Characterization of Particle Motion in a Shallow Water Marine Environment

Recent evidence suggests that many fishes and invertebrates detect and use the particle motion component of sound. This study focuses on quantifying the particle motion produced by broadband impulsive sources, deployed in water column at various ranges from seismic receivers, using data from an experiment (Seabed Characterization Experiment (SBCEX)) conducted in New England Mud Patch (NEMP) in 2022. The experimental area is close to a shipping channel and the ambient “vibroscape” also will be of interest to this study. The receivers (Ocean Bottom Recorders (OBXs)) were deployed on the seabed and they measured particle velocities in three mutually perpendicular directions in addition to acoustic pressure. The polarization of the particle motion in different frequency bands will be analyzed to identify the different wave types including compressional and interface waves. The presence of Scholte waves in the data will be investigated since these types of interface waves are of importance in the context of impact on invertebrates and benthic fish.