Exploration and Monitoring of the Continental Shelf Underwater Environment

Iftikhar B. Abbasov, Iftikhar B. Abbasov

• Publisher: Wiley-Scrivener
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781119488286
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Oceanography

Dedicated to the unique developments of hydroacoustical equipment to monitor the sea coastal shelf environment, this groundbreaking unique study presents a survey of modern methods and technical monitoring facilities, including the diagnostics of underwater engineering when monitoring offshore.

There is still so much about the oceans that scientists do not know, and exploring the continental shelves of the world is a huge part of finding out more about these underwater environments. Further to that, it is extremely important that, while scientists and engineers explore and monitor the continental shelf, no damage is done to these precious environments. That is the needle that this study intends to thread, giving scientists and engineers a better method and processes for exploring these underwater mysteries, while protecting the environment and wildlife thriving beneath.

Written by a proven scientist in this area, this book is dedicated to the unique developments of hydroacoustical equipment to monitor the coastal shelf. The results of the original experimental sonar studies with application of the parametric antenna are presented. The book presents a survey of the modern methods and technical monitoring facilities of the coastal aqueous environment. The basic characteristics of the parametric antennas are given considering propagation of the acoustic waves in the environments with dispersion and acoustical absorption. The author and his colleagues consider the questions of formation of the parametric antenna field in layered-heterogeneous media and the peculiarities of sounding of the interfaces and bottom sediments. Ecological monitoring methods of the basic parameters of quality and condition of the aqueous environment are analyzed. The peculiarities of diagnostics of the underwater engineering constructions when monitoring the offshore strips are described.

For both veteran engineers and students in the field alike, this breakthrough study is a must-have for any scientific library concerned with studying the oceans and especially the continental shelf.

Chapter 1
Monitoring of Aqueous Environment of the Continental Shelf: The Current State

Iftikhar B. Abbasov

Southern Federal University, Engineering Technological Academy, Department of Engineering Graphics and Computer Design, Taganrog, Russia

Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This chapter is dedicated to a survey of the modern state of the methods and diagnostic facilities of the aqueous environment of offshore strips. General approaches to the ecological monitoring of the natural environment and existing varieties of diagnostic facilities are described. The possibilities of satellite monitoring facilities of alga bloom in the areas of seas and oceans have been considered. The remote sounding methods of the effective search for fish basins, hydrological parameters: temperature of the sea surface, color of the ocean and oceanic currents are given.

We have considered the questions of monitoring and modeling of the sea ecological systems with use of underwater engineering facilities for analysis and predicting dynamics of ecosystems. The survey of modern hydro acoustical monitoring systems of underwater environment with use of autonomous underwater vehicles, their peculiarities, and development prospects are given. Developments in the area of autonomous underwater vehicles will play an important role in monitoring and studying of offshore areas.

Keywords: diagnostic facilities, aqueous environment, ecological monitoring, satellite monitoring, hydrological parameters, underwater engineering facilities, autonomous underwater vehicles, hydro acoustical monitoring systems.

1.1 Introduction

Development of sea resources of shelf zone requires use of the modern facilities and methods of ecological monitoring of the anthropogenic influence on the environment. Let us consider the basic terminology and further proceed to review the literary sources in the field of monitoring.

World Ocean – main part of hydrospace, continuous, but not solid water shell of the Earth, surrounding continents and islands and distinct with similarity of salt composition. World Ocean covers almost 70.8% of the Earth’s surface (Gross, 1972) (Dobroliubov, 2014).

Ocean – (Old Greek Ὠκεανός, by the name of the Old Greek god Ocean) – largest water body, comprising the part of the World Ocean, located among the continents, having system of water circulation and other specific features.

Continental shelf, shelf – aligned part of underwater continent edge, adjoining to dry land and characterizing of the geological structure common with it, includes sea bottom and subsoil of submarine areas, as a rule, considered within the range of 200-mile economic zone.

Marine natural environment – aggregate of components of the natural environment, natural and natural/man-made features, located within the range of continental shelf and water space over it.

Aquatic area – water air surface within the range of the natural, artificial or conventional borders.

Environment monitoring – integrated environment observations, including its components, natural ecological systems, over the processes occurring within them, phenomena, evaluation and prediction of change of the environmental state.

Within the context of this chapter the review was performed and the analysis of the modern state of studies was made in the field of monitoring of the aqueous environment of the onshore continent shelf. As a result of performed review of literature on monitoring of the shelf of the World Ocean, current studies can be conventionally classified into the topics as follows:

• common monitoring and diagnostics tasks;
• satellite data use for the remote diagnostics;
• seismic activity monitoring of sea bottom;
• fish stock monitoring;
• submarine technical facilities for the archeological research;
• underwater vehicles for geological exploration;
• monitoring of ecosystems with use of underwater vehicles;
• modern state of underwater monitoring vehicles;
• hydro acoustical systems of remote shelf diagnostics.

1.2 General Monitoring Tasks

General approach to the ecological monitoring of the natural environment provides the measures as follows (Israel, 1984), (Shavykin et al., 2012):

• revelation and analysis of the specific anthropogenic sources and interaction factors on the natural environment;
• comprehensive analysis of the environment in the regions of possible impact;
• ecological monitoring of the natural facilities and processes, exposing to impact.
• Monitoring structure of the anthropogenic changes of the natural environment shall include the following basic blocks (Figure 1.1):
• observance of the sources and factors of impact;
• evaluation and prediction of the actual state of the natural environment.

Figure 1.1 Overall structure of monitoring of the anthropogenic changes.

In the article (Petukhov et al., 2011) the methods and results of comprehensive sea experimental studies on evaluation of the ecological state of the area of sea area are considered. The new method of ecological studies allows localizing the places and areas of soil dumping, as well as evaluates their spacious sizes to the high accuracy extent and snapping to the geographic coordinates. The contemporary information analysis has revealed stable direct dependency between availability at bottom of soil dumping and considerable growth of quantitative characteristics of the control values of the sea ecosystem contamination.

1.3 Remote Monitoring with the Help of Satellites

The need for more efficient ecological ocean monitoring has resulted lately in the noticeable achievements in the studies of algorithms of processing of color satellite photos. Data of satellite photos are widely used to reveal, map and monitor phytoplankton in the ocean. Alga blooming is an indicator of the health state of sea ecosystems. So their monitoring refers to the key parameters of the effective control of onshore and oceanic resources.

The review presented in the article (Blondeau-Patissier et al., 2014) reflects details of development of algorithms in the field of multispectral analysis of the ocean color. To understand space-time regularities of alga blooming some parameters of the environments are important such as water temperature, turbidity, solar radiation and bottom topography. In the review we also discuss the use of statistic methods of processing of satellite data to characterize the factors influencing alga blooming in the onshore and open oceanic spaces.

In view of geographic snapping of some studies in this book to the water area of the Gulf of Taganrog of Sea of Azov, let us consider some works on satellite analysis of alga blooming of this basin. The work (Shavykin et al., 2012) represents the results of the ecological studies of the Gulf of Taganrog of Sea of Azov with help of satellite spectral radiometers. The Gulf of Taganrog has very high chlorophyll phytoplankton concentration, for monitoring we worked out technology and performed the measurements in the near surface layer of chlorophyll concentration with fluorometric method. It is shown that in the Gulf of Taganrog we observe strong time and space variability of chlorophyll plankton concentration in the summer season. As per the results of the measurements chlorophyll concentration in the near surface layer of the Gulf changed up to ten times. The spots of increased contents of chlorophyll concentration were observed with size from several kilometers to half a dozen kilometers. Strong temporary variability of chlorophyll concentration is revealed in the eastern region of the Gulf of Taganrog; for several hours it changed by 20–30%.

Lately considerable success was achieved in the field of development of the airspace methods and processes of remote ocean sounding. Their application perspectives to solve the monitoring tasks of the onshore aquatic areas are based on possibility of registration with the modern remote equipment of the wide spectrum of the important parameters of the aquatic environment. The work (Bondur, 2004) considers possibilities of applying space facilities for monitoring of the onshore areas of seas and oceans. The basic parameters of the aquatic environment have been analyzed, registered with modern space facilities. They include, first of all, as follows:

• variations of hydro-optic characteristics, color and turbidity of water;
• changes of hydrodynamic parameters (flow fields, internal waves, turbulence, circulating flows), leading to deformations of the surface variation and changes of characteristics of the near surface ocean layer;
• temperature variations in the areas of the flow fields, upwelling, interaction of turbulence and the internal waves with water surface;
• fluctuations of p...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Abstract
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Monitoring of Aqueous Environment of the Continental Shelf: The Current State
• Chapter 2: Parametric Antennas in the Mediums with Hydrophysical Inhomogeneities: Theory and Experiment
• Chapter 3: Research of the Phase Characteristics of Parametrical Radiators for Measuring Purposes
• Chapter 4: Influence of Layer-Discrete Areas on the Formation of the Direction Acoustic Parametric Antenna at the Diagnostic of the Water Environment
• Chapter 5: Experimental Research of Penetration of the Acoustic Inhomogeneous Plane Waves from Water into Air
• Chapter 6: Study of Nonlinear Interaction of Acoustic Waves Driven by Parametric Radiating Antenna During Sounding of Bottom Sediments
• Chapter 7: The Underwater Ultrasonic Equipment with the Nonlinear Acoustics Effect’s Application
• Chapter 8: The Research of Waters Eutrophication of the Gulf of Taganrog of the Sea of Azov For Ecological Monitoring Purposes
• Chapter 9: The Application Features of Sonar Systems for Control of Underwater Engineering Structures and Monitoring Area
• Index
• End User License Agreement