Bubble sweep-down occurrence characterization on Research Vessels

Bubble sweep-down on oceanographic vessels generates acoustic perturbations. We propose in this work to characterize the sub-surface bubbles occurrence conditions from acoustic data analysis acquired during surveys in relatively shallow water with the IFREMER research vessels Thalassa and Pourquoi Pas?. The methodology of data analysis used in this work allows us to characterize the sailing conditions influence on bubble sweep-down occurrence. The correlation between sailing conditions and acoustic perturbations tends to demonstrate that the presence of bubbles under the hull is clearly related to the wind speed and natural aeration, and that surface bubbles are advected differently in the water column by the two vessels.