01680nas a2200205   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260002500043653003600068100002100104700002100125700001700146700001500163245011900178856004800297300001200345490000700357520109600364020001401460       2006                            d  bSpringer Netherlands10aEarth and Environmental Science1 aMagdalena Szuman1 aChristian Berndt1 aColin Jacobs1 aAngus Best00aSeabed characterization through a range of high-resolution acoustic systems \textendash a case study offshore Oman  uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11001-005-5999-0  a167-1800 v273 aThis study uses three acoustic instruments (different in their operating frequencies, 13, 3.5, and 6\textendash10 kHz, and deployment type, hull-mounted, surface-towed and deep-towed) to investigate and characterize the acoustic response of seafloor NE of Oman in a frequency-independent manner. High-resolution control was achieved by having selected areas of our acoustic transects ground-truthed by sampling and/or sea-floor photography. On the regional scale, the greatest degree of change in backscatter amplitude was correlated with major changes of seabed morphology and lithology. However, small-scale roughness had the biggest effect on amplitude on the local scale, i.e. within each area of specific seafloor type. The study also shows that seafloor reflection amplitude changes are far more easily detected by deep-towed instrument than by surface-towed or hull-mounted systems. Whilst there are significant changes in bioturbation types and density along the transects, the suite of instruments deployed was not able to pick up the effect of the bioturbation on acoustic signals.  a0025-3235