U.S. Geological Survey
2017
GeoTIFF image of the backscatter intensity of the sea floor of the Hudson Shelf Valley (12-m resolution, Mercator, WGS 84)
1.0
remote-sensing image
data release
DOI:10.5066/F7C53J1Z
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA
U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program
https://doi.org/10.5066/F7C53J1Z
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c
Bradford Butman
William W. Danforth
John E. Hughes Clarke
Richard P. Signell
2017
Bathymetry and backscatter intensity of the sea floor of the Hudson Shelf Valley
1.0
data release
DOI:10.5066/F7C53J1Z
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
Suggested citation: Butman, Bradford, Danforth, W.W., Clarke, J.E.H., and Signell, R.P., 2017, Bathymetry and backscatter intensity of the sea floor of the Hudson Shelf Valley: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7C53J1Z.
https://doi.org/10.5066/F7C53J1Z
The Hudson Shelf Valley is the submerged seaward extension of the ancestral Hudson River drainage system and is the largest physiographic feature on the Middle Atlantic continental shelf. The valley begins offshore of New York and New Jersey at about 30-meter (m) water depth, runs southerly and then southeasterly across the Continental Shelf, and terminates on the outer shelf at about 85-m water depth landward of the head of the Hudson Canyon. Portions of the 150-kilometer-long valley were surveyed in 1996, 1998, and 2000 using a Simrad EM1000 multibeam echosounder mounted on the Canadian Coast Guard ship Frederick G. Creed. The purpose of the multibeam echosounder surveys was to map the bathymetry and backscatter intensity of the sea floor of the valley, providing a framework for geologic, oceanographic, and geochemical studies. The data from the three surveys are combined to produce grids of bathymetry and backscatter intensity at 12-m resolution that cover the entire valley and the head of the Hudson Canyon. The mapping was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with support from the Canadian Hydrographic Service and the University of New Brunswick.
The GeoTIFF image of backscatter intensity provides qualitative information on the sediment texture and roughness of the sea floor. Backscatter intensity, a measure of the strength of the acoustic return from the sea floor, is a function of the properties of the surficial sediments and of the bottom roughness. Generally high backscatter intensity (strong return), shown as light gray tones, is associated with rock or coarse-grained sediment, and low backscatter intensity (weak return), shown as dark gray tones, with fine-grained sediments. The image merges backscatter intensity data obtained in 1996, 1998, and 2000.
Butman and others (1998), Butman and others (2003), and Thieler and others (2007) (see cross references) present maps and interpretations of the multibeam data. In the image presented in Butman and others (2003), the value 255 included both no data and the maximum data value. In this image, the value 255 is no data. Other datasets from the survey of the Hudson Shelf Valley may be found in Butman and others (2017) (see larger work citation).
19961123
20000504
Ground condition. Surveys of different parts of the valley were carried out 19961123 to 19961201, 19981029 to 19981102, and 20000407 to 20000504.
None planned
-73.901667
-71.999938
40.433333
39.333341
USGS Metadata Identifier
USGS:589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c
none
backscatter intensity
GeoTIFF image
sea floor mapping
multibeam
Simrad EM1000
Canadian Coast Guard ship Frederick G. Creed
WHCMSC field activity 1996-043-FA
WHCMSC field activity 1998-015-FA
WHCMSC field activity 2000-015-FA
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC)
Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP)
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS)
University of New Brunswick (UNB)
USGS Open-File Report 03-372
ISO 19115 Topic Category
oceans
geoscientificInformation
imageryBaseMapsEarthCover
USGS Thesaurus
sea-floor acoustic reflectivity
image mosaics
multibeam sonar
marine geophysics
geospatial datasets
none
Hudson Shelf Valley
New York Bight
Middle Atlantic Bight
mid-Atlantic Bight
New York
New Jersey
Hudson Canyon
North Atlantic Ocean
none
sea floor
None
None
U.S. Geological Survey
Bradford Butman
mailing and physical address
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
USA
508-548-8700 x 2212
bbutman@usgs.gov
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c?name=hsv_backi12m_browsegraphic.jpg
Browse graphic of the backscatter intensity of the sea floor.
JPEG
Microsoft Windows Vista Version 6.1 (Build 7601) Service Pack 1; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.4095
Butman, Bradford
Middleton, T.J.
Thieler, E.R.
Schwab, W.C.
2003
Topography, shaded-relief and backscatter intensity of the Hudson Shelf Valley, Offshore of New York
Open-File Report
03-372
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/of03-372/
Thieler, E.R.
Butman, Bradford
Schwab, W.C.
Allison, M.A.
Driscoll, N.W.
Donnelly, J.P.
Uchupi, Elazar
2007
A catastrophic meltwater flood event and the formation of the Hudson Shelf Valley
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
246 (2007), 120-136; DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.10.030
Amsterdam
Elsevier Ltd.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.10.030
Butman, Bradford
Danforth, W.W.
Schwab, W.C.
ten Brink, M.B.
1998
Multibeam bathymetric and backscatter maps of the upper Hudson Shelf Valley and adjacent shelf, offshore of New York
Open-File Report
98-616
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1998/of98-616/
Butman, Bradford
Danforth, W.W.
Knowles, S.C.
May, Brian
Serrett, Laurie
2002
Sea floor topography and backscatter intensity of the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS), offshore of New York, based on multibeam surveys conducted in 1996, 1998, and 2000
Open-File Report
00-503
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2000/of00-503/
Butman, Bradford
Twichell, D.C.
Rona, P.A.
Tucholke, B.E.
Middleton, T.J.
Robb, J.R.
2006
Sea floor topography and backscatter intensity of the Hudson Canyon region offshore of New York and New Jersey
Open-File Report
2004-1441
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1441/
Clarke, J.H.
1998
SwathEd
New Brunswick, Canada
Ocean Mapping Group, University of New Brunswick
http://www.omg.unb.ca/~jhc/SwathEd.html
Butman, Bradford
Danforth, W.W.
Clarke, J.E.H.
Signell, R.P.
2017
Bathymetry and backscatter intensity of the sea floor of the Historic Area Remediation Site in 1996, 1998, and 2000
1.0
data release
DOI:10.5066/F74B2ZGX
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
This publication contains edition 2.0 of the bathymetry and derivative datasets that were originally released as part of Open-File Report 00-503. Edition 2.0 was created using revised processing software to correct a projection error in edition 1.0. The stretch for the images in edition 2.0 was also changed so that 255 is no data.
https://doi.org/10.5066/F74B2ZGX
All data were processed in the same manner. Some features in the multibeam backscatter intensity data are artifacts of data collection and environmental conditions. They include unnatural-looking features and patterns oriented parallel or perpendicular to survey tracklines. The orientation of the tracklines is sometimes identified by the faint parallel stripes in the image.
This image represents backscatter intensity data collected with a Simrad EM 1000 multibeam echosounder on Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center field activities 1996-043-FA, 1998-015-FA, and 2000-015-FA that have been merged together. There are a few data gaps in the image due to incomplete coverage by the multibeam system. Other datasets from the survey of the Hudson Shelf Valley may be found in Butman and others (2017) (see larger work citation).
These data were navigated with a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) which is typically accurate to +/- 3 meters, horizontally. Repeated surveys of the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS) (Butman and others, 2017), made on the same cruises and using the same instrumentation as the surveys of the Hudson Shelf Valley, were used to qualitatively assess the horizontal accuracy of the 1996, 1998, and 2000 surveys. The difference in location of sea floor features in the HARS identified in the 1996 and 1998 surveys were typically 5 m or less, as expected when navigating with DGPS. The difference in location of same features in the 1998 and 2000 survey were typically 10-20 m and in the along-track direction of the survey. This analysis suggests that the data collected in 1996 and 1998 surveys of the Hudson Shelf Valley are accurate to +/- 3 m horizontally, and the data collected in the 2000 survey accurate to 10-20 m horizontally.
Canadian Hydrographic Service
William W. Danforth
John E. Hughes Clarke
Unpublished Material
raw multibeam data
disc
19961123
20000504
Ground condition. Surveys of different parts of the valley were carried out 19961123 to 19961201, 19981029 to 19981102, and 20000407 to 20000504.
none
The multibeam data were collected with a Simrad EM1000 multibeam echosounder mounted on the starboard pontoon of the Canadian Coast Guard ship Frederick G. Creed. The multibeam system utilizes 60 electronically-aimed receive beams spaced at intervals of 2.5 degrees that insonify a strip of sea floor up to 7.5 times the water depth. The horizontal resolution of the beam on the sea floor is approximately 10 % of the water depth. Vertical resolution is approximately 1 % of the water depth. Data were collected along tracklines spaced 5-7 times the water depth apart at a speed of 10-14 knots. The valley was surveyed with lines running approximately parallel to the valley axis; in some areas the lines were run in a Zamboni pattern for efficiency. The piecemeal survey pattern was a result of the limited endurance of the Creed, about 2 days, and weather. The frequency of the sonar is 95 kHz. Sound velocity profiles, used to correct for refraction, were obtained when arriving at the start of each portion of the survey and then twice each day. Navigation was by means of differential GPS. Operation of the Simrad EM1000 was carried out by hydrographers of the Canadian Hydrographic Service. The data were collected on Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center field activities 1996-043-FA (https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fa=1996-043-FA), 1998-015-FA (https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fa=1998-015-FA), and 2000-015-FA (https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fa=1998-015-FA).
A suite of processing software (called SwathEd) (Clarke, 1998; see cross reference), developed by the Ocean Mapping Group at the University of New Brunswick, Canada, was used to process the multibeam backscatter intensity data and produce images. The following processing steps produced the combined grayscale image of backscatter intensity for the 1996, 1998, and 2000 Hudson Shelf Valley datasets:
1. Create a blank 8-bit map file:
Command line: make_blank mosaic_file
This command commences a dialog to enable an 8-bit image and input the map boundaries and resolution (12 meters in this case). The program also prompts for the projection type and parameters to be used creating the binary map file (custom Mercator, central longitude of -75 degrees, latitude of true scale 40 degrees north). Then the "blank" file is copied to two files required by the mosaic program:
Command line: cp mosaic_file.blank mosaic_file.mos
Command line: cp mosaic_file.blank mosaic_file.ran
2. Create backscatter files that can be then mosaicked from the backscatter time series:
Command line: getBeamPattern filename (prefix only)
Command line: makess -pixel 1.0 -beam_patt beampatt filename (prefix only) output.ss
Command line: glfill output.ss output.ss_fill (fills in data dropouts).
3. Mosaic all the backscatter files created in the last step (for each output.ss_fill).
Command line: mos2 -autoseam -maxazi 10 -maxdist 10 mosaic_file output.ss_fill
Note: Errors in the UNB gridding software were identified in 2003 and 2007. These data were processed with corrected software.
2009
U.S. Geological Survey
William W. Danforth
mailing and physical address
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543
USA
508-548-8700 x2274
bdanforth@usgs.gov
Use a two point linear contrast stretch (0-254; 255 is no data) to enhance the shaded-relief image.
(Note the value 255 in images presented in Butman and others (2003) included both no data and maximum data value. In this image, the value 255 is no data.)
Command line: stretchacres -low 180 -high 220 -in mosaic_file -out mosaic_file.stretch
Create a TIFF from the backscatter mosaic file using the netpbm utilities (http://netpbm.sourceforge.net/):
Command line: rawtopgm -headerskip 1024 image_width image_height mosaic_file.stretch | pnmtotiff -none - > mosaic_grayscale.tif
2016
U.S. Geological Survey
William W. Danforth
mailing and physical address
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543
USA
508-548-8700 x2274
bdanforth@usgs.gov
Create a TIFF world file (tfw) for the mosaic TIFF image for import to ArcGIS. Copy bounding box and resolution information from the jview program output to the tfw file using UNIX text editor vi.
Command line: jview mosaic_file.stretch
This file was created in 2007 for use with intermediate versions of the TIFF image and is unchanged for all versions.
2007
U.S. Geological Survey
William W. Danforth
mailing and physical address
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543
USA
508-548-8700 x2274
bdanforth@usgs.gov
Create GeoTIFF image using the Define Projection Tool in Data Management Tools, Projections and Transformations in ArcToolbox 9.3. Projection is custom Mercator, central meridian of -75.0 degrees, latitude of true scale 40.0 degrees north, false easting 0.0, false northing 0.0; Geographic Coordinate System WGS 1984.
2016
U.S. Geological Survey
Bradford Butman
mailing and physical address
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
USA
508-548-8700 x 2212
bbutman@usgs.gov
USGS Thesaurus keywords added to the keyword section.
20180720
U.S. Geological Survey
VeeAnn A. Cross
Marine Geologist
Mailing and Physical
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
508-548-8700 x2251
508-457-2310
vatnipp@usgs.gov
Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword.
20200810
U.S. Geological Survey
VeeAnn A. Cross
Marine Geologist
Mailing and Physical
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
508-548-8700 x2251
508-457-2310
vatnipp@usgs.gov
Raster
Pixel
10161
13533
1
Mercator
40.000000
-75.000000
0.000000
0.000000
row and column
12.000000
12.000000
meters
D_WGS_1984
WGS_1984
6378137.000000
298.257224
Backscatter intensity, the intensity of the acoustic return from the sea floor, is a function of the properties of the surficial sediments and of the bottom roughness. Generally high backscatter intensity (strong return), shown as light gray tones, is associated with rock or coarse-grained sediment, and low backscatter intensity (weak return), shown as dark gray tones, with fine-grained sediments. However, the micro-topography, such as ripples, burrows, and benthic populations also affect the reflectivity of the sea floor. Direct observations, using bottom photography or video, and surface samples, are needed to verify interpretations of the backscatter intensity data. The backscatter data have a weak striping that runs parallel to the ship tracklines. Some of the striping is the result of poor data return at nadir that appears as evenly-spaced thin speckled lines. Some striping is also due to critical angle effects, where the intensity of return varies as a function of the angle of incidence of the incoming sound on the seafloor. Backscatter intensity is shown as an 8-bit (0-255) grayscale image; 255 is no data.
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
mailing and physical address
Denver Federal Center
Building 810
Mail Stop 302
Denver
CO
80225
1-888-275-8747
sciencebase@usgs.gov
hsv_backi12m.zip: contains hsv_backi12m.tif, hsv_backi12m.tfw, hsv_backi12m_browsegraphic.jpg, and CSDGM FGDC-compliant metadata in XML, HTML, and TXT formats.
Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the U.S. Geological Survey, nor the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
GeoTIFF
ArcGIS 9.3
GeoTIFF image
GeoTIFF image of backscatter intensity at 12-m resolution and associated metadata from multibeam surveys of the Hudson Shelf Valley compressed in a zip file.
zip
8.7
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c?name=hsv_backi12m.zip
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c
https://doi.org/10.5066/F7C53J1Z
The network resources offer the options of downloading all the files, individual files, or accessing the landing page of the data.
ArcGIS REST service
Backscatter data combined from 1996, 1998, and 2000 multibeam survey years in the Hudson Shelf Valley area offshore of New York and New Jersey.
https://www.sciencebase.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Catalog/589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c/MapServer
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c
WMS service
Backscatter data combined from 1996, 1998, and 2000 multibeam survey years in the Hudson Shelf Valley area offshore of New York and New Jersey.
https://www.sciencebase.gov/arcgis/services/Catalog/589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/589a1ffee4b0efcedb71a59c
none
The GeoTIFF image of backscatter intensity is compressed into a zip file (hsv_backsc12m.zip). To use these data, the user must have software capable of uncompressing the zip file and ArcGIS or another GIS application package capable of viewing the data.
20200810
U.S. Geological Survey
Bradford Butman
mailing and physical address
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
USA
508-548-8700 x2212
bbutman@usgs.gov
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
FGDC-STD-001-1998
local time