Lisa A. Pflug
Pam M. Jackson
Naval Res. Lab., Code 7176, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004
Juliette W. Ioup
George E. Ioup
Univ. of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148
Higher-order moment analysis is performed for segments of data taken during the SWellEX-3 experiment, which was conducted off the Southern California coast in 1994. One SWellEX-3 objective was to provide a controlled data set for the purpose of improving understanding of detection in shallow water dominated by local shipping noise. Ambient noise and radar ship tracks were recorded for two full weekends over which the shipping character of the area changed dramatically. Second- and higher-order detection performance depends on the statistical character of the noise including the moment properties. As a prelude to higher-order detection evaluation, segments of data during times of light and heavy nearby shipping are analyzed for second- and higher-order moments, stationarity, and directionality. [UNO research supported by Office of Naval Research.]