Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Several decades of live-firing testing by the United States armed forces has left a high concentration of unexploded ordinance (UXO) material in coastal waters of the eastern United States. In response to this dilemma, the U.S. Department of Defense has developed several programs to investigate advanced methods of classification to reliably distinguish between UXO and unrelated metal debris in order to ensure efficient UXO pollution remediation. Among these programs is the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). SERDP is currently working to determine the best practices for implementing electro-magnetic induction (EMI)-based imaging in marine environments. EMI classification has been developed as the most effective mechanism for mapping buried material with sufficient accuracy to distinguish between potentially hazardous UXO pollution and unrelated material. Although model calculations are currently reliable in terrestrial sites, EMI utility is limited underwater by various complicating parameters that affect sensor response to the host medium. Therefore, in order to expand EMI technology to underwater environments, we must first understand what properties specific to underwater settings may influence the reliability of sensor response to various types of materials. This study will focus primarily on seafloor sediment in the York River Estuary and how it affects several physical factors of the environment. While there has been previous work done to study the hydrography of sediments in the York River, this is the first endeavor to additionally characterize the magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity of these bottom sediments with the purpose of informing EMI models. It is intended that the parameters developed through analysis of marine habitats in the York River can inform the standardization of EMI data collection in underwater environments for high quality, comprehensive mapping of sites that may contain UXO pollution.
Date Awarded
2015
Department
Geology
Recommended Citation
Gillespie, Mary E., "Characterization of Seafloor Sediment to Inform Marine Electromagnetic Induction Imaging" (2015). Geology Senior Theses. William & Mary. Paper 338.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/geologyseniors/338
