Ultrasonic characterization of seagrass leaf blades (Posidonia oceanica)

It has been shown that simple mixture theory models are inadequate to describe low-frequency sound propagation through seagrass meadows and further understanding of the acoustic properties of seagrass tissue is necessary. To that end, we present two ultrasonic sound speed measurements on the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica. First, a transit time measurement through a stack of 120 leaf blades at 2.25 MHz are compared to similar measurements made on macroalgae Ecklonia radiata. Sound speed differences are related to the gas content within the aerenchyma of seagrass and other tissue characteristics. Second, ultrasonic sound speed measurements through a suspension of finely divided P. oceanica leaf blades at frequencies between 1 and 4 MHz are compared to low-frequency (1-8 kHz) sound speed obtained on the same blade suspension by means of a resonance chamber.