Publications: click
on link for abstract and
link to article
|
Accounting
for biological and physical sources of acoustic backscatter improves
estimates of zooplankton biomass. Can. J. Fish. Aq. Sci. 2008. |
Density
and sound speed of two gelatinous zooplankton. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 2007 |
Use of ADCP to
measure estuarine bottom and SAV characteristics. Est. Coast. Shelf
Sci.
2007. |
|
| West
Falmouth oil spill, Env. Forensics, 2005 |
Zooplankton
west of Antarctic peninsula, Deep Sea Res. II, 2004 |
Zooplankton in
Ligurian Sea Part II, J.
Plankton Res. 2004 |
Zooplankton
in Ligurian Sea Part I, J.
Plankton Res. 2004 |
Biological
and physical scattering in an internal wave, ICES J. Mar. Sci. 2003 |
| BIOMAPER-II,
IEEE J. Oceanic. Eng. 2002 |
Effect
of animal orientation, IEEE J. Ocean. Eng. 2002 |
In
situ TS of siphonophores, ICES J. Mar. Sci. 2001 |
Scattering
by benthic and planktonic shells; JASA 2000 |
Near-bottom
boundary layer; CSR 1997 |
|
Links
to articles are via
DOI or scholar.google.com
To convert measurements of backscattered acoustic energy to estimates
of abundance and taxonomic information about the zooplankton community,
all of the scattering processes in the water column need to be
identified and their scattering contributions quantified. Zooplankton
populations in the eastern edge of Wilkinson Basin in the Gulf of Maine
in the Northwest Atlantic were surveyed in October 1997. Net tow
samples at different depths, temperature and salinity profiles, and
multiple frequency acoustic backscatter measurements from the upper
200 m of the water column were collected. Zooplankton samples
were
identified, enumerated, and measured. Temperature and salinity profiles
were used to estimate the amount of turbulent microstructure in the
water column. These data sets were used with theoretical acoustic
scattering models to calculate the contributions of both biological and
physical scatterers to the overall measured scattering level. The
output of these predictions shows that the dominant source of acoustic
backscatter varies with depth and acoustic frequency in this region. By
quantifying the contributions from multiple scattering sources,
acoustic backscatter becomes a better measure of net-collected
zooplankton biomass.
The density and sound speed of two coastal,
gelatinous zooplankton, Mnemiopsis leidyi
(a ctenophore) and Cyanea capillata (lion's mane
jellyfish), were measured. These parameters are
important inputs to acoustic scattering models. Two
different methods were used to measure the density of individual
animals: one used a balance and graduated cylinder to determine
the mass and displacement volume of the animal, the other
varied the density of the solution the animal was immersed
in. When the same animal was measured using both methods,
density values were within 1% of each other. A travel-time
difference method was used to measure the sound speed within
the animals. The densities of both zooplankton slightly decreased
as the animals increased in length, mass, and
volume. The ratio of animal density and sound
speed to the surrounding seawater ( g
and h, respectively) are reported for both animals.
For Mnemiopsis leidyi
ranging in length from 1 to 5 cm, the
mean value (±standard deviation) of g
and h were 1.009
(±0.004) and 1.007 (±0.001). For Cyanea
capillata ranging in bell diameter
from 2 to 11 cm, the mean value (±standard
deviation) of g and single
value of h were 1.009 (±0.004)
and 1.0004. ©2007 Acoustical Society of America
The acoustic
backscatter intensity signal from a high-frequency
(600 kHz) Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) was used to
categorize four different types of bottom habitat (sand, mud, sparse
and dense vegetation) in a shallow-water estuary (Shinnecock Bay, NY,
USA). A diver survey of the bay measured sediment and bottom vegetation
characteristics at 85 sites within the bay. These data were used to
groundtruth the acoustic data. Acoustic data were collected at four
sites with known bottom types and used to develop an algorithm that
could categorize the bottom type. The slope of the echo intensity
profile close to the bottom was used to determine the bottom type and
the relative numerical density (sparse or dense) of Submerged Aquatic
Vegetation (SAV). In areas where eelgrass (Zostera marina)
was
the dominant SAV species, the intensity profile data were analyzed to
measure the height of the vegetation canopy. An acoustic survey which
categorized the bottom type of the bay was conducted from a small
vessel. The percentage of sampled sites categorized as each bottom
habitat type from the acoustic survey was similar to those obtained by
the diver survey. These methods may provide a means to rapidly survey
estuarine habitats and measure spatial and temporal variations in SAV
populations, as well as changes in the height of the eelgrass canopy.
E. Peacock ,
R. Nelson, A. Solow, J.
Warren, J. Baker and C. Reddy, 2005,
The West Falmouth Oil Spill: ~100 Kg of Oil Found to Persist Decades
Later ,
Environmental Forensics, 6(3): 273-281.
In order to investigate the long-term fate of petroleum hydrocarbons in
salt marsh sediments in Wild Harbor (West Falmouth, MA) impacted by the
Florida spill of 1969, 26 sediment cores were collected and analyzed
for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). The results from this effort
indicate that the distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons is spatially
heterogeneous, oil compounds are generally located at sediment depths
of 4 to 20 cm in areas closest to the banks of the marsh, and ~ 100 kg
of petroleum residues can be found to persist in intertidal sediments
that were originally the most impacted.
G. L. Lawson,
P. H. Wiebe, C. J. Ashjian, S. M. Gallager, C. S. Davis,
and J. D. Warren, 2004, Acoustically-inferred
zooplankton distribution in relation to hydrography west of the
Antarctic Peninsula ,
Deep-Sea Research. Part II, 51(17-19): 2041-2072.
The relationship between the distribution of zooplankton, especially
euphausiids (Euphausia and Thysanoessa spp.), and hydrographic regimes
of the Western Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf in and around
Marguerite Bay was studied as part of the Southern Ocean GLOBEC
program. Surveys were conducted from the RVIB N. B. Palmer in austral
fall (April-June) and winter (July- August) of 2001. Acoustic, video,
and environmental data were collected along 13 transect lines running
across the shelf and perpendicular to the Western Antarctic Peninsula
coastline, between 65°S and 70°S. Depth-stratified net
tows
conducted at selected locations provided ground-truthing for acoustic
observations. In fall, acoustic volume backscattering strength at 120
kHz was greatest in the southern reaches of the survey area and inside
Marguerite Bay, suggestive of high zooplankton and micronekton biomass
in these regions. Vertically, highest backscattering was in the 150-450
m depth range, associated with modified Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW).
The two deep troughs that intersect the shelf break were characterized
by reduced backscattering, similar to levels observed off-shelf and
indicative of lower zooplankton biomass in recent intrusions of CDW
onto the continental shelf. Estimates of dynamic height suggested that
geostrophic circulation likely caused both along- and across-shelf
transport of zooplankton. By winter, scattering had decreased by an
order of magnitude (10 dB) in the upper 300 m of the water column in
most areas, and high backscattering levels were found primarily in a
deep (›300 m) scattering layer present close to the bottom.
The
seasonal decrease is potentially explained by advection of zooplankton,
vertical and horizontal movements, and mortality. Predictions of
expected backscattering levels based on net samples suggested that
large euphausiids were the dominant source of backscattering only at
very particular locations and depths, and that copepods, siphonophores,
and pteropods were more important in many locations.
J. D. Warren ,
D. A. Demer, D. E. McGehee,
R. Di Mento and J. F. Borsani, 2004,
Zooplankton in the Ligurian Sea: Part II. Exploration of their physical
and biological forcing functions during summer 2000,
Journal of Plankton Research, 26(12): 1409-1418.
A survey of the biological and physical oceanography of the Ligurian
Sea was conducted in the late summer of 2000. Forty-one stations were
sampled for nutrients, oxygen, fluorescence and hydrographic
information. Acoustic backscatter measurements were used to estimate
abundance of small (<5 mm) zooplankton biovolume versus depth
and the distribution of northern krill, Meganyctiphanes norvegica.
Net-tow and underwater video data were collected to identify the
zooplankton present. These data were used to analyze the Ligurian Sea
ecosystem for physical and biological linkages that control zooplankton
abundance and distribution. Results are compared with those from a
similar study conducted in 1999. Hydrographic sampling showed a dome of
dense water in the southwestern middle of the basin. The highest
chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations were measured in this area, while
small zooplankton biovolume was evenly distributed throughout the
survey. Integrated values of Chl a and small zooplankton biovolume in
2000 were greater than in 1999. Meganyctiphanes norvegica,
siphonophores and salps were the dominant components of the
macrozooplankton population in the upper 200 m. In the sampled depth
strata, siphonophore abundance did not change during the day, while M.
norvegica were only caught at night. Acoustic backscatter data show
that higher densities of M. norvegica occurred in deeper water and in
the western and southwestern areas of the Ligurian Sea.
D. E. McGehee,
D. A. Demer, and J. D. Warren, 2004,
Zooplankton in the Ligurian Sea: Part I. Characterization of their
dispersion, relative abundance and environment during summer 1999,
Journal of Plankton Research, 26(12): 1409-1418.
The distributions of temperature, salinity, chlorophyll and zooplankton
were measured in the Ligurian Sea, north of Corsica, in August 1999. To
characterize the physical environment, hydrographic and fluorometric
profiles were collected. A net and two acoustic systems were used to
measure the distribution of small (<5 mm) and large (>5
mm) zooplankton. Highest chlorophyll values were strongly associated
with a dome of dense water in the center of the Ligurian Basin. Small
zooplankton (copepods and smaller), in contrast, appeared to be
associated with the periphery of the basin and were negatively
correlated with chlorophyll. Large zooplankton were not correlated with
either chlorophyll or small zooplankton. Large zooplankton migrated
vertically hundreds of meters every night, while small zooplankton did
not appear to migrate much. The physical observations were consistent
with (i) a well-documented geostrophically driven cyclonic coastal
current (the Ligurian Current) fed by sources in the Algerian Basin and
Tyrrhenian Sea and (ii) upwelling in the central Ligurian Basin. Large
zooplankton, being strong vertical migrators, were potentially
insulated from the effects of the currents and therefore stayed
resident.
J. D. Warren,
T. K. Stanton, P. H. Wiebe, and H. E. Seim, 2003,
Inference of biological and physical parameters in an internal wave
using multiple-frequency, acoustic-scattering data,
ICES Journal of Marine Science, 60(5): 1033-1046.
High-frequency sound (>10 kHz) is scattered in the ocean by many
different processes. In the water column, marine organisms are often
assumed to be the primary source of acoustic backscatter. Recent field
experiments and theoretical work suggest that the temperature and
salinity microstructure in some oceanic regions could cause acoustic
scattering at levels comparable to that caused by marine life.
Theoretical acoustic-scattering models predict that the scattering
spectra for microstructure and organisms are distinguishable from each
other over certain frequency ranges. A method that uses
multiple-frequency acoustic data to exploit these differences has been
developed, making it possible to discriminate between biological and
physical sources of scattering under some conditions. This method has
been applied to data collected in an internal wave in the Gulf of
Maine. For regions of the internal wave in which the dominant source of
scattering is either biological or physical in origin, it is possible
to combine the acoustic-scattering data and temperature and salinity
profiles with acoustic-scattering models to perform a least-squares
inversion. Using this approach, it is possible to estimate the
dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy for some regions of the
internal wave, and the length and numerical abundance of the dominant
biological scatterer, euphausiids, in others.
P. H. Wiebe,
T. K. Stanton, C. H. Greene, M. C. Benfield, H. M. Sosik,
T. C. Austin, J. D. Warren, and T. Hammar, 2002, BIOMAPER-II:
An integrated instrument platform for coupled biological and physical
measurements in coastal and oceanic regimes ,
IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 27(3): 700-716.
The BIo-Optical Multi-frequency Acoustical and Physical Environmental
Recorder or BIOMAPER-II is a newly developed towed system capable of
conducting quantitative surveys of the spatial distribution of coastal
and oceanic plankton/nekton, near surface bubble fields, and
turbulence, as well as field verification studies of theoretical
plankton reverberation models. The system consists of a multi-frequency
sonar (up-looking and down-looking pairs of transducers operating at
five frequencies: 43, 120, 200, 420, and 1000 kHz), a video plankton
recorder system (VPR), an environmental sensor system (CTD,
fluorometer, transmissometer), and several other bio-optical sensors
(down- and upwelling spectral radiometers, spectral attenuation, and
backscattering, and absorption meters). The lower four acoustical
frequencies utilize split beam technology and are able to make target
strength and echo integration measurements. Also included are an
electro-optic tow cable, a winch with slip rings, and a van which holds
the electronic equipment for real-time data processing and analysis.
The vehicle is capable of operating to a depth of 300 m at
4–6
kn, while near the surface it may be towed at speeds up to 10 kn. The
system can be operated in a surface-towed down-looking mode, in a
vertical oscillatory “tow-yo” mode, or in a
subsurface
up/down-looking horizontal mode. To enhance the performance and utility
of BIOMAPER-II in high sea states, a winch, slack tensioner, and
over-boarding J-frame assembly are integrated with the system for
deployment and handling. Wire tension records and the power spectra
demonstrated the substantial protection that the slack tensioner system
provided against excessive shock loading of the cable and the vehicle
in sea states that would otherwise prevent work. The scientific
capability of the vehicle is illustrated with acoustic, environmental,
and bio-optical data sets collected from the Gulf of Maine on cruises
in 1997 and 1999.
J.D. Warren,
T. K. Stanton, D. E. McGehee, and D. Chu, 2002, Effect
of animal orientation on acoustic estimates of zooplankton properties,
IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 27(1): 130-138.
It is well known that the behavior of zooplankton and, in particular,
their orientation distribution dramatically affects the level of
backscattered acoustic energy. As a result, interpretation of acoustic
survey data in the ocean is subject to error. In order to quantify
these effects, laboratory data from two important classes of animals
were collected. The data involved broad-band (350-650 kHz) acoustic
signals insonifying individual animals whose orientation was varied
over the range 0°-360° in 1° increments. The
animals were
from two major anatomical groups: fluid-like (decapod shrimp;
Palaemonetes vulgaris) and elastic-shelled (periwinkles; Littorina
littorea). The data were analyzed both in the time domain (with pulse
compression processing) and the frequency domain. Averages of the
laboratory data over different orientation distributions illustrate the
variability in average target strength that can be expected in the
ocean environment. The average target strength of the shrimp varied by
3 dB when averaged over orientation distributions centered around
broadside and end-on incidence. In addition, size estimates from pulse
compression processing of the broad-band echoes were made for various
orientation distributions for both the shrimp and periwinkles. These
results show the necessity of animal orientation information for the
proper interpretation of acoustic backscatter data.
J. D. Warren,
T. K. Stanton, M. C. Benfield, P. H. Wiebe, D. Chu and M.
Sutor, 2001, In
situ measurements of acoustic target strengths of gas-bearing
siphonophores,
ICES Journal of Marine Science 58(4): 740-749.
Acoustic target strengths of free-swimming siphonophores were measured
in situ at 24 and 120kHz from a remotely operated vehicle equipped with
both acoustic transducers and a video camera. The transducers and
camera were co-registered by aiming both instruments at the same volume
of water and time-stamping the recorded data. The video system allowed
us to search for and identify siphonophores, and verified whether
individual animals were centered in, or near, the axis of the acoustic
beams. A towed, down-looking acoustic survey system (operating at
120kHz) measured the target and volume scattering strengths of
scattering layers, presumed to be dominated by siphonophores. Spatial
density of the sound scatterers was estimated from survey data. Our
results confirm that free-swimming physonect siphonophores have
relatively high acoustical target strengths caused by a gas inclusion
in the pneumatophore of each animal. A relatively small number of these
animals can dominate the backscattering detected by acoustic surveys
even though other taxa may dominate the plankton on a numerical or
biomass basis. Siphonophore colonies are fragile and cannot be reliably
censused with nets. Our estimates of siphonophore target strengths can
improve the ability to use acoustics to quantitatively census
siphonophores and other taxa possessing comparably-sized gas inclusions.
T. K. Stanton,
D. Chu, P. H. Wiebe, R. L. Eastwood and J. D. Warren,
2000, Acoustic
scattering by benthic and planktonic shelled animals ,
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 108(2): 535-550.
Acoustic backscattering measurements and associated scattering modeling
were recently conducted on a type of benthic shelled animal that has a
spiral form of shell (Littorina littorea). Benthic and planktonic
shelled animals with this shape occur on the seafloor and in the water
column, respectively, and can be a significant source of acoustic
scattering in the ocean. Modeling of the scattering properties allows
reverberation predictions to be made for sonar performance predictions
as well as for detection and classification of animals for biological
and ecological applications. The studies involved measurements over the
frequency range 24 kHz to 1 MHz and all angles of orientation in as
small as 1° increments. This substantial data set is quite
revealing of the physics of the acoustic scattering by these complex
shelled bodies and served as a basis for the modeling. Specifically,
the resonance structure of the scattering was strongly dependent upon
angle of orientation and could be traced to various types of rays
(e.g., subsonic Lamb waves and rays entering the opercular opening).
The data are analyzed in both the frequency and time domain (compressed
pulse processing) so that dominant scattering mechanisms could be
identified. Given the complexity of the animal body (irregular elastic
shell with discontinuities), approximate scattering models are used
with only the dominant scattering properties retained. Two models are
applied to the data, both approximating the body as a deformed sphere:
(1) an averaged form of the exact modal-series-based solution for the
spherical shell, which is used to estimate the backscattering by a
deformed shell averaged over all angles of orientation, and produces
reasonably accurate predictions over all k1aesr (k1 is the acoustic
wave number of the surrounding water and aesr is the equivalent
spherical radius of the body), and (2) a ray-based formula which is
used to estimate the scattering at fixed angle of orientation, but only
for high k1aesr. The ray-based model is an extension of a model
recently developed for the shelled zooplankton Limacina retroversa that
has a shape similar to that of the Littorina littorea but swims through
the water [Stanton et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 103, 236–253
(1998b)]. Applications of remote detection and classification of the
seafloor and water column in the presence of shelled animals are
discussed. ©2000 Acoustical Society of America.
J.F. Lynch,
J. D. Irish, T. F. Gross, P. L.
Wiberg,
A. E. Newhall, P. A. Traykovski and J. D. Warren, 1997, Acoustic
measurements of the spatial and temporal
structure of near-bottom boundary layer in the 1990-1991 STRESS
experiment ,
Continental Shelf Research, 17: 1271-1295.
As part of the 1990–1991 Sediment TRansport Events on Shelves
and
Slopes (STRESS) experiment, a 5 MHz Acoustic BackScatter System (ABSS)
was deployed in 90 m of water to measure vertical profiles of
near-bottom suspended sediment concentration. By looking at the
vertical profile of concentration from 0 to 50 cm above bottom (cmab)
with 1 cm vertical resolution, the ABSS was able to examine the
detailed structure of the bottom boundary layer created by combined
wave and current stresses. The acoustic profiles clearly showed the
wave-current boundary layer, which extends to (order) 10 cmab. The
profiles also showed evidence of an "intermediate" boundary layer, also
influenced by combined wave and current stresses, just above the
wave-current boundary layer. This paper examines the boundary-layer
structure by comparing acoustic data obtained by the authors to a 1-D
eddy viscosity model formulation. Specifically, these data are compared
to a simple extension of the Grant-Glenn-Madsen model formulation. Also
of interest is the appearance of apparently 3-D "advective plume"
structures in these data. This is an interesting feature in a site
which was initially chosen to be a good example of (temporally
averaged) 1-D bottom boundary-layer dynamics. Computer modeling and
sector-scanning sonar images are presented to justify the plausibility
of observing 3-D structure at the STRESS site. |
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