Active vs passive moving source tomography: Comparing results from the Santa Barbara Channel Experiment (SBCEx16) on sources of opportunity

An experiment was performed in the Santa Barbara Channel (SBCEx16) using four vertical line arrays (VLAs) of hydrophones placed midway between the in- and out-going shipping lanes of a maritime highway. The goal of this experiment was to study whether these sources of opportunity can be used for passive tomographic purposes. In addition to the continuous passive observations, active acoustic source-tows were conducted. The environment was monitored continuously throughout the course of the experiment using thermistor strings, and ship tracks were obtained from the Automatic Identification System (AIS). The results from both types of tomography are presented and compared.