Multibeam Echo Sounder

The EM 3002 is a new advanced multibeam echo sounder with extremely high resolution and dynamically focused beams. It is very well suited for detailed seafloor mapping and inspection with water depths from less than 1 meter up to typically 200 meters in cold oceanic conditions. Maximum depth capability is strongly dependant on water temperature and salinity - up to 300 meters is possible under favorable conditions. EM 3002 will in addition to bathymetric soundings, produce an acoustic image of the seabed. The image is obtained by combining the acoustic return signals inside each beam, thus improving signal to noise ratio considerably, as well as eliminating several artifacts related to conventional sidescan sonars. The acoustic image is compensated for the transmission source level, receiver sensitivity and signal attenuation in the water column, so that reliable bottom backscatter levels in dB are obtained. Objects observed on the seabed image are correctly located and their positions can be readily derived.