Predicting bathymetry based on vertical gravity gradient anomaly and analyses for various influential factors

The prediction of bathymetry has advanced significantly with the development of satellite altimetry.However,the majority of its data originate from marine gravity anomaly.In this study,based on the expression of vertical gravity gradient(VGG)of a rectangular prism,the governing equations for determining sea depths to invert bathymetry.The governing equation is solved by linearization through an iterative process,and numerical simulations verify its algorithm and its stability.We also study the processing methods of different interference errors.The regularization method improves the stability of the inversion process for errors.A piecewise bilinear interpolation function roughly replaces the low-frequency error,and numerical simulations show that the accuracy can be improved by 41.2%after this treatment.For variable ocean crust density,simulation simulations verify that the root-mean-square(RMS)error of prediction is approximately 5 m for the sea depth of 6 km if density is chosen as the average one.Finally,two test regions in the South China Sea are predicted and compared with ship soundings data,RMS errors of predictions are 71.1 m and 91.4 m,respectively.

A VGGNet-based correction for satellite altimetry-derived gravity anomalies to improve the accuracy of bathymetry to depths of 6500 m

Understanding the topographic patterns of the seafloor is a very important part of understanding our planet.Although the science involved in bathymetric surveying has advanced much over the decades,less than 20%of the seafloor has been precisely modeled to date,and there is an urgent need to improve the accuracy and reduce the uncertainty of underwater survey data.In this study,we introduce a pretrained visual geometry group network(VGGNet)method based on deep learning.To apply this method,we input gravity anomaly data derived from ship measurements and satellite altimetry into the model and correct the latter,which has a larger spatial coverage,based on the former,which is considered the true value and is more accurate.After obtaining the corrected high-precision gravity model,it is inverted to the corresponding bathymetric model by applying the gravity-depth correlation.We choose four data pairs collected from different environments,i.e.,the Southern Ocean,Pacific Ocean,Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea,to evaluate the topographic correction results of the model.The experiments show that the coefficient of determination(R~2)reaches 0.834 among the results of the four experimental groups,signifying a high correlation.The standard deviation and normalized root mean square error are also evaluated,and the accuracy of their performance improved by up to 24.2%compared with similar research done in recent years.The evaluation of the R^(2) values at different water depths shows that our model can achieve performance results above 0.90 at certain water depths and can also significantly improve results from mid-water depths when compared to previous research.Finally,the bathymetry corrected by our model is able to show an accuracy improvement level of more than 21%within 1%of the total water depths,which is sufficient to prove that the VGGNet-based method has the ability to perform a gravity-bathymetry correction and achieve outstanding results.

Highlighting relationships between sand thicknesses,reservoir-seal pairs and paleobathymetry from a sequence stratigraphic perspective:An example from Tortonian Serravallian deposits,onshore Niger Delta Basin

The utilization of sequence stratigraphic concepts in identifying sands and their spatial continuity in distinct gross depositional settings is key,especially in frontier settings where data paucity is a common challenge.In the Baka field,onshore Niger Delta,detailed reservoir correlation guided by sequence stratigraphic framework analysis showed the distribution of sand and shale units constituting reservoirseal pairs(RSP)correlatable across the field.Within the 3rd-order packages,it is observed that the lowstand systems tract(LST)and highstand systems tract(HST)contain more RSPs and thicker 4th-and 5th-order sands than the transgressive systems tract(TST).In terms of bathymetry,it is noted that irrespective of systems tracts,the RSP Index(RI)decreases from the proximal shallow/inner shelf settings to the more distal outer shelf areas.Amongst all three systems tracts,intervals interpreted as lowstand prograding complexes contain the best developed sands and highest RSP.Sand development within the LSTs has been controlled by a pronounced growth fault regime accompanied by high subsidence and sedimentation rates.This is linked to the basinward migration of the sands during prolonged sea-level fall,creating significant accommodation space for sand deposition.On the other hand,the TSTs known to mark periods of progressive sea-level rise and landward migration of sandy facies,show thinner sands enclosed in much thicker,laterally extensive,and better-preserved deeper marine shales.Interpreted seismic sections indicate intense growth faulting and channelization that influenced the syn-and postdepositional development of the sand packages across the field.The initial timing of deformation of subregional faults in this area coincides with periods of abrupt falls in sea level.This approach could be useful for predicting sand-prone areas in frontier fields as well as possible reservoir-seal parameters required for some aspects of petroleum system analysis and quick-look volume estimation.

Evolution and bathymetry of glacial lake at the lowest elevation in Nepal Himalaya

One of the prominent impacts of climate change induced glacier retreat in the Himalayas is the formation and expansion of glacial lakes. The newly formed glacial lakes are mostly located in higher altitudinal regions(4200-5800 m) of Himalaya,however, a new glacial lake(Kapuche, 28.446° N and 84.116° E) have been reported to be emerged in the relatively low elevation area of ~2450 m above sea level(masl) in the Nepal Himalaya. This short communication presents the remote sensing-based evolution and field-based bathymetry of Kapuche lake, and further discusses its formation process and lake type for being a glacial lake at the lowest elevation in Nepal Himalaya.

Shallow water bathymetry based on a back propagation neural network and ensemble learning using multispectral satellite imagery

The back propagation(BP)neural network method is widely used in bathymetry based on multispectral satellite imagery.However,the classical BP neural network method faces a potential problem because it easily falls into a local minimum,leading to model training failure.This study confirmed that the local minimum problem of the BP neural network method exists in the bathymetry field and cannot be ignored.Furthermore,to solve the local minimum problem of the BP neural network method,a bathymetry method based on a BP neural network and ensemble learning(BPEL)is proposed.First,the remote sensing imagery and training sample were used as input datasets,and the BP method was used as the base learner to produce multiple water depth inversion results.Then,a new ensemble strategy,namely the minimum outlying degree method,was proposed and used to integrate the water depth inversion results.Finally,an ensemble bathymetric map was acquired.Anda Reef,northeastern Jiuzhang Atoll,and Pingtan coastal zone were selected as test cases to validate the proposed method.Compared with the BP neural network method,the root-mean-square error and the average relative error of the BPEL method can reduce by 0.65–2.84 m and 16%–46%in the three test cases at most.The results showed that the proposed BPEL method could solve the local minimum problem of the BP neural network method and obtain highly robust and accurate bathymetric maps.

Coastal bathymetry inversion using SAR-based altimetric gravity data:A case study over the South Sandwich Island

The global bathymetry models are usually of low accuracy over the coastline of polar areas due to the harsh climatic environment and the complex topography.Satellite altimetric gravity data can be a supplement and plays a key role in bathymetry modeling over these regions.The Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR)altimeters in the missions like CryoSat-2 and Sentinel-3A/3B can relieve waveform contamination that existed in conventional altimeters and provide data with improved accuracy and spatial resolution.In this study,we investigate the potential application of SAR altimetric gravity data in enhancing coastal bathymetry,where the effects on local bathymetry modeling introduced from SAR altimetry data are quantified and evaluated.Furthermore,we study the effects on bathymetry modeling by using different scale factor calculation approaches,where a partition-wise scheme is implemented.The numerical experiment over the South Sandwich Islands near Antarctica suggests that using SARbased altimetric gravity data improves local coastal bathymetry modeling,compared with the model calculated without SAR altimetry data by a magnitude of 3:55 m within 10 km of offshore areas.Moreover,by using the partition-wise scheme for scale factor calculation,the quality of the coastal bathymetry model is improved by 7.34 m compared with the result derived from the traditional method.These results indicate the superiority of using SAR altimetry data in coastal bathymetry inversion.

Bathymetry predicted from vertical gravity gradient anomalies and ship soundings

In this paper, the admittance function between seafloor undulations and vertical gravity gradient anomalies was derived. Based on this admittance function, the bathymetry model of 1 minute resolution was predicted from vertical gravity gradient anomalies and ship soundings in the experimental area from the northwest Pacific. The accuracy of the model is evaluated using ship soundings and existing models, including ETOPO1, GEBCO, DTU10 and V15.1 from SIO. The model＇s STD is 69. 481m, comparable with V15.1 which is generally believed to have the highest accuracy.

Mapping the bathymetry of shallow coastal water using singleframe fine-resolution optical remote sensing imagery

This paper presents a bathymetry inversion method using single-frame fine-resolution optical remote sensing imagery based on ocean-wave refraction and shallow-water wave theory. First, the relationship among water depth, wavelength and wave radian frequency in shallow water was deduced based on shallow-water wave theory. Considering the complex wave distribution in the optical remote sensing imagery, Fast Fourier Transform （FFT） and spatial profile measurements were applied for measuring the wavelengths. Then, the wave radian frequency was calculated by analyzing the long-distance fluctuation in the wavelength, which solved a key problem in obtaining the wave radian frequency in a single-frame image. A case study was conducted for Sanya Bay of Hainan Island, China. Single-flame fine-resolution optical remote sensing imagery from QuickBird satellite was used to invert the bathymetry without external input parameters. The result of the digital elevation model （DEM） was evaluated against a sea chart with a scale of 1：25 000. The root-mean-square error of the inverted bathymetry was 1.07 m, and the relative error was 16.2%. Therefore, the proposed method has the advantages including no requirement for true depths and environmental parameters, and is feasible for mapping the bathymetry of shallow coastal water.

Bathymetry inversion using the modifi ed gravitygeologic method:application of the rectangular prism model and Tikhonov regularization

Bathymetry data are usually obtained via single-beam or multibeam sounding;however,these methods exhibit low efficiency and coverage and are dependent on various parameters,including the condition of the vessel and sea state.To overcome these limitations,we propose a method for marine bathymetry inversion based on the satellite altimetry gravity anomaly data as a modification of the gravity-geologic method(GGM),which is a conventional terrain inversion method based on gravity data.In accordance with its principle,the modified method adopts a rectangular prism model for modeling the short-wavelength gravity anomaly and the Tikhonov regularization method to integrate the geophysical constraints,including the a priori water depth data and characteristics of the sea bottom relief.The a priori water depth data can be obtained based on the measurement data obtained from a ship,borehole information,etc.,and the existing bathymetry/terrain model can be considered as the initial model.Marquardt’s method is used during the inversion process,and the regularization parameter can be adaptively determined.The model test and application to the West Philippine Basin indicate the feasibility and eff ectiveness of the proposed method.The results indicate the capability of the proposed method to improve the overall accuracy of the water depth data.Then,the proposed method can be used to conduct a preliminary study of the ocean depths.Additionally,the results show that in the improved GGM,the density diff erence parameter has lost its original physical meaning,and it will not have a great impact on the inversion process.Based on the boundedness of the study area,the inversion result may exhibit a lower confi dence level near the margin than that near the center.Furthermore,the modifi ed GGM is time-and memory-intensive when compared with the conventional GGM.

Bathymetry and bottom albedo retrieval using Hyperion:a case study of Thitu Island and reef

The Spratly(Nansha) Islands in the South China Sea have considerable economic and important militarily strategic status.Ocean color remote sensing is an effective mean of surveying and research and especially it is useful for areas that are difficult to access,such as Thitu Island and its reef in the Spratly Islands.The Hyper-spectral Optimization Process Exemplar(HOPE) model,developed by Lee et al.(1999) is a rapid and robust bathymetry method that uses hyper-spectral remote sensing.In this study,using Hyperion hyper-spectral sensor data and HOPE,we derive bathymetry and bottom albedo measurements around Thitu Island and its reef.We compare the distribution of bottom depths from C-MAP with that derived from the Hyperion data.The retrieved bathymetry results correlate well with the distribution obtained from the bathymetry contour from 2.0 to 20 m.The average difference between Hyperion and C-MAP for two selected transects was 17.1%(n=59,R=0.848,RMSE=2.342) and 10.9%(n=59,R2=0.834,RMSE=0.463).The retrieved bottom albedo is homogeneous in the lagoon and significantly non-homogeneous around the lagoon.These results indicate that HOPE could be very useful for bathymetry studies for the islands of the South China Sea.

Bathymetry predicting using the altimetry gravity anomalies in South China Sea

In South China Sea(112°E-119°E, 12°N-20°N), 81159 ship soundings published by NGDC(National Geophysics Data Center) and the altimetry gravity anomalies published by SIO(Scripps Institute of Oceanography) were used to predict bathymetry by GGM(gravity-geologic method) and SAS(Smith and Sandwell) method respectively. The residual 40576 ship soundings were used to estimate precisions of the predicted bathymetry models. Results showed that: the standard deviation of difference between the GGM model and ship soundings was 59.75 m and the relative accuracy was 1.86%. The SAS model is60.07 m and 1.87%. The power spectral densities of the ETOPO1, SIO, GGM and SAS models were also compared and analyzed. At last, we presented an integrated bathymetry model by weighted averaging method, the weighted factors were determined by precisions of the ETOPO1, SIO, GGM, and SAS model respectively.

A Review About SAR Technique for Shallow Water Bathymetry Surveys

Synthetic Aperture Radar （SAR） has become one of the important tools for shallow water bathymetry surveys. This has significant economic efficiency compared with the traditional bathymetry surveys. Numerical models have been developed to simulate shallow water bathymetry SAR images. Inversion of these models makes it possible to assess the water depths from SAR images. In this paper, these numerical models of SAR technique are reviewed, and examples are illustrated including in the coastal areas of China. Some issues about SAR technique available and the research orientation in future are also discussed.

A Synoptic Review on Deriving Bathymetry Information Using Remote Sensing Technologies: Models, Methods and Comparisons

This paper discusses the bathymetric mapping technologies by means of satellite remote sensing (RS) with special emphasis on bathymetry derivation models, methods, accuracies, advantages, limitations, and comparisons. Traditionally, bathymetry can be mapped using echo sounding sounders. However, this method is constrained by its inefficiency in shallow waters and very high operating logistic costs. In comparison, RS technologies present efficient and cost-effective means of mapping bathymetry over remote and broad areas. RS of bathymetry can be categorised into two broad classes: active RS and passive RS. Active RS methods are based on active satellite sensors, which emit artificial radiation to study the earth surface or atmospheric features, e.g. light detection and ranging (LIDAR), polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR), altimeters, etc. Passive RS methods are based on passive satellite sensors, which detect sunlight (natural source of light) radiation reflected from the earth and thermal radiation in the visible and infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, e.g. multispectral or optical satellite sensors. Bathymetric methods can also be categorised as imaging methods and non-imaging methods. The non-imaging method is elucidated by laser scanners or LIDAR, which measures the distance between the sensor and the water surface or the ocean floor using a single wave pulse or double waves. On the other hand, imaging methods approximate the water depth based on the pixel values or digital numbers (DN) (representing reflectance or backscatter) of an image. Imaging methods make use of the visible and/or near infrared (NIR) and microwave radiation. Imaging methods are implemented with either analytical modelling or empirical modelling, or by a blend of both. This paper presents the development of bathymetric mapping technology by using RS, and discusses the state-of-the-art bathymetry derivation methods/algorithms and their implications in practical applications.

Bathymetry inversion using the deflection of the vertical:A case study in South China Sea

The deflection of the vertical is one of the essential products of altimetry.However,unlike gravity and vertical gravity gradients,it is seldom used in bathymetry inversion.In this study,an algorithm for bathymetry inversion using the deflection of the vertical is proposed.First,we separately derive the formulas for the bathymetry inversion from the north and east components of the vertical deflection and introduce the data processing.Then a local area in the South China Sea is selected as an example to test the method.The bathymetry inversion based on gravity anomaly is also conducted for comparison.Assuming the ship-borne depths are the true values,the error standard deviations(STDs)of the bathymetry derived by north and east components of the vertical deflection are 156.64 m and 165.57 m,respectively.It indicates that the north component has a better performance in bathymetry inversion than the east component.The inversion results from the combination of both components show a higher accuracy of bathymetry than that from a single component.The difference between the error STD of the combination results and that of the gravity anomaly is less than 0.2 m.The experiment’s results also show that the precision of the derived bathymetry can be improved if the parameters of linear regression are adjusted according to water depths.In summary,among the gravity field products used in this study,the gravity anomaly yielded the best performance in the bathymetry inversion.However,since additional data and computation time are required to derive gravity anomalies from altimetric observations,the vertical defections can still be used as supplements,especially in areas where accurate vertical deflections exist.

Multiple sub-array beamspace CAATI algorithm for multi-beam bathymetry system

This paper extends CAATI （Computed Angle-of-Arrival Transient Imaging） technique of Multi-angle Swath Bathymetry Sidesean Sonar （MSBSS） into Multi-Beam Bathymetry Sonar （MBBS） and presents a new Multiple Sub-array Beamspaee - CAATI （MSB-CAATI） algorithm. The method not only can achieve high resolution seafloor mapping in the whole wide swath, but also can work well in complex acoustic environments or geometries. Simulation results and processing results of sea-experiment data prove the validity and superiority of the algorithm.

A novel ocean bathymetry technology based on an unmanned surface vehicle

In ocean bathymetry, the instantaneous depth measured by survey ships or by unmanned surface vehicles（USVs）cannot be directly taken as the chart depth because of the effect of waves and the tide. A novel ocean bathymetry technology is proposed based on the USV, the aim is to evaluate the potential of the USV using a real-time kinematic（RTK） and a single beam echo sounder for ocean bathymetry. First, using the RTK height of the USV with centimeter-level precision, the height of the sea level is obtained by excluding wave information using a low pass filter. Second, the datum distance between the reference ellipsoid and the chart depth is obtained by a novel method using tide tables and the height of the sea level from the USV. Previous work has usually achieved this using long-term tidal observation from traditional investigations. Finally, the chart depth is calculated using the transformation between the instantaneous depth of the USV measurement and the datum of the chart depth.Experiments were performed around the Wuzhizhou Island in Hainan Province using the unmanned surface bathymetry vehicle to validate the proposed technology. The successful results indicate the potential of the bathymetry technology based on the USV.

3-D reconstruction of coastal bathymetry from AIRSAR/POLSAR data

This paper introduces a new method for reconstructing three-dimensional （3D） coastal bathymetry changes from Airborne AIRSAR/POLSAR synthetic aperture data. The new method is based on integration between fuzzy B-spline and Volterra algorithm. Volterra algorithm is used to simulate the ocean surface current from AIRSAR/POLSAR data. Then, the ocean surface current information used as input for continuity equation to estimate the water depths from AIRSAR/POLSAR data. This study shows that 3D ocean bathymetry can be reconstructed from AIRSAR/POLSAR data with root mean square error of ±0.03 m.

The Features of Acoustic Bathymetry of Sludge in Oil Storage Tanks

The features of acoustic bathymetry of sludge in crude oil tanks are considered. Different parameters of crude oil and sludge which are important for the selection of acoustic parameters such as sound speed, the acoustic impedances of “oil-sludge” boundaries and sound attenuation are analyzed and compared with experimental data. The main sources of errors of sludge volume estimation are discussed.

High-resolution swath bathymetry using MIMO sonar system

For increasing the cross-track resolution, the multiple input multiple output （MIMO） technique is introduced into the swath bathymetry system and a new swath bathymetry approach using MIMO sonar is proposed. The MIMO sonar is composed of two parallel transmitting uniform linear arrays （ULAs） and a receiving ULA which is perpendicular to the former. The spacing between the two transmitting ULAs is equal to the product of the receiving sensor number and the receiving inter-sensor spacing. Furthermore, two narrowband linear frequency modulation （LFM） pulses, sharing the same frequency band but with opposite modulation slopes, are used as transmitting waveforms of the two transmitting ULAs. With such an array layout and transmitting signals, the MIMO sonar can sound a swath with the cross-track resolution doubling that of the traditional multibeam sonar using a Mills cross array. Numerical examples are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Effects of tropical cyclone paths and shelf bathymetry on inducement of severe storm surges in the Gulf of Thailand

The influences of tropical cyclone paths and shelf bathymetry on the inducement of extreme sea levels in a regional bay are investigated. A finite volume coastal ocean model(FVCOM) has been configured for the Gulf of Thailand-Sunda Shelf. A parametric wind model is used to drive the FVCOM. The contributions of the tropical cyclone characteristics are determined through a scenario-based study. Validation based on a historical extreme sea level event shows that the model can resolve the oscillation mechanism well. The intensification of severe storm surges in the region highly depends on four factors including phase propagation of the storm surge wave determined by the landfall position, funnel effect caused by locality of the coastline, and shelf bathymetry determined by the state of mean sea level and coastline crossing angle of the storm path. The coexistence of these factors can cause particular regions e.g. the Surat Thani Bay, inner Gulf of Thailand and Ca Mau Peninsular to experience a larger surge magnitude. These areas are found to be highly related to monsoon troughs that develop during the onset and early northeastern monsoon season(October–November).