Three-dimensional localization of transient acoustic sources using an ice-mounted geophone

This paper presents an approach to three-dimensional (3D) localization of ocean acoustic sources using a single three-component geophone on Arctic sea ice. Source bearing is estimated by maximizing the radial signal power as a function of horizontal look angle, applying seismic polarization filters to suppress shear waves with transverse particle motion. The inherent 180° ambiguity is resolved by requiring outgoing (prograde) particle motion in the radial-vertical plane. Source range and depth estimates and uncertainties are computed by Bayesian inversion of arrival-time differences of the water-borne acoustic wave and ice seismic waves, including the horizontally-polarized shear wave and longitudinal plate wave. The 3D localization is applied to geophone recordings of impulsive sources deployed in the water column at a series of ranges (200 to 1000 m) and bearings (0° to 90°) for three sites in the Lincoln Sea characterized by smooth annual ice, rough/ridged annual ice, and thick multi-year ice. Good bearing estimates are obtained in all cases. Range-depth localization is successful for ranges over which ice seismic arrivals could be reliably detected, approximately 200 m on rough ice, 500 m on smooth ice, and 800 m on multi-year ice. Effects of environmental uncertainty on localization are quantified by marginalizing over unknown environmental parameters.