Three-dimensional localization of transient acoustic sources using an ice-mounted geophone

This paper presents an approach to three-dimensional (3D) localization of ocean acoustic sources using a single three-component geophone on Arctic sea ice. Source bearing is estimated by maximizing the radial signal power as a function of horizontal look angle, applying seismic polarization filters to suppress shear waves with transverse particle motion. The inherent 180 degrees ambiguity is resolved by requiring outgoing (prograde) particle motion in the radial-vertical plane. Source range and depth estimates and uncertainties are computed by Bayesian inversion of arrival-time differences of the water-borne acoustic wave and ice seismic waves, including the horizontally-polarized shear wave and longitudinal plate wave. The 3D localization is applied to geophone recordings of impulsive sources deployed in the water column at a series of ranges (200 to 1000m) and bearings (0 degrees to 90 degrees) for three sites in the Lincoln Sea characterized by smooth annual ice, rough/ridged annual ice, and thick multi-year ice. Good bearing estimates are obtained in all cases. Range-depth localization is successful for ranges over which ice seismic arrivals could be reliably detected, approximately 200m on rough ice, 500m on smooth ice, and 800m on multi-year ice. Effects of environmental uncertainty on localization are quantified by marginalizing over unknown environmental parameters. (C) 2014 Acoustical Society of America.