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Linkage between acoustic parameters and seabed sediment properties in the south-western Baltic Sea

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Abstract

Acoustic profiling methods are widely used to provide a rapid view into geological structures. For the interpretation of acoustic profiling results (single- and multi-beam), reliable geo-acoustic models are needed. Suitable geo-acoustic models covering a wide range of sediment types do not exist to date for the Baltic Sea. Based on surface sediment datasets, geo-acoustic models have been set up for the prediction of acoustical parameters derived from sedimentological data for south-western Baltic Sea surface sediments. Empirical relationships were created to predict key in situ parameters (p-wave velocity, wet bulk density) from sedimentological core data, notably grain density and water content. The Gassmann-Hamilton equations were used to set up a more generic physically based model. For the first time semi-empirical equations for the calculation of the elastic frame modulus and the solid sediment particle modulus were established by an iterative Gassmann-Hamilton fitting procedure. The resulting models have a remarkably good performance with, for example, a calculated sound velocity accuracy of about 17–32 m s–1 depending on model input data. The acoustic impedance of seafloor sediments can be estimated from single-beam echosounding if the contribution of seafloor reflectivity is extracted from the total acoustic signal. The data reveal a strong linkage between acoustic impedance and selected sediment properties (e.g. grain size, water content). This underlines the potential for effective mapping of seafloor sediment properties (e.g. habitat mapping). Furthermore, these geo-acoustic models can be used by marine geologists for a precise linkage between sediment facies identified in longer cores and corresponding acoustic facies recorded by high-resolution seismic profiling in future work.

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Acknowledgements

This study was carried out within the framework of the IS-Sedilab (In Situ Sediment Laboratory) project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant no. 03F0630). Older data and sediment samples were taken from former projects also funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research: BONUS - BALTIC GAS (grant no. 03F0488B), and DYNAS (Dynamics of Natural and Anthropogenic Sedimentation, grant no. 03F0280A). The authors acknowledge constructive comments from C. Hass, an anonymous reviewer and the journal editors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, 18119, Warnemünde, Germany

    Michael Endler, Rudolf Endler, Thomas Leipe & Helge W. Arz

  2. Ernst Moritz Arndt University, 17489, Greifswald, Germany

    Bernd Bobertz

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  1. Michael Endler
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Correspondence to Michael Endler.

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Endler, M., Endler, R., Bobertz, B. et al. Linkage between acoustic parameters and seabed sediment properties in the south-western Baltic Sea. Geo-Mar Lett 35, 145–160 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-015-0397-3

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