A better understanding of sediment dynamics in coastal areas can be attained by mapping the surface sediment distribution and subsurface stratigraphy of the lower shoreface and inner-continental shelf. In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began a program to produce geologic maps of the sea floor throughout the New York Bight Apex using high-resolution sidescan-sonar, subbottom profiling, and sediment sampling techniques. The goals of the investigation are to investigate the role that inner-shelf morphology and geologic framework play in the evolution of the coastal region.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is producing detailed geologic maps of the coastal sea floor. Imagery, originally collected by NOAA for charting purposes, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of Long Island Sound, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides information on sediment transport and benthic habitat. Interpretive data layers were derived from the multibeam echo-sounder data and sidescan-sonar data collected north of Orient Point, New York. During April 2010, bottom photographs and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a USGS ground-truth reconnaissance survey. For more information on the ground-truth survey see http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2010/10010/.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is producing detailed geologic maps of the coastal sea floor. Imagery, originally collected by NOAA for charting purposes, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of Long Island Sound, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides information on sediment transport and benthic habitat. Interpretive data layers were derived from the multibeam echo-sounder data and sidescan-sonar data collected north of Orient Point, New York. During April 2010, bottom photographs and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a USGS ground-truth reconnaissance survey. For more information on the ground-truth survey see http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2010/10010/.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is producing detailed geologic maps of the coastal sea floor. Bathymetry and sidescan-sonar imagery, originally collected by NOAA for charting purposes, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities in Long Island Sound, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides information on sediment transport and benthic habitat. During October 2008 NOAA completed hydrographic survey H11251 offshore of Rocky Point, New York and during November 2009, bottom photographs and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconnaissance survey of this area. Interpretive data layers were derived from the multibeam echo-sounder and sidescan-sonar data and the ground-truth data used to verify them. For more information on the ground-truth survey see http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2009/09059/

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is producing detailed geologic maps of the coastal sea floor. Bathymetry and sidescan-sonar imagery, originally collected by NOAA for charting purposes, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities in Long Island Sound, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides information on sediment transport and benthic habitat. During October 2008 NOAA completed hydrographic survey H11251 offshore of Rocky Point, New York and during November 2009, bottom photographs and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconnaissance survey of this area. Interpretive data layers were derived from the multibeam echo-sounder and sidescan-sonar data and the ground-truth data used to verify them. For more information on the ground-truth survey see http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2009/09059/

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is producing detailed geologic maps of the coastal sea floor. Imagery, originally collected by NOAA for charting purposes, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of Long Island Sound, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides information on sediment transport and benthic habitat. Interpretive data layers were derived from the multibeam echo-sounder data and sidescan-sonar data collected north of Plum Island, New York. During November 2009, bottom photographs and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconnaissance survey. For more information on the ground-truth survey see https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fa=2009-059-FA.

Sediment grab samples were collected from one onshore location and 32 undisturbed locations along the seafloor around Seven Mile Island, New Jersey (NJ) and Rockaway Peninsula, New York (NY). The sediment grab samples were collected in May and June of 2021 at locations within the area where multibeam bathymetry surveys were also conducted during the same trip. All sediment samples were analyzed using a laser diffraction Coulter LS13 320 particle-size analyzer to measure the grain size distribution of the sediments. All the samples within the dataset are referred to by field activity numbers (FANs) 2021-318-FA and 2021-319-FA and are part of the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF) research project which collects geophysical, remote sensing and sediment data to inform models for improving prediction of coastal systems’ response to extreme weather and sea-level rise. For further information regarding data collection and/or processing methods for this data release, refer to Wei and Miselis (2022).

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is producing detailed geologic maps of the coastal sea floor. Imagery, originally collected by NOAA for charting purposes, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of Long Island Sound, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides information on sediment transport and benthic habitat. Interpretive data layers were derived from the multibeam echo-sounder data and sidescan-sonar data collected north of Plum Island, New York. During November 2009, bottom photographs and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconnaissance survey. For more information on the ground-truth survey see https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fa=2009-059-FA.