Fjord Soundings
Illustrative survey / western Norway

Below the
still water.

An acoustic transect through a fjord. Every returning echo is a little information about what lies beneath.

Along the fjord, 0–12 km

Simulated echogram, relative echo intensity

FaintStrong
Surface reverberation
Layered returns in the water columnSeabed return

The curtain is a spatial record. Brighter marks represent stronger returns, not necessarily more animals.

Transect length

12.0 km

Along-track distance

Deepest seabed

350 m

Within this sample model

Surface layer

0–18 m

Strong near-surface returns

Read the water in layers

The bright lower band follows the seabed. Fine suspended bands suggest scattering layers. Real interpretation also needs instrument calibration and observations from the water.