Impact of littoral environmental variability on acoustic predictions and sonar performance

The limiting influence of the environment on sonar has long been recognised as a major challenge to science and technology. As the area of interest shifts towards the littoral, environmental influences become dominant both in time and space. The manifold challenges encompass prediction, measurement, assessment, and adaptive responses to maximize the effectiveness of systems. Although MCM and ASW activities are dominated in different ways and scales by the environment, both warfare areas have had to consider the significantly changing requirements posed by operations in the littoral. The fundamental scientific issues involved in developing models relating acoustics to the environment are matched in difficulty by the need for data for their validation and eventual practical use for prediction. In many instances, the need is for the longer term planning activities. This book and the enclosed CD-ROM are the proceedings of a conference organised by the SACLANT Undersea Research Centre, and held at the Villa Marigola, Lerici, Italy, on 16-20 September 2002. The fundamental problems associated with environmental variability and sonar were explored at a previous SACLANTCEN conference in 1990.These problems have not gone away but, on the one hand are exaggerated by the move to the littoral and on the other hand, are open to treatment in new ways that advances in technology and computer power allow Oceanographers, acousticians, sonar systems engineers and operators need closer understanding of each others problems; we hope that this conference provides some momentum in this direction. One of us (FBJ) is going to chair a special session at the ASA meeting in December 2002 in Cancun, Mexico, which in many ways can be seen as a continuation of this conference both in topic and attendees.