3D Acoustic Imaging in Defining Offshore UXO Risk

With 3D volumetric models based on acoustic impedance variations in the subsurface, we can provide further clarity on the subsurface and magnetic targets by providing acoustic imagery of the anomalies and surrounding shallow soils. This allows information such as an object’s size, shape, depth of burial to be established. The inclusion of this information allows UXO specialists to make a more informed decision on an object being a potential UXOs, reducing potential risk. Of the 1284 magnetic targets were surveyed using the SBI, 289 we found to contain acoustic anomalies that were interpreted to be pUXOs. Meaning 995 magnetic targets that would have required further investigations of unearthing the object, did not require any further investigations which reduced cost, time, risk, carbon footprint. Similarly, where a desktop study identified that non-ferrous UXOs could be present in an area, the SBI was used due to the unreliability of magnetometer datasets in detecting these objects. Integrating interpreted non-ferrous UXOs from 3D acoustic data with magnetic datasets shows that interpreted acoustic anomalies that do not correlate with a magnetic anomaly are possibly representative of non-ferrous UXOs. Therefore, without the use of 3D acoustics, non-ferrous UXOs would likely remain undetected.