Sonar Seminar on Michigan Tech's Research Vessel Agassiz

Side scan sonar is used to produce images of underwater geology and sunken objects. Common targets are shipwrecks, snowmobiles that have fallen through the ice, and drowning victims. It is also used to produce images of underwater sediment deposition (natural or man-made, such as mine tailings as anthropogenic targets for side scan), and other features of the lake bottom such as grooves made by ice. McQuest Marine Sciences Limited, in Burlington, Ontario is providing a Sport Scan sonar made by Imagenex (BC Canada) for demonstrations at MTU. This equipment is highly portable, and is powered by a 12 volt car battery. The electronics is in the sensor fish, which weighs about 25 pounds in air. The only other equipment required in the boat is a laptop computer and a GPS. In winter, the equipment can also be deployed by lowering it through a hole in the ice and turning it to obtain a radial scan. This demonstration on the R/V Agassiz was attended by limnologists, geologists, environmental engineers, industrial archeologists, and law enforcement.

'SportScan' Side scan sonar provided by McQuest Marine/Imagenex Inc. Seminar conducted by Dr. Charles T. Young, Associate Professor of Geophysical Engineering. Seminar sponsored by Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Biological Sciences Departments. R/V Agassiz piloted by Tom Rodeheffer. Side scan crew, Mark Gleason (Forestry) and Ed Verhamme (CEE).

- 76.48 KB	Sailing past Michigan Tech 87.55 KB	- 75.78 KB
- 69.01 KB	Dr. Charles Young and Tom Rodeheffer 58.66 KB	Checking the electronic display 65.59 KB
GPS and Navigation display 66.38 KB	Sportscan being deployed 97.46 KB	- 78.92 KB
- 77.40 KB	- 60.45 KB	Checking the sonar readings 85.00 KB
Dr. Young checking the course 80.81 KB	- 79.28 KB	South Entry Jacobsville light 71.38 KB
Dr. Young, Dr. Suzanne Beske-Diehl and Sheriff Brian McLean 76.43 KB	- - 75.87 KB	- - 82.16 KB
- - 69.23 KB	Dr. Beske-Diehl and Dr. Young observe Sportscan data on laptop 79.72 KB	- - 97.99 KB
- 79.58 KB	- 58.10 KB	- 87.48 KB
Sportscan 83.71 KB	Being deployed again in river 88.89 KB	- 75.14 KB
- 42.30 KB	- 73.64 KB	- 66.73 KB
- 62.36 KB	- 85.92 KB	- 83.69 KB
- 54.54 KB	- 60.19 KB	- 82.10 KB
- 70.48 KB	- 81.59 KB	- 65.22 KB
- 96.98 KB	- 88.66 KB	- 95.70 KB
Arriving at campus 109.95 KB	Group photo 343.23 KB	R/V Agassiz Side Scan Sonar images

The manufacturer's home page is:
http://www.imagenex.com/Products/SportScan/sportscan.html

Basic principles are discussed at: http://www.marine-
group.com/SonarPrimer/SideScanSonar.htm

Awesome side scan images are presented at:
http://www.marinesonic.com/archives.html