With sonar what happens to sound pulses from a ship after they hit the ocen floor?

Question

With sonar what happens to sound pulses from a ship after they hit the ocen floor?

Answer 1

They are reflected back towards the ship, much as an echo is reflected back towards the person shouting "hellooooo"

However, a great many of them are absorbed or muffled, especially if the floor is very soft and muddy.

If the floor is hard and rocky the sonar echos back much more efficiently.

The same thing as being in a canyon in the mountains, a rocky dry canyon will echo a lot better than a heavily forested one.

Answer 2

Sound travel quite well and fast in water due to its density.  The quality of the echo is evaluated by advanced software.    Sonar electronics catalog thousands of sounds.