Sonar

Article

Sonar uses sound propagation to detect, locate, communicate with, or identify objects in water or other media. The term derives from sound navigation and ranging.

Active sonar transmits a pulse and analyses returning echoes to estimate distance, direction, speed, and target properties. Passive sonar listens for sounds produced by ships, animals, machinery, or natural processes without transmitting.

Performance depends on sound speed, temperature, salinity, pressure, seafloor conditions, surface state, background noise, frequency, and the geometry of the source and receiver. Refraction can create sound channels and shadow zones.

Sonar is used in navigation, fisheries, ocean mapping, submarine detection, archaeology, depth measurement, marine biology, and underwater communication.

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• Source / publisher: Wikipedia
• URL type: WWW
• Credits: Wikipedia
• URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonar