Subbottom profiling using a ship towed line array

This paper presents a technique for determining the effective depth of subbottom layers using a ship towed line array with a controlled source. Results are demonstrated using the MAPEX 2000 data. Local measurements of bottom layer thickness can be done using several methods: (1) Reflection profiling using a source and a receiver array at different ranges. (2) A high power downward looking boomer that can penetrate tens of meters of sediment layers. (3) A vertical line array using ambient noise. (4) Geo‐acoustic inversion using acoustic data from a ship towed line array. The ship towed line array provides local measurements of the subbottom thickness without the requirement of high power sources and extended experimental setup, on one hand, and with minimal interference from shipping traffic on the other hand. We show here that a simple seismic profiling technique extended to the towed line array data provides the same thickness profile as obtained by other techniques. It agrees with the geo‐acoustic inver...