First, we must appreciate that this is 800kHz data over the full swath width. The SeaBat T51 is the only multibeam that can produce clean data across the full 170° swath at 800Khz. Meaning that you can survey at high resolution while not sacrificing swath width and thus saving precious time.
Next, let’s take a closer look at that large swath. It consists of 1024 beams formed with the finest beamwidths, 0.25° at nadir. The effect of this is seen with the sharp detail on the blocks in the bathymetry and snippets backscatter.
On the topic of backscatter, the clarity of 800kHz snippets data is reminiscent of high frequency side scan sonar. Also, note that the output rate of backscatter is in parallel with the high pingrates, meaning you do not need to throttle down the pingrate when extra data types such as snippet or water column backscatter are needed.
And finally, draw your attention to the two yellow lines surrounding the seabed. These are the adaptive gates, which constrain the search are for the bottom detection. This reduces any risks of false detections.
The scenario in this image powerfully demonstrates that the adaptive gates are as they are not ‘fooled’ by the rapidly changing topography.
