Inversion of interfacial waves for the geotechnical characterisation of marine sediments in shallow water

The diagnostic capability of Scholte and guided wave analysis for estimating the mechanical properties of shallow sediments is considered. The modelling of a theoretical response in 1D conditions and sensitivity analysis permit the assessment of the reliability of the approach; experimental data have been acquired in two test sites using hydrophones disposed on the sea bottom. The sites are characterised by a reduced thickness of sediments (less than 4 meters) in shallow water (2 to 15 meters) with a hard calcareous bedrock. To avoid or reduce some ambiguities in data processing, we integrate the seismic data with information derived from electrical resistivity tomography acquired using electrodes on the seabottom.