This dataset contains multibeam bathymetry, uncertainty, and backscatter GeoTIFFs with 1x1 meter cell size represent water depth and acoustic intensity of the seafloor from the Phase III Long Island Sound Benthic Habitat Priority Areas of Interest in the Long Island Sound. These datasets were surveyed by NOAA Ship Nancy Foster R-352 in 2015 using 400 khz Reson 7125 multibeam sonars in coordination with the NOAA Biogeography Branch and the Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping Branch. The multibeam was corrected, calibrated, and integrated into a seamless 32-bit raster using CARIS and ArcGIS. Backscatter data was collected and mosaicked into a raster using Fledermaus Geocoder Toolbox, ArcGIS 10.4, and PCI Geomatica 2016 software at the Biogeography Branch by NOAA contractors.

This dataset contains an integrated GeoTIFF with 1x1 meter cell size representing the 2014 Long Island Sound Benthic Habitat Priority Area of Interest between Bridgeport, CT, and Port Jefferson, NY. This integrated bathymetric raster is a mosaic of surveys from NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson (S-222) and its two inshore launch vessels, NOAA Ship Rude (S-590), as well as surveys conducted by the Stony Brook University R/V Pritchard in coordination with the NOAA Biogeography Branch and the Office of Coastal Services between in the year 2012. Bathymetry data was collected using multibeam sonars and integrated into a seamless 32 bit raster using ArcGIS 10.1 raster calculator by the Biogeography Branch by a NOAA contractor.

These metadata describe acoustic backscatter data collected during a 2008 SWATHPlus-M survey offshore Tijuana River Estuary, California. Data were collected and processed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) with fieldwork activity number S-5-08-SC. The acoustic backscatter data are provided as a GeoTIFF image.

The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) conducted the eleventh year of an ongoing scientific research mission onboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster funded by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. The purpose of the cruise was to collect swath bathymetry, acoustical backscatter, ROV optical validation, fishery acoustics, and Slocum Glider deployment in the Red Hind and Mutton Snapper Marine Conservation Districts of St. Croix, USVI.

Many scientific questions and policy issues related to sediments in Long Island Sound require data of historical, regional and interdisciplinary scope. Existent data is often geographically clustered and its references are widely dispersed and not always accessible. Acquisition of new data is expensive and may duplicate previous efforts if a full interpretation of existent data has not occurred. Consequently, the body of existing data needs to be utilized to its maximum so that it can serve as a foundation, baseline, and starting point for further work. An accessible, documented, and simple-to-use compilation of existing data on sediment properties is essential for environmental managers, policy-makers, scientific researchers, and interested members of the public. To this end, we have compiled, edited, and integrated all of the available data on sediment texture and bottom descriptions throughout the Sound in order to produce a regional dataset which will be available to a wide variety of current and potential users. The significant feature of this textural dataset is that it comprehensively contains original data from many heterogeneous sources.

This portion of the data release presents acoustic backscatter data from the San Miguel Passage, in the Channel Islands, California. The data were collected in August 2007 by the U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS, PCMSC) using a 234.5 kHz SEA (AP) Ltd. SWATHplus-M phase-differencing sidescan sonar mounted on the NOAA, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary R/V Shearwater as part of the research cruise S-2-07-SC. Data were collected in water depths up to 89 meters. The San Miguel Passage is within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and is the body of water between the two western-most islands of the chain - Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands. The data were processed at the USGS, PCMSC to create a 2-meter resolution TIFF raster, presented here.

Many scientific questions and policy issues related to sediments in Long Island Sound require data of historical, regional and interdisciplinary scope. Existent data is often geographically clustered and its references are widely dispersed and not always accessible. Acquisition of new data is expensive and may duplicate previous efforts if a full interpretation of existent data has not occurred. Consequently, the body of existing data needs to be utilized to its maximum so that it can serve as a foundation, baseline, and starting point for further work. An accessible, documented, and simple-to-use compilation of existing data on sediment properties is essential for environmental managers, policy-makers, scientific researchers, and interested members of the public. To this end, we have compiled, edited, and integrated all of the available data on sediment texture and bottom descriptions throughout the Sound in order to produce a regional dataset which will be available to a wide variety of current and potential users. The significant feature of this textural dataset is that it comprehensively contains original data from many heterogeneous sources.

These metadata describe the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) merged acoustic-backscatter imagery that was collected in 2005, 2007, and 2010 in Skagit Bay Washington that is provided as a 5-m resolution TIFF image. In 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2010 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) collected bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data in Skagit Bay, Washington using an interferometric bathymetric sidescan sonar system mounded to the USGS R/V Parke Snavely and the USGS R/V Karluk. The research was conducted in coordination with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Skagit River System Cooperative, Skagit Watershed Council, Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to characterize estuarine habitats and processes, including the sediment budget of the Skagit River and the influence of river-delta channelization on sediment transport. Information quantifying the distribution of habitats and extent that sediment transport influences habitats and the morphology of the delta is useful for planning for salmon recovery, agricultural resilience, flood risk protection, and coastal change associated with sea-level rise.

This part of the USGS data release presents acoustic backscatter data for the Columbia River Mouth, Oregon and Washington. The acoustic backscatter data of the Columbia River Mouth, Oregon and Washington were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Mapping was completed in 2013, using a 234-kHz SEA SWATHPlus interferometric system. These data are not intended for navigational purposes.