Compressional wave attenuation inversion in the New England Mud Patch

The goal of this study was to implement a geoacoustic inversion scheme using broadband data from New England Mud Patch to estimate sediment attenuation. The bottom sediments at this location consisted of a layer of mud over sand. The inversion was based on matching measured modal amplitude ratios with predictions. The inversion mitigates the effect of shear conversion in the sandy layer and sediments below that by incorporating shear effects in the inversion. The attenuation estimates compare well with predictions from viscous grain shearing theory and previously published values from the New England Mud Patch and other locations.