BSYC1M.TIF - Big Sycamore Reserve sidescan sonar backscatter image in the Nearshore Benthic Habitat Mapping Project S. California map series. (UTM 11N, NAD83)

The sidescan sonar image of the nearshore seafloor (0 to 100 m water depths) of the Big Sycamore reserve area was mosaicked from data collected in 1998. A Klein 2000 sidescan system was used for geophysical surveying. A Triton Elics Isis brand side-scan data recording system was used on the cruise. The 1998 survey was navigated with a Leica Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) which provided a ship position with accuracy of 1-5 m in DGPS mode. At times during the cruise differential signal was interrupted. In non-differential mode, the receiver provided a position with 30-50 m accuracy. A KVH Industries Inc. azimuth digital gyro-compass provided ship headings with 0.5 degree accuracy. Navigation data were recorded using Yo-Nav version 1.19 (Gann, 1992). The sidescan fish was towed approximately 30 m above the seafloor. The distance of the fish behind the ship was not known during this survey and must be estimated when the data are processed in order to produce the sidescan image mosaics. The resolution of the processed data mosaics is 0.2 m. The data are presented here at a resolution of 1 m. This is one of a collection of digital files of a geographic information system of spatially referenced data related to the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program Nearshore Benthic Habitat Mapping Project. See <http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/nearshorehab> for more information.