Timothy K. Stanton

Sound scattering by several zooplankton groups. II. Scattering models

Mathematical scattering models are derived and compared with data from zooplankton from several gross anatomical groups--fluidlike, elastic shelled, and gas bearing. The models are based upon the acoustically inferred boundary conditions determined from laboratory backscattering data presented in part I of this series [Stanton et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 103, 225-235 (1998)]. The models use a combination of ray theory, modal-series solution, and distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA). The formulations, which are inherently approximate, are designed to include only the dominant scattering mechanisms as determined from the experiments. The models for the fluidlike animals (euphausiids in this case) ranged from the simplest case involving two rays, which could qualitatively describe the structure of target strength versus frequency for single pings, to the most complex case involving a rough inhomogeneous asymmetrically tapered bent cylinder using the DWBA-based formulation which could predict echo levels over all angles of incidence (including the difficult region of end-on incidence). The model for the elastic shelled body (gastropods in this case) involved development of an analytical model which takes into account irregularities and discontinuities of the shell. The model for gas-bearing animals (siphonophores) is a hybrid model which is composed of the summation of the exact solution to the gas sphere and the approximate DWBA-based formulation for arbitrarily shaped fluidlike bodies. There is also a simplified ray-based model for the siphonophore. The models are applied to data involving single pings, ping-to-ping variability, and echoes averaged over many pings. There is reasonable qualitative agreement between the predictions and single ping data, and reasonable quantitative agreement between the predictions and variability and averages of echo data.

Sound scattering by cylinders of finite length. II. Elastic cylinders

La theorie est valable sur toute la gamme de frequences. Elle est adaptee a la description de la diffusion sonore par des organismes marins

SOUND SCATTERING BY LIVE ZOOPLANKTON AND MICRONEKTON : EMPIRICAL STUDIES WITH A DUAL-BEAM ACOUSTICAL SYSTEM

Measurements and analyses are presented of the backscattering of 420‐kHz sound by 43 individual animals of representative zooplanktonic and micronektonic taxa. Direct measurements of an individual’s target strength were made with a commercial dual‐beam sonar system in an enclosure filled with filtered seawater deployed off a dock at Friday Harbor, Washington. The dependence of target stengths upon individual length, wet weight, and dry weight was investigated. In addition, the ‘‘target strength’’ and statistical variations of echo amplitude due to variations in shape and orientation of the organism were compared with acoustic scattering models involving different shapes (the general shapes of the sphere, and straight and uniformly bent finite cylinders were used along with attempts to take into account roughness). It was found that: (1) backscattering cross sections are proportional to volume of the organisms rather than area as would be predicted by a sphere scattering model, (2) mean target strength bas...

Average echoes from randomly oriented random‐length finite cylinders: Zooplankton models

By heuristically extending the previously developed ray solution [Stanton et al. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 94, 3454–3462 (1993)] to predict the scattering by cylinders over all angles of incidence, approximate expressions are derived which describe the echo energy due to sound scattered by finite cylinders averaged over orientation and length. Both straight and bent finite length cylinders of high aspect ratio are considered over the full range of frequencies (Rayleigh through geometric scattering). The results show that for a sufficiently broad range of orientation, the average echo is largely independent of the degree of bend—that is, the results are essentially the same for both the straight and bent cylinders of various radii of curvature (provided the bend is not too great). Also, in the limit of high frequency (i.e., the acoustic wavelength is much smaller than the cross‐sectional radius of the object), the averages are independent of frequency. The resultant formulas derived herein are useful in describi...

Further analysis of target strength measurements of Antarctic krill at 38 and 120 kHz: Comparison with deformed cylinder model and inference of orientation distribution

Data collected during the krill target strength experiment [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 87, 16–24 (1990)] are examined in the light of a recent zooplankton scattering model where the elongated animals are modeled as deformed finite cylinders [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 86, 691–705 (1989)]. Exercise of the model under assumption of an orientation distribution allows absolute predictions of target strength to be made at each frequency. By requiring that the difference between predicted and measured target strengths be a minimum in a least‐squares sense, it is possible to infer the orientation distribution. This useful biological quantity was not obtainable in the previous analysis which involved the sphere scattering model.

Determining dominant scatterers of sound in mixed zooplankton populations

High-frequency acoustic scattering techniques have been used to investigate dominant scatterers in mixed zooplankton populations. Volume backscattering was measured in the Gulf of Maine at 43, 120, 200, and 420 kHz. Zooplankton composition and size were determined using net and video sampling techniques, and water properties were determined using conductivity, temperature, and depth sensors. Dominant scatterers have been identified using recently developed scattering models for zooplankton and microstructure. Microstructure generally did not contribute to the scattering. At certain locations, gas-bearing zooplankton, that account for a small fraction of the total abundance and biomass, dominated the scattering at all frequencies. At these locations, acoustically inferred size agreed well with size determined from the net samples. Significant differences between the acoustic, net, and video estimates of abundance for these zooplankton are most likely due to limitations of the net and video techniques. No other type of biological scatterer ever dominated the scattering at all frequencies. Copepods, fluid-like zooplankton that account for most of the abundance and biomass, dominated at select locations only at the highest frequencies. At these locations, acoustically inferred abundance agreed well with net and video estimates. A general approach for the difficult problem of interpreting high-frequency acoustic scattering in mixed zooplankton populations is described.

Sound scattering by several zooplankton groups. I. Experimental determination of dominant scattering mechanisms

The acoustic scattering properties of live individual zooplankton from several gross anatomical groups have been investigated. The groups involve (1) euphausiids (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) whose bodies behave acoustically as a fluid material, (2) gastropods (Limacina retroversa) whose bodies include a hard elastic shell, and (3) siphonophores (Agalma okeni or elegans and Nanomia cara) whose bodies contain a gas inclusion (pneumatophore). The animals were collected from ocean waters off New England (Slope Water, Georges Bank, and the Gulf of Maine). The scattering properties were measured over parts or all of the frequency range 50 kHz to 1 MHz in a laboratory-style pulse-echo setup in a large tank at sea using live fresh specimens. Individual echoes as well as averages and ping-to-ping fluctuations of repeated echoes were studied. The material type of each group is shown to strongly affect both the overall echo level and pattern of the target strength versus frequency plots. In this first article of a two-part series, the dominant scattering mechanisms of the three animal types are determined principally by examining the structure of both the frequency spectra of individual broadband echoes and the compressed pulse (time series) output. Other information is also used involving the effect on overall levels due to (1) animal orientation and (2) tissue in animals having a gas inclusion (siphonophores). The results of this first paper show that (1) the euphausiids behave as weakly scattering fluid bodies and there are major contributions from at least two parts of the body to the echo (the number of contributions depends upon angle of orientation and shape), (2) the gastropods produce echoes from the front interface and possibly from a slow-traveling circumferential (Lamb) wave, and (3) the gas inclusion of the siphonophore dominates the echoes, but the tissue plays a role in the scattering and is especially important when analyzing echoes from individual animals on a ping-by-ping basis. The results of this paper serve as the basis for the development of acoustic scattering models in the companion paper [Stanton et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 103, 236-253 (1998)].

Sound scattering by cylinders of finite length. III. Deformed cylinders

A general solution is derived for the scattering of sound by cylinders of finite length with a deformed axis and composition profile and (cross‐sectional) radius that vary along the axis. The orientation of the axis, plane‐wave source direction, and point receiver position can also vary as long as the directions of incident and scattered fields are nearly perpendicular to the tangent of the axis (this restriction can be relaxed under some conditions). This approximate solution is a generalization of previous work [T. K. Stanton, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 83, 55–63 (1988); and 83, 64–67 (1988)] where the scattering by straight finite cylinders of uniform fluid and elastic material, respectively, was described. In those articles, the volume flow per unit length of the scattered field of the cylinders was held constant along the length of the axis that restricted the axis to be straight and composition profile and (cross‐sectional) radius to remain constant along the length of the axis. In this article, the volume...

Application of pulse compression techniques to broadband acoustic scattering by live individual zooplankton

Distinct frequency dependencies of the acoustic backscattering by zooplankton of different anatomical groups have been observed in our previous studies [, ICES J. Mar. Sci. 49, 97–106 (1992); Stanton et al., ICES J. Mar. Sci. 51, 505–512 (1994)]. Based mainly on the spectral information, scattering models have been proposed to describe the backscattering mechanisms of different zooplankton groups [, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 103, 236–253 (1998b)]. In this paper, an in-depth study of pulse compression (PC) techniques is presented to characterize the temporal, spectral, and statistical signatures of the acoustic backscattering by zooplankton of different gross anatomical classes. Data collected from various sources are analyzed and the results are consistent with our acoustic models. From compressed pulse (CP) outputs for all three different zooplankton groups, two major arrivals from different parts of the animal body can be identified: a primary and a secondary arrival. (1) Shrimplike animals (Euphausiids and d...

Improved parametrization of Antarctic krill target strength models

There are historical discrepancies between empirical observations of Antarctic krill target strength and predictions using theoretical scattering models. These differences are addressed through improved understanding of key model parameters. The scattering process was modeled using the distorted-wave Born approximation, representing the shape of the animal as a bent and tapered cylinder. Recently published length-based regressions were used to constrain the sound speed and density contrasts between the animal and the surrounding seawater, rather than the earlier approach of using single values for all lengths. To constrain the parameter governing the orientation of the animal relative to the incident acoustic wave, direct measurements of the orientation of krill in situ were made with a video plankton recorder. In contrast to previous indirect and aquarium-based observations, krill were observed to orient themselves mostly horizontally. Averaging predicted scattering over the measured distribution of orientations resulted in predictions of target strength consistent with in situ measurements of target strength of large krill (mean length 40-43 mm) at four frequencies (43-420 kHz), but smaller than expected under the semi-empirical model traditionally used to estimate krill target strength.