What is the full form of SONAR?

The full form of SONAR is Sound Navigation and Ranging. It is a technology that uses sound propagation for navigation and can also be used for remote object recognition and interaction with other objects. Undersea, SONAR offers a wide range of applications, including submarine contact and submarine route planning.

Leonardo da Vinci was the first to employ the SONAR principle, placing a tube into the ocean in 1490 to hear the sounds of other vessels.

Working Principle of SONAR

The transducer generates an ultrasonic sound beam, which travels through the seawater. When it reflects, it creates an echo, which the sensor detects and records. Then we are turned into electrical signals.

Types of SONAR

The two types of technology falling under the name ‘SONAR’ involve

• Active SONAR
• Passive SONAR

Active Sonar

• This entails emitting sound waves and waiting for the echo to return.
• It has a receiver as well as a transmitter.
• The transmitter sends high-frequency sound waves in the chosen direction, and the receiver receives the target’s high-frequency sound waves back.
• Some animals employ echolocation (active sonar) to find murderers and victims. Examples include whales and dolphins.

Passive Sonar

• Which is involved in listening to underwater objects’ sounds?
• There is only a receiver.
• It highlights the noise produced by submerged objects. It detects just the sound waves that travel through the receiver and does not generate any of its own.
• Because they do not wish to be identified, it is useful for underwater research missions.

Benefits of SONAR

• SONAR is the sole effective technology for detecting underwater things. SONAR is useful for determining water depth and navigating for a variety of reasons.
• SONAR is suitable for recording a variety of aquatic activities.
• When we compare radar or light waves to SONAR, not much in the water diminishes.
• It is an exact procedure.
• It is affordable and not prohibitively pricey.

Limitations Of SONAR

• The sea is home to several large animals. The SONAR-created waves are causing harm to aquatic life. These waves imperil creatures like whales and dolphins.
• It generates a variety of noises based on the sound level it produces.