Tests of new in-situ seabed acoustic measurement system in Qingdao

A new in-situ seabed acoustic measurement system is developed for direct in-situ measurement of sediment geoacoustic properties (compressional wave velocity and attenuation). The new in-situ system consists of two parts: the deck control unit and the underwater measurement unit. The underwater measurement unit emits sonic waves that propagate through the seafloor sediment, receives the returning signals, and transmits them to the deck control unit for waveform display and analysis. The entire operation is controlled and monitored in real time by the deck control unit on the research vessel and can provide recording of full waveforms to determine the sound velocity and attenuation. This paper outlines the design of the system, the measurement process, and demonstrates its application in tests carried out on seabed sediment off the Qingdao coast, China. The test results show that the system performed well and rapidly provided accurate in-situ acoustic velocity and attenuation estimates of the seafloor sediment.