Resonances in Acoustic Bottom Reflection And Their Relation to the Ocean Bottom Properties

An analysis of the resonances in the acoustic reflection coefficient of a layered ocean bottom is carried out, ilustrated by a representative example with constant sound velocities in each layer. Resonances are evident in the reflection coefficient both as a function of frequency and of angle of incidence. They are shown to depend on the properties of the layered ocean bottom in such a way that the bottom parameters may be extracted from a measurement of certain characteristic features of the resonances, thus providing a solution of the inverse scattering problem.