Impact of noise on seafloor property estimation using Biot model parameters obtained through an inversion of chirp sonar data

This thesis describes the development and testing of an inversion method, based on the Biot-Stoll acoustic wave propagation model, for estimating sediments properties from acoustic reflection measurements of the seabed. The Biot-Stoll model is a physics-based model which describes the propagation of compressional and shear waves through porous media. Given the physical sediment properties of the seabed, the pressure reflection coefficient of the seabed is calculated using the Biot-Stoll model. The proposed inversion procedure varies sediment properties until a least squares fit is obtained between the output of the model and the measured reflection coefficient. Random errors are introduced into the reflection coefficient measurement to determine the effect of measurement error in the estimation of seabed properties such as permeability, porosity, mean grain diameter, and sediment type.