Angular Dependence of ${\cal K}$ -Distributed Sonar Data

Backscattered signal statistics are widely used for target detection and seafloor characterization. The ${\cal K}$-distribution shows interesting properties for describing experimental backscattered intensity statistics. In addition to the fact that its probability distribution function accurately fits actual sonar data, it advantageously provides a physical interpretation linked to the backscattering phenomenon. Sonar systems usually record backscattered signals from a wide angular range across the ship's track. In this context, previous studies have shown that backscatter statistics strongly depend on the incidence angle. In this paper, we propose an extension of previous works to model the angular evolution of the ${\cal K}$-distribution shape parameter. This evolution is made clear and analyzed from experimental data recorded with two sonar systems: a 95-kHz multibeam echosounder and a 110-kHz sidescan sonar. Model fitting with data backscattered from six seafloor configurations shows the improvement provided by our extension as compared to two previous models.