Results of acoustic research in the CM deploying areas

Abstract

Short overview of problems connected with acoustic detection and recognition of chemical munition deployed in the Baltic Sea after the II WWW is demonstrated. Results of 36 high-frequency acoustic scanning missions carried out with the IVER-2 AUV over a chemical munition dumpsite in the Bornholm Basin, Gdansk Deep, Little Belt and south-western part of Gotland Deep are presented. The main goal of the investigations was to image structure of the dumpsite and to positioning targets for purposes of taking probes of environment for further chemical analysis. The data support of the earlier findings wide variety of types of objects at the sea bottom – both historical items as wracks or sea mines and contemporary litter. It is generally observed a low contrast between acoustic shadows and backscattered signals, which are likely due to the sediments properties in the Baltic Deeps. In the Bornholm Basin and Gdansk Deep the distribution of the buried objects seems to be rather concentrated around surrounded by diffusive spacing of objects due to fishery activity in the areas. The results of complementary studies on the acoustic properties of the bottom demonstrate the dependency of probability of findings with the type of sediments. Finally some aspects of probability to detect of is given.