Ammunition detection using high frequency multibeam snippet backscatter information

Abstract

The present study reports the evaluation of snippet backscatter information gathered with a high-frequency multibeam echosounder system (200-400 kHz) due to their usability to detect ammunition of different sizes in shallow coastal waters. Besides the feasibility of the snippet backscatter data, it was focused on the attainable horizontal accuracy in comparison to side-scan sonar and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) surveys. The data was collected in shallow coastal waters of up to 18 m water depth (Baltic Sea) close to an ammunition dumping site characterized by an almost flat seafloor covered with sand and silt sediments. The analysis of the multibeam compared to sidescan data indicates the snippet backscatter to be a promising prospective method for ammunition detection and being able to improve horizontal position accuracy of up to 0.08 m.

Keywords: Ammunition detection; Baltic Sea; DGNSS; Multibeam echosounder; Snippet backscatter; UXO.