| Description |
The overall goal of this cooperative project with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is to determine the nearshore geologic framework of the region and characterize the seafloor. The geologic mapping builds on long-term USGS studies of Massachusetts Bay and Boston Harbor (Butman and others, 2004) that enhance our ability to 1) predict coastal change due to erosion, storms, and sea-level rise; 2) assess sand and gravel resources on the inner shelf, and 3) develop geospatial information relevant to habitat identification. The comprehensive mapping approach used in this study supports efforts by the State to manage ocean resources and provides a procedural model for other states who wish to address similar resource-management needs. The need for seabed maps is driven by ongoing management concerns about declining fisheries, coastal erosion, and the impacts of offshore construction projects. Maps depicting sediment type, distribution, and thickness support new ecosystem-based approaches to managing ocean resources. The maps show the distribution of bottom types and water depths over large areas of the seafloor. In turn, these two fundamental parameters largely determine the species of flora and fauna that inhabit a particular area. Accurate depictions of surficial geology and associated biota on the seafloor are important for protecting essential fish habitat, delineating marine reserves, and assessing changes in habitat due to natural or human impacts. |
| Keywords |
Massachusetts, Boston Harbor, South Essex Ocean Sanctuary, Southern Merrimack Embayment, Cape Cod Bay, Coastal Zone Management, CZM, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, high-resolution seismic reflection, multibeam sonar, interferometric sonar, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, seafloor mapping, seafloor photographs, seafloor samples, seafloor video, sidescan sonar, bathymetry, sea level, habitat, geologic framework, Maine, Penobscot Bay, Penobscot River, pockmark, dam removal, University of Maine, Offshore Wind Energy |
