Multibeam and acoustic backscatter data collected from NOAA Ship Nancy Foster from 2023-05-01 to 2023-05-10. The majority of these data were collected using a Kongsberg EM2040. Bathymetry grids were created using Qimera, and corrected to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). Backscatter mosaics were created using Fledermaus Geocoder Toolbox (FMGT). Data were acquired and processed to meet IHO Order 1 specifications. Survey depths vary from 33m to 58m. Processed data are available at 2m resolution. During the field mission, a Mohawk 18 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), operated by the University of North Carolina Undersea Vehicles Program collected HD photo and ground validation video. Video data is not included with this dataset. HD photos and video data are not included with this dataset.

Multibeam and acoustic backscatter data collected from NOAA Ship Nancy Foster from 2018-06-29 to 2018-07-06. The majority of data were collected using a Kongsberg EM710, with the most northern inshore portion collected using a Kongsberg EM2040. Bathymetry grids were created using CARIS HIPS and SIPS software, and corrected to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). Backscatter mosaics were created using FMGT. Data were acquired and processed to meet IHO Order 1 specifications. Survey depths vary from 10m to over 1300m. EM710 data are available in an 8m resolution, and EM2040 data are available at 2m resolution. During the field mission, a Mohawk 18 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), operated by the University of North Carolina Undersea Vehicles Program collected HD photo and ground validation video. Photo and video data are not included with this dataset.

Multibeam and acoustic backscatter data collected from NOAA Ship Nancy Foster from 2022-03-14 to 2022-03-31. The majority of these data were collected using a Kongsberg EM710, with the most inshore portion collected using a Kongsberg EM2040. Bathymetry grids were created using Qimera, and corrected to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). Backscatter mosaics were created using Fledermaus Geocoder Toolbox (FMGT). Data were acquired and processed to meet IHO Order 1 specifications. Survey depths vary from 10m to over 1800m. EM710 data are available at 8m, 16m and 32m resolution. EM2040 data are available at 2m resolution. During the field mission, a Mohawk 18 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), operated by the University of North Carolina Undersea Vehicles Program collected HD photo and ground validation video. Video and photo data are not included with this dataset.

Multibeam and acoustic backscatter data collected from NOAA Ship Nancy Foster from 2021-03-18 to 2021-04-10. Data was collected using a Kongsberg EM2040. Bathymetry grids were created using CARIS HIPS and SIPS software, and corrected to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). Backscatter mosaics were created using Fledermaus Geocoder Toolbox (FMGT). Data were acquired and processed to meet IHO Order 1 specifications. Survey depths vary from 40m to 190m. Data are available in one and two meter resolutions. During the field mission, a Mohawk 18 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), operated by the University of North Carolina Undersea Vehicles Program collected HD photo and ground validation video. Video data is not included with this dataset.

NOAA's NOS/NCCOS/CCMA Biogeography Team, in collaboration with NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, federal, academic, and private sector partners conducted the 2016 Seafloor Mapping of the US Caribbean project. Several areas of interest were explored and surveyed during the field mission in the eastern Puerto Rico region. H12935 was conducted on along the southeastern Puerto Rican shelf edge using a deep water Em 710 multibeam echo sounder (mbes) at 100khz. H12936 was conducted north of the Isla de Culebra over the broad moderately shallow insular shelf using a 400 khz Reson 7125 mbes. A third opportunistic survey was conducted along the edge of the USVI insular shelf south of St. Thomas to conjoin previous NOAA Ship Nancy Foster mission surveys. During the field mission, a Remotely Operated Vehicle owned by the University of North Carolina collected HD photo and video ground validation video. Data was processed by a NOAA contractor using CARIS HIPS software. Data has all correctors applied (attitude, sound velocity) and has been reduced to mean lower low water (MLLW) using final approved tides from NOAA COOPS. Data is spatially referenced in UTM Zone 20 North, Datum WGS84. The project was conducted to meet IHO order 1 and 2 accuracy standards, dependent on the project area and depth. All users should individually evaluate the suitability of this data according to their own needs and standards.

The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) completed the fifth year of an ongoing scientific research mission on board NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER. The objective of this project was to collect a multibeam bathymetry dataset with 100% seafloor ensonification, along with multibeam backscatter suitable for seafloor characterization in high priority conservation areas within Puerto Rico. Scientists collected high-resolution multibeam in mid-water depths from approximately 10 to 500 meters.

The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) conducted the third year of an ongoing scientific research mission on board NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER. The purpose of this cruise is to support the benthic characterization of coral reef habitat in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The mission explored, surveyed, and mapped moderate depth bathymetry (30 – 1000 meters) with NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER’s Simrad EM1002 multibeam system for natural resource management and seafloor characterization. Multibeam bathymetry and backscatter was collected along with Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) underwater video. Priority areas for 2006 included the deep water portion of the Buck Island Reef National Monument north of St. Croix and the La Parguera region along the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico. Additional multibeam data was collected to merge with pre-existing shallow water bathymetry from previous CCMA cruises in the Buck Island vicinity.