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FAQ: In-situ Sound Speed Modeling for Enhanced Underwater Navigation
TL;DR
This new real-time sound speed correction method gives deep-sea exploration companies an 80% accuracy advantage in underwater navigation for resource detection and mapping missions.
The method uses acoustic ray-tracing theory and an adaptive two-stage information filter to estimate sound speed variations while detecting USBL outliers in real time.
By enabling more precise deep-sea navigation, this technology supports better ocean mapping and ecological monitoring for sustainable marine resource management.
Researchers improved underwater navigation accuracy from 0.45m to 0.08m using sound speed correction, making deep-sea exploration more reliable than ever before.
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The research addresses systematic acoustic positioning errors caused by variations in seawater sound speed, which change with temperature, salinity, and pressure across time and depth, decreasing navigation precision with depth and distance.
Precise underwater navigation is critical for autonomous and remotely operated deep-sea vehicles, supporting high-precision deep-sea surveys and reliable deep-sea operations where satellite signals cannot penetrate seawater.
The method uses acoustic ray-tracing theory to link sound speed disturbances to positioning deviations, incorporates an adaptive two-stage information filter to estimate sound speed profile variations while detecting USBL outliers in real time, and applies a two-order SSP disturbance representation that separates different ocean layers.
The method integrates Strap-down Inertial Navigation System (SINS), Ultra-Short Baseline (USBL), Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), and Pressure Gauge (PG) observations through an Adaptive Two-stage Information (ATI) filter.
Traditional correction relies on static conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) profiler measurements or empirical models that fail to adapt to real-time conditions, while this new method dynamically estimates sound speed variation and compensates for acoustic positioning distortion during missions.
Sea trials showed RMS position improved from 0.45 m to 0.08 m northward and 0.23 m to 0.07 m eastward—enhancing precision by over 80% under real mission conditions, with simulations showing marked reduction in RMS error compared to uncorrected navigation.
The research was published in 2025 in Satellite Navigation with DOI: 10.1186/s43020-025-00181-w.
Researchers from and collaborating institutions conducted this research, though specific institutions are not named in the provided content.
The method was verified through simulations and South China Sea field experiments.
This research enables more stable navigation in variable ocean environments, supports high-precision deep-sea surveys, and allows for reliable deep-sea operations by significantly reducing navigation errors caused by sound speed variations.
Curated from 24-7 Press Release
