Biological Noise Modeling for Active and Passive Sonar System Performance Predictions

Advanced sonar systems rely on detecting faint signals in noise from either spatial or temporal processing. Noise from ocean animals can limit these systems’ effectiveness and therefore must be included in sonar detection design and tactical mission planning. Applied Ocean Sciences proposes to develop the ABSOLUT (Assessing Biological SOund Layers Under Tactical Scenarios) System to solve this problem. The ABSOLUT team will co-develop a marine animal modeling approach alongside a data evaluation approach. Massachusetts Institution of Technology (MIT) and AOS will combine ocean models with acoustic models and acoustic datasets to create a test case of the ABSOLUT System in Phase I. The ABSOLUT model approach will combine current animal distribution maps with state-of-the-art geophysical-biogeochemical ocean modeling and couple those with an ecological model to predict animal locations. With these animal locations and by knowing features of the calls made by those species, the ABSOLUT System will estimate animal noise layers and their associated impacts on specific sonar systems. The ABSOLUT data evaluation approach will add a seasonal, animal-specific layer to the Ambient Noise Database (ANDB) using recently collected acoustic data from the case study location. At the end of Phase II, both the model approach and the data evaluation approach will be ready for ingestion to the Ocean Atmospheric Media Library Validation and Verification (V & V) process (TRL 7).