Improving riverbed sediment classification using backscatter and depth residual features of multi-beam echo-sounder systems

Riverbed and seafloor sediment classification using acoustic remote sensing techniques is of high interest due to their high coverage capabilities at limited cost. This contribution presents the results of riverbed sediment classification using multi-beam echo-sounder data based on an empirical method. Two data sets are considered, both taken at the Waal River, namely Sint Andries and Nijmegen. This work is a follow-up to the work carried out by Amiri-Simkooei et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 126(4), 1724–1738 (2009)]. The empirical method bases the classification on features of the backscatter strength and depth residuals. A principal component analysis is used to identify the most appropriate and informative features. Clustering is then applied to the principal components resulting from this set of features to assign a sediment class to each measurement. The results show that the backscatter strength features discriminate between different classes based on the sediment properties, whereas the depth residual features discriminate classes based on riverbed forms such as the “fixed layer” (stone having riprap structure) and riverbed ripples. Combination of these two sets of features is highly recommended because they provide complementary information on both the composition and the structure of the riverbed.