acoustic tomography

noun

: a technique for determining the physical qualities of a known substance by measuring how long it takes sound to travel through it

Integrating measurements, such as acoustic tomography, and the installation of cheap and easy-to-use probes on ships of opportunity hold great promise.

—Thomas Royer, Eos, 31 Aug. 1999

Note: Acoustic tomography is often used to analyze ocean water. It can be used to measure a number of different qualities, such as salinity or pressure. When it is used to determine temperature, it can also be called acoustic thermometry.

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

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