High-frequency acoustic observations of a tidal cycle in the Connecticut River

Rivers and estuaries can be highly energetic and present a challenging environment for sonar deployment and observation. To better understand this environment, a high-frequency, wide-sector forward-looking bathymetric sonar was used to observe tidal phenomena in the lower Connecticut River in June 2017. The stationary sonar system provided Eulerian measurements of the lower estuary for a complete tidal cycle, covering a large portion of the main channel. The system was able to map the observed region and differentiate between bathymetry and non-stationary phenomena in the water column. The data highlight the difference in acoustic propagation for the different phases of the tidal cycle. Doppler processing of the data shows the motion of various subsurface features in the river. These data are compared with other observations, including simultaneous in situ point measurements of salinity, temperature and turbidity from a REMUS 100 AUV. The data from this experiment can be used to improve the understanding ...