Frequency‐dependent acoustic properties of gassy marine sediments

Acoustic velocity and attenuation were measured during two in‐situ experiments in gassy intertidal muds in Southampton Water, United Kingdom. The horizontal transmission results gave frequency‐independent velocity (1431 m/s) and attenuation (4 dB/m) over the frequency range 600 to 3000 Hz, representative of the soft (non‐gassy) muds shallower than about 1 m. The results from a vertical transmission experiment straddling the top of the gassy zone (about 1 m depth) showed strong frequency‐dependent velocity and attenuation over 600 to 3000 Hz. They showed velocity and attenuation maxima predicted by the Anderson and Hampton model, associated with gas bubble resonance. Moreover, attenuation maxima shifted in frequency with water depth over a tidal cycle that was monitored, suggesting variations in gas bubble size with hydrostatic pressure. X‐ray CT images on a sealed core from the site revealed vertically‐aligned, centimeter‐scale, gas‐filled cracks in the muddy sediments. Ultrasonic (300 to 700 kHz) velocities and attenuations were higher in the gassy zone than in the nongassy parts of the core. Overall, the results give a fascinating insight into the acoustical behavior of gassy sediments that could be used to extract sediment physical properties information from seabed acoustic reflection data. [Work supported by NERC].