• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.130-140
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• 2022

Recently, wideband acoustic technology has been introduced and started to be used in fisheries acoustic surveys in various waters worldwide. Wideband acoustic data provides high vertical resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio and continuous frequency characteristics over a wide frequency range for species identification. In this study, the main characteristics of wideband acoustic systems were elaborated, and a general methodology for wideband acoustic data analysis was presented using data collected in frequency modulation mode for the first time in Republic of Korea. In particular, this study described the data recording method using the mission planner of the wideband autonomous acoustic system, wideband acoustic data signal processing, calibration and the wideband frequency response graph. Since wideband acoustic systems are currently installed on many training and research vessels, it is expected that the results of this study can be used as basic knowledge for fisheries acoustic research using the state-of-the-art system.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.80-87
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• 2011

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) present the important advantage of being able to approach the seafloor more closely than surface vessel surveys can. To collect bathymetric data, bottom material information, and sub-surface images, multibeam echosounder, sidescan sonar (SSS) and subbottom profiler (SBP) equipment mounted on an AUV are powerful tools. The 3000m class AUV URASHIMA was developed by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). After finishing the engineering development and examination phase of a fuel-cell system used for the vehicle's power supply system, a renovated lithium-ion battery power system was installed in URASHIMA. The AUV was redeployed from its prior engineering tasks to scientific use. Various scientific instruments were loaded on the vehicle, and experimental dives for science-oriented missions conducted from 2006. During the experimental cruise of 2007, high-resolution acoustic images were obtained by SSS and SBP on the URASHIMA around the northern Kumano Basin off Japan's Kii Peninsula. The map of backscatter intensity data revealed many debris objects, and SBP images revealed the subsurface structure around the north-eastern end of our study area. These features suggest a structure related to the formation of the latest submarine fan. However, a strong reflection layer exists below ~20 ms below the seafloor in the south-western area, which we interpret as a denudation feature, now covered with younger surface sediments. We continue to improve the vehicle's performance, and expect that many fruitful results will be obtained using URASHIMA.