Acoustic habitat and shellfish mapping and monitoring in shallow coastal water – Sidescan sonar experiences in The Netherlands |
| |
| Authors: | Ronnie van Overmeeren Johan Craeymeersch Jan van Dalfsen Frouke Fey Sytze van Heteren Erik Meesters |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Deltares, PO Box 85467, 3508 AL Utrecht, The Netherlands;2. TNO Geological Survey of the Netherlands, PO Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands;3. Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies (IMARES), PO Box 77, 4400 AB Yerseke, The Netherlands;4. Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies (IMARES), PO Box 57, 1780 AB Den Helder, The Netherlands;5. Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies (IMARES), PO Box 167, 1790 AD Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands |
| |
| Abstract: | Sidescan sonar has been applied in a number of shallow water environments along the Dutch coast to map and monitor shellfish and seabed habitats. The littoral setting of these surveys may hamper data acquisition flying the towfish in zones of turbulence and waves, but also offers valuable opportunities for understanding, interpreting and validating sidescan sonar images because of the ability to ground-truth during low water periods, enabling easy identification and validation. Acoustical images of some of the mussel banks on the tidal flats of the Wadden Sea, recorded at high tide, show a marked resemblance with optical Google Earth images of the same banks. These sonar images may thus serve as ‘acoustic type signatures’ for the interpretation of sonar patterns recorded in deeper water where ground-truthing is more difficult and more expensive. Similarly, acoustic type signatures of (Japanese) oyster banks were obtained in the estuaries in the southwest of the Netherlands. |
| |
| Keywords: | sidescan sonar acoustic imaging acoustic monitoring seabed habitats shellfish (sub)littoral zone |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
