This research suggested the usage of cubical concrete block with shear keys for anchoring devices on farming cages. The minimum buoyant weight of this block should reach 28.8 to 38.7ton. The problem regarding construction and deployment techniques of this block need further considerations.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-134). / x, 134 leaves, bound 29 cm

Bonefish (Albula spp.) support valuable recreational and artisanal fisheries worldwide. Declining stocks have been reported at multiple localities, potentially jeopardising numerous multimillion-dollar industries. In particular, tourism generated through bonefish fly fishing contributes considerably to the economies of many isolated tropical islands and atolls. However, despite their economic value, little is known about bonefish in the Indian Ocean. This study aimed to contribute to the understanding of bonefish ecology in the Indian Ocean by (1) reviewing the bonefish literature to identify knowledge gaps; (2) evaluating the postrelease survival of acoustically tagged bonefish and; (3) quantifying the spatial and temporal movements of bonefish at a near-pristine and predator rich atoll in the Seychelles. A review of published literature on bonefish indicated that despite considerable biological and ecological research in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, virtually no research has been conducted in the Indian Ocean. To help address this research gap, an acoustic telemetry study was initiated at the remote St. Joseph Atoll, within an existing array of 88 automated datalogging acoustic receivers. Thirty Albula glossodonta were surgically implanted with Vemco V13 acoustic transmitters in May 2015 and tracked for a period of one year. Only 10% of the tagged bonefish were detected for more than two weeks. A comparison of the final 100 hours of movement data from fish that were detected for less than two weeks to fish detected for longer periods revealed distinct differences. These included differences in area use patterns and significant differences in the average daily distance moved, speed of movement and residency index. This suggested that mortality in the form of post-release predation was high (90%) with tagged fish detected for less than two weeks being preyed upon by sharks. The three surviving bonefish were tracked for 210 to 367 days. These individuals remained in the atoll and showed high use of the marginal habitats between the shallow sand flats and the deeper lagoon. Water temperature, diel cycle and tide were significant predictors of bonefish presence in the lagoon. The high post-release predation of bonefish has implications for the management of this and other Albula species. Despite these fisheries being catch-and-release, bonefish fishing may be unsustainable due to the high post-release mortality, particularly in areas that are rich in predators. Therefore, protected areas or limitations on fishing effort need to be considered.

The nighttime distribution of vertically migrating mesopelagic fish in relation to nocturnal light was studied during a circumglobal survey, in the Red Sea, and in a fjord at high latitude. The study was based on data derived from ship borne echo sounders (circumglobal and the Red Sea) as well as using upward looking echo sounders mounted on the bottom (Masfjorden, Norway). We also applied a numerical model for analyzing diel vertical migration patterns. The effect of the lunar cycle was the focus in studies at low latitudes, while seasonal changes in nocturnal light climate was in focus at high latitude. Lunar phase significantly affected the distribution of mesopelagic fish at the global scale and in the Red Sea. During nights near full moon, scattering layers of mesopelagic fish distributed deeper than during darker phases of the moon. At high latitude, mesopelagic fish switched its behavior along with seasonal changes in nocturnal lights. In autumn, the population of the studied fish (Maurolicus mueleri) formed separated layers. Juveniles performed normal diel vertical migration followed by midnight sinking, with midnight sinking mainly related to temperature minima and also for avoiding predators. Meanwhile the adults did not migrate vertically, reducing foraging but increasing the adult survival. From late winter to mid-Spring, interrupted ascents behavior was noted in the afternoon. Predator avoidance, satiation, and finding temperature optimum might be the reason behind interrupted ascents. At lighter nights in mid-summer, M. muelleri took on schooling behavior, likely as an anti-predator behavior permitting access to the upper waters in the absence of darkness.

No description available.

Communicating wirelessly underwater has been an area of interest for researchers, engineers, and practitioners alike. One of the main reasons for the slow rate of progress in this area is that the underwater acoustic channel is in general much more hostile — in terms of multipath, frequency selectivity, noise, and the Doppler effect — than the over-the-air radio frequency channel. In this work a time warp based technique which can be used to model time-varying wideband Doppler shifts (as seen in an UWA channel) in MATLAB is proposed. A corresponding procedure to estimate the parameters from observed data, required for inverting the effect of the time warp, is also proposed. Two different Doppler correction methods are compared; both can be used to undo the Doppler effect in measured data from an experiment subject to the wideband Doppler effect. The techniques presented correct for the wideband Doppler effect as if it changed the time scale of the received signal. The first resampling based technique corrects for the average expansion/contraction over a packet, inherently assuming the relative velocity to be constant over the duration of the packet. The second time warp based technique models time-varying Doppler shift. Sinusoids, added to the beginning and end of each packet, are used to estimate the parameters required to invert the effect of the warp. The time warp based methods are demonstrated using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signals, but will in principle work for other kinds of wideband signals also. The presented results — using MATLAB based simulations, and over-the-air experiments performed in such a way as to introduce the Doppler effect in the received signals — emphasize the improvements that can be attained by using the time warp based Doppler modeling and correction method. The thesis concludes with suggestions for future work. / Master of Science

The Underwater Acoustic (UWA) channel has been an area of interest for many researchers and engineers, but also a very challenging area. Compared to the over-the-air radio frequency (RF) channel, the underwater acoustic channel causes multiple distortions – due to multipath, frequency selectivity, noise, and Doppler – some of which are more severe. The increased distortion causes many techniques and assumptions made for typical RF communication systems to break down. One of the assumptions that breaks down is that the Doppler effect that the signal undergoes can be modelled with a simple shift in frequency, since the signals used to communicate in a UWA channel are effectively wideband. In this work the Doppler Effect that a signal undergoes is modelled as a nonlinear time warp. A procedure is developed to estimate the parameters of the time warp from the observed signal. These time warp parameters are then used to reverse the effect of the time warp. Two different methods for estimating the time warp parameters and correcting the Doppler are compared. The first technique uses sinusoids placed at the beginning and end of the signal to estimate the parameters of the warp that the signal undergoes. The second technique uses sinusoids that are present during the signal to estimate and correct for the warp. The frequencies of the sinusoids are outside of the frequency range used for the transmitted data signal, so there is no interference with the information that is being sent. The transmitted data signal uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) to encode the data symbols, but the Doppler Correction technique will in principle work for other kinds of wideband signals as well. The results, which include MATLAB based simulations and over-the-air experiments, show that performance improvements can be realized using the time warp correction model. / Master of Science

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / A recent improvement to the Seaweb underwater wireless network was the implementation of a Selective Automatic Repeat Request (SRQ) mechanism. SRQ is a protocol implemented in the Seaweb link layer as a measure for mitigating unreliability inherent in the telesonar physical layer. In January 2004, an experiment was performed in St. Andrew's Bay, Panama City, Florida. The goal was to transmit large data files through the network, in accordance with a Naval Special Warfare need for imagery file telemetry. For three point-to-point test geometries, SRQ was tested with a noisy and variable physical layer. Through the incorporation of SRQ, the unreliability was overcome. A link-budget model calibrated with the sound channel data collected from the experiment establishes the benefit of a "SRQ gain." / Ensign, United States Navy

The underwater channel poses numerous challenges for acoustic communication. Acoustic waves suffer long propagation delay, multipath, fading, and potentially high spatial and temporal variability. In addition, there is no typical underwater acoustic channel; every body of water exhibits quantifiably different properties. Underwater acoustic modems are traditionally operated at low frequencies. However, the use of broadband, high frequency communication is a good alternative because of the lower background noise compared to low-frequencies, considerably larger bandwidth and better source transducer efficiency. One of the biggest problems in the underwater acoustic communications at high frequencies is time-selective fading, resulting in the Doppler spread. While many Doppler detection, estimation and compensation techniques can be found in literature, the applications are limited to systems operating at low frequencies contained within frequencies ranging from a few hundred Hertz to around 30 kHz. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection