The objectives of this cruise were to map the sea floor and shallow stratigraphy along the offshore side of the Chandeleur Islands off the eastern side of the Mississippi delta. This survey was done in collaboration with the USGS (St. Petersburg) and the Univ. of New Orleans who conducted geophysical surveys closer to shore than could be reached aboard the ACADIANA and along the back of the Chandeleur Islands. The reason for the mapping was to assess the effect of Hurricane Katrina on the sea floor surrounding these islands.
Location
Chandeleur Islands, Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana, United States, Gulf of Mexico, North America, North Atlantic;
Summary
The Chandeleur Islands were severely damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the goal of this cruise was to map the inner shelf offshore of the northern part of the island chain to assess the impact of these hurricanes on the inner shelf. The survey covered an area approximately 5 km wide by 46 km long that started in water depths as shallow as 4.5 m and ended in water depths reaching 16 m. A series of shore parallel lines spaced approximately 150 m apart were complimented with a set of on/offshore lines spaced about 1 km apart. Sidescan sonar imagery, interferometric bathymetry and Chirp sub-bottom profiles were collected along all survey lines. The shore-parallel lines were spaced to provide continuous sidescan sonar coverage, and about 50% bathymetric coverage. All data were logged digitally and were archived to DVD-ROM prior to the end of the cruise. Geophysical and navigation data were collected along 1877 km of survey lines.
Info derived
Sea floor map; Bathymetric maps; Morphology;
Comments
Original Center People field contained: Charles Worley - electronics technician; Emile Bergeron - electronics technician; Wayne Baldwin - scientist, data archivist; Dave Twichell - chief scientist.
Project = Chandeleur Island Mapping, Chandeleur Island Mapping
