A ‘Sound’ Publication

Washington, D.C. — The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) today announced the recipients of its 2008 Alan Berman Research Publication Award. Among the outstanding publications recognized, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Professor of Applied Marine Physics, Tokuo Yamamoto, was honored for his work as co-author with Dr. Altan Turgut of the NRL’s Acoustics Division. The award is being presented during the Edison Patent Awards at the Bolling Officer’s Club, Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

Published in the September 2008 issue of The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, the paper, “In situ measurements of velocity dispersion and attenuation in New Jersey Shelf sediments,” addresses the interaction of high frequency acoustic waves with silty-sand marine sediments, comparing experimental measurements over a broad frequency band (10-80 kHz) with an extension of the Biot theory of porous media developed by the authors.

“Since compressional wave velocity and attenuation are two of the most important geoacoustic parameters that control sound propagation in shallow water, an understanding of their frequency dependence is important in assessing their impact on the performance of both acoustic communication systems and sonar systems in coastal environments,” said Yamamoto.

In-situ measurements collected by the team provided ground-truth data to the geoacoustic inversion component of ONR’s Shallow Water 2006 experiment, a collaborative project created to understand the nature of low frequency (10-1500 Hz) acoustic propagation and scattering in shallow water when strong oceanic variability in the form of fronts, eddies, boundary layers, and internal waves is present.

Yamamoto is a member of the American Geophysical Union and the American Society of Civil Engineers among other organizations, and a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America. He is an expert in the study of wave propagation through marine sediments, acoustic waves, gravity waves and seismic waves at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School. He received his master’s degree in Civil Engineering (Soil Mechanics) from Waseda University in Japan, and his doctorate in Civil Engineering (Fluid Mechanics) from Oregon State University.

About the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School
Founded in the 1940’s, the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science has grown into one of the world’s premier marine and atmospheric research institutions. Offering dynamic interdisciplinary academics, the Rosenstiel School is dedicated to helping communities to better understand the planet, participating in the establishment of environmental policies, and aiding in the improvement of society and quality of life.  For more information, please visit www.rsmas.miami.edu

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