SIDE SCAN SONAR Kevin Nathanael Sibarani Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia

kevin.sibarani@students.itb.ac.id Side scan sonar (SSS) is category of sonar system that is used to efficiently create an image of large areas of the sea floor. Purposes of SSS deployment are to bathymetry, stratigraphy, and morphology. SSS working principles is based on echo level from the target strength. When total loss is known, echo level identifies target strength. EL = SL 2TL + TS (1)

Where EL is the echo level, SL is the source level, TL is the transmission loss (or propagation loss), and TS is the target strength. SSS imagery is constructed by mosaic of piled up lines; because of that trajectory correction is required to compensate fish movement.

Figure 1. SSS imagery is constructed by mosaic of piled up lines. Side scan sonar is a specialized system for detecting objects on the seafloor however SSS cannot measure depth just like single beam echo sounder. Side scan sonar is typically used in conjunction with a single beam or multi beam sonar system to meet full bottom coverage specifications for hydrographic surveys. From Websites: http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/hsd/SSS.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side-scan_sonar http://www.starfishsonar.com/technology/sidescan-sonar.htm