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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access published online on April 29, 2008
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil, doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn061
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© 2008 The Author(s)
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Acoustic seabed classification: current practice and future directions

John T. Anderson1, D. Van Holliday2, Rudy Kloser3, Dave G. Reid4 and Yvan Simard5

1 Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, PO Box 5667, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada A1C 5X1
2 School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 706 South Rodney French Boulevard, New Bedford, MA, USA
3 CSIRO Marine Research, PO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
4 Fisheries Research Services, Marine Laboratory, PO Box 101, Victoria Road, Aberdeen, UK
5 Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, PO Box 1000, Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada G5H 3Z4, and Université du Québec à Rimouski, 310 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, Canada G5L 3A1

Correspondence to J. T. Anderson: tel: +1 709 772 2116; fax: +1 709 772 5315; e-mail: andersonjt{at}dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Anderson, J. T., Holliday, D. V., Kloser, R., Reid, D. G., and Simard, Y. 2008. Acoustic seabed classification: current practice and future directions. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65.

Acoustic remote sensing of the seabed using single-beam echosounders, multibeam echosounders, and sidescan sonars combined and individually are providing technological solutions to marine-habitat mapping initiatives. We believe the science of acoustic seabed classification (ASC) is at its nascence. A comprehensive review of ASC science was undertaken by an international group of scientists under the auspices of ICES. The review was prompted by the growing need to classify and map marine ecosystems across a range of spatial scales in support of ecosystem-based science for ocean management. A review of the theory of sound-scattering from seabeds emphasizes the variety of theoretical models currently in use and the ongoing evolution of our understanding. Acoustic-signal conditioning and data quality assurance before classification using objective, repeatable procedures are important technical considerations where standardization of methods is only just beginning. The issue of temporal and spatial scales is reviewed, with emphasis on matching observational scales to those of the natural world. It is emphasized throughout that the seabed is not static but changes over multiple time-scales as a consequence of natural physical and biological processes. A summary of existing commercial ASC systems provides an introduction to existing capabilities. Verification (ground-truthing) methods are reviewed, emphasizing the difficulties of matching observational scales with acoustic-backscatter data. Survey designs for ASC explore methods that extend beyond traditional oceanographic and fisheries survey techniques. Finally, future directions for acoustic seabed classification science were identified in the key areas requiring immediate attention by the international scientific community.

Keywords: acoustic, classification, echosounders, habitat, landscape, mapping, marine, multibeam, seabed, sidescan, single beam, sonar

Received 11 July 2007; accepted 15 February 2008.


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