A natural reference area for the quality control of multibeam echosounder bathymetry and backscatter measurements: The Kwinte area on the Belgian part of the North Sea

The Kwinte area in the Belgian part of the North Sea serves as a site for monitoring the quality of shallow water multibeam echosounder bathymetric and backscatter data. Time series acquired over two decades confirm its bathymetric and sedimentary stability. Included in the Belgian Marine Spatial Plan and freely accessible, the Kwinte area allows for verification of bathymetric data compliance to IHO hydrographic quality standards. The availability of reference backscatter angular responses obtained with a calibrated singlebeam echosounder facilitates cross-calibration of backscatter data, thereby enabling a comparison of backscatter data from diverse array of multibeam echosounders deployed on various vessels.