UACE2017 Proceedings: Emerging Technologies in Underwater Munitions Mapping

• Session:
  Underwater Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Detection and Remediation
• Paper:
  Emerging Technologies in Underwater Munitions Mapping
• Author(s):
  Wolfgang Jans, Daniel D. Sternlicht, Kevin L. Williams, Michael D. Richardson
• Abstract:
  For centuries, oceans, lakes and rivers throughout the world have been the repository of expended and discarded munitions, through various activities such as military engagement, weapons testing and training, accidents, and by dumping. With population and economic activity growing about coastal and inland waters, many nations are investing in and developing new technologies to map these areas to determine the extent and threat of underwater munitions. The obvious physical challenge of operating underwater is compounded by light-attenuating turbidity, lack of positional accuracy due to the absorption of RF signals, the abundance of man-made objects and natural features that confuse sensors (i.e. clutter), and the common situation that objects deposited in sedimentary environments bury making them opaque to many sensing modalities. As expected, different environments lend themselves to different sensing modalities, or require combinations of sensors that may include optic, acoustic, magnetic, electromagnetic induction, and chemical. This paper reviews conventional underwater sensing technologies that have been used to date with various levels of success, describes the challenges posed by many common environments encountered, and discusses emerging advances in underwater sensors, platforms, and automation predicted to increase the efficiency of munitions classification in many areas and make it possible for the first time in some of the more challenging environments. These advances are being evaluated and realized at an accelerated pace due to a number of international collaborations in munitions response described herein.
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Contact details

• Contact person:
  Dr Wolfgang Jans
• e-mail:
  
• Affiliation:
  WTD 71
• Country:
  Germany