Abstract:
In March of 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted geophysical surveys offshore of Petit Bois Island, Mississippi, and Dauphin Island, Alabama. These efforts were part of the U.S. Geological Survey Gulf of Mexico Science Coordination partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to assist the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) and the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Ecosystem Change and Hazards Susceptibility Project by mapping the shallow geologic stratigraphic framework of the Mississippi Barrier Island Complex.
Purpose:
These geophysical surveys will provide the data necessary for scientists to define, interpret, and provide baseline bathymetry and seafloor habitat for this area and to aid scientists in predicting future geomorphological changes of the islands with respect to climate change, storm impact, and sea level rise. Furthermore, these data will provide information for barrier island restoration, particularly in Camille Cut, and protection for the historical Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island, Mississippi. The dataset herein is a complete side scan sonar backscatter image for the study area offshore of the above-mentioned area. For more information refer to;
http://ngom.usgs.gov/gomsc/mscip/index.html.
The U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center assigns a unique identifier to each cruise or field activity. For example, 10CCT02 tells us the data were collected in 2010 (10) for the Coastal Change and Transport (CCT) study and the data were collected during the second (02) field activity for that project in that calendar year. Refer to <
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/programs/html/definition/activity.html> for a detailed description of the method used to assign the field activity ID.Data were collected using the research vessel R/V Tommy Munro. Side scan sonar and interferometric swath bathymetry data were collected simultaneously along the tracklines. The side scan sonar towfish was flown off the port quarter astern of the vessel. The interferometric swath transducer was pole-mounted off the starboard quarter of the research vessel. Navigation was acquired with a Coda Octopus F190 Precision Attitude and Positioning System and differentially corrected with OmniSTAR GPS constellation. See the digital FACS equipment log for details about the acquisition equipment used. Both raw datasets were stored digitally and processed using SEA Ltd. Swath Processor version 3.07 and CARIS HIPS and SIPS software version 7.0 in the USGS St. Petersburg office. For more information on processing, refer to the Equipment and Processing page. Chirp seismic reflectivity data were also collected during this survey and are archived separately.
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Metadata Identifier
Theme_Keyword: USGS:1742ae88-5fa1-4ad7-a709-ca7cebf24a76
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: General
Theme_Keyword: U.S. Geological Survey
Theme_Keyword: USGS
Theme_Keyword: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Theme_Keyword: SPCMSC
Theme_Keyword: Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Theme_Keyword: CMGP
Theme_Keyword: swath
Theme_Keyword: sonar
Theme_Keyword: interferometric
Theme_Keyword: acoustic
Theme_Keyword: sidescan
Theme_Keyword: backscatter
Theme_Keyword: depth
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: geoscientific information
Theme_Keyword: oceans
Theme_Keyword: oceans and coastal
Theme_Keyword: imageryBaseMapsEarthCover
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: Data Categories for Marine Planning
Theme_Keyword: distributions
Theme_Keyword: physical habitats and geomorphology
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: Marine Realms Information Bank (MRIB) Keywords
Theme_Keyword: seabed
Theme_Keyword: sidescan sonar
Theme_Keyword: marine geophysics
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: sidescan sonar
Theme_Keyword: image mosaics
Theme_Keyword: marine geophysics
Theme_Keyword: sea-floor characteristics
Theme_Keyword: sea-floor acoustic reflectivity
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Geographic Names Information System
Place_Keyword: Mississippi
Place_Keyword: Alabama
Place_Keyword: Petit Bois Pass
Place_Keyword: Gulf Islands National Seashore
Place_Keyword: Northern Gulf of Mexico
Place_Keyword: Dauphin Island
Place_Keyword: Petit Bois Island
Place_Keyword: United States of America (USA)
Stratum:
Stratum_Keyword_Thesaurus: General
Stratum_Keyword: seafloor
Stratum_Keyword: sediment
Stratum_Keyword: barrier island
Stratum_Keyword: geology
Temporal:
Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Temporal_Keyword: March
Temporal_Keyword: 2010
Public domain; please reference the U.S. Geological Survey as the originator of this dataset in any future products or research derived from these data series. Not for navigational purposes.
