Abstract:
This CD-ROM contains digital high resolution sidescan-sonar data collected during USGS cruise ALPH98013 aboard the F/V Alpha & Omega II. The coverage lies within the New York Bight Apex, offshore the Long Island and New Jersey coasts. This CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) has been produced in accordance with the ISO 9660 CD-ROM Standard and is therefore capable of being read on any computing platform that has appropriate CD-ROM driver software installed. Access to the data and information contained on this CD-ROM was developed using the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) utilized by the World Wide Web (WWW) project. Development of the CD-ROM documentation and user interface in HTML allows a user to access the information by using a variety of WWW information browsers (i.e. NCSA Mosaic, Netscape) to facilitate browsing and locating information and data. To access the information contained on this disk with a WWW client browser, open the file 'index.htm' at the top level directory of this CD-ROM with your selected browser. The HTML documentation is written utilizing some HTML 3.0 enhancements. The disk should be viewable by all WWW browsers but may not properly format on some older WWW browsers. Also, some links to USGS collaborators are available on this CD-ROM. These links are only accessible if access to the Internet is available during browsing of the CD-ROM. The archived sidescan-sonar data may be downloaded and processed. Software is available on this CD-ROM for viewing the individual swaths using computer systems running the UNIX operating system.
Purpose:
In 1995, the USGS, in cooperation with the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), New York District, began a program to generate reconnaissance maps of the sea floor offshore of the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, one of the most populated coastal regions of the United States. The goal of this mapping program is to provide a regional synthesis of the sea-floor environment, including a description of sedimentary environments, sediment texture, sea-floor morphology, and geologic history to aid in understanding the impacts of anthropogenic activities, such as ocean dumping. This mapping effort differs from previous studies of this area by obtaining digital sidescan-sonar images that cover 100 percent of the sea floor.
This investigation was motivated by the need to develop an environmentally acceptable solution for the disposal of dredged material from the New York - New Jersey Port, by the need to identify potential sources of sand for renourishment of the southern shore of Long Island, and by the opportunity to develop a better understanding of the transport and long-term fate of contaminants by investigations of the present distribution of materials discharged into the New York Bight over the last 100+ years.
Sidescan-sonar data collected in May 1995 and May 1996 (USGS Cruises Seax95007 and Seax96004, respectively) were digitally mosaicked to provide a base suitable for use in Geographic Information Systems of the New York Bight Apex region (Schwab, W.C., Corso, W., Allison, M.A., Butman, B., Denny, J.F., Lotto, L., Danforth, W.W., Foster, D.S., O'Brien, T.F., Nichols, D.A., Irwin, B.J., and Parolski, K.F., 1997, Mapping the Sea Floor Geology Offshore of the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area Using Sidescan-Sonar: Preliminary Report:U.S. Geological Survey Open-File REport 97-61, 3 Sheets). The data collected during USGS Cruise ALPH98013 augment the New York Bight Apex Mapping Project by extending the sidescan-sonar and seismic reflection coverage to the east in an ~ 23 km x ~32 km area. These data will be instrumental in developing a more comprehensive understanding of the inner shelf geology within the New York Bight Apex.
Supplemental_Information:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Metadata Identifier
Theme_Keyword: USGS:cb824469-57ef-47b9-ba00-69b56b57c01b
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: Digital sidescan-sonar
Theme_Keyword: Raw sidescan-sonar data
Theme_Keyword: ISIS data collection system
Theme_Keyword: 40 centimeters / pixel
Theme_Keyword: high resolution
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: sidescan sonar
Theme_Keyword: sea-floor acoustic reflectivity
Theme_Keyword: sea-floor characteristics
Theme_Keyword: marine geophysics
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: geoscientificInformation
Theme_Keyword: imageryBaseMapsEarthCover
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: Atlantic Ocean
Place_Keyword: New York Bight Apex
Place_Keyword: Long Island
Place_Keyword: New Jersey
Place_Keyword: USGS
Place_Keyword: Woods Hole Field Center (WHFC)
Place_Keyword: Eastern Regional Center
Temporal:
Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Temporal_Keyword: 1998
None. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Field Center asks to be credited in derived products.
