| Abstract: |
A suite of acoustic technologies are used in a typical seafloor mapping survey. Swath bathymetric sonar yields high-resolution depth data; sidescan-sonar provides acoustic backscatter data that when used in conjunction with sample data can infer surficial seafloor character; and subbottom seismic data reveals information about layers of substrate underlying the seafloor. The combination of the acoustic sonar datasets with sediment samples, seafloor photographs and video, enable the creation of interpretative layers that identify geology, geomorphology, unique benthic environments, and natural and anthropogenic seabed features. The data and interpretations from each project survey area are released as USGS Open-File Reports. The reports include poster-sized PDFs illustrating the data from each sonar system as well as the distribution of sample data at a regional scale; detailed descriptions of the project and survey information; regional geologic interpretations based on the new datasets; and ESRI-style GIS layers including trackline and sample point feature classes, bathymetry grids and geoTIFFs of backscatter imagery. The ArcMap project provided also enables users to interactively explorer the datasets including the digital seafloor photographs via the hyperlinked point feature class overlain on the bathymetry and backscatter maps. |