Shallow-water high-frequency bottom scattering off Panama City, Florida

Abstract

A series of bottom backscattering measurements was made in a flat, uniform, and isotropic area 19 miles south of Panama City, FL. Sidescan sonar, underwater television, stereo photography, high-resolution bathymetry, and sediment core analysis were used to locate and classify the experimental site. A sidescan sonar areal mosaic was contructed detailing the relationship between the experimental area and the surrounding topography. Bottom backscattering measurements were made as a function of frequency (20–180 kHz), grazing angle (5°–30°), azimuthal angle, and environmental conditions. Backscattering strengths were found to follow Lambert’s law with little frequency dependence or measurable anisotropy. For this particular site, scattering strengths at 90 kHz were found to agree with predictions made using the Applied Physics Laboratory—University of Washington (APL—UW) model.