The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) completed a bathymetric and shallow seismic-reflection survey during the period of June 9, 2021 to June 24, 2021 in water depths from 2 m to 30 m for a portion of the outer Cape Cod nearshore environment between Marconi and Nauset Beaches. The products from this survey will help to support white shark research on their shallow-water behavior in the dynamic nearshore environment at Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO). CACO visitors’ safety is threatened by interactions between the public and white sharks. This project provides CACO with baseline data and information on nearshore white shark habitat, specifically in the nearshore shoreface, bathymetric trough, and longshore bar. This data release provides the geophysical data collected from outer Cape Cod during USGS Field Activities 2021-002-FA in 2021.

As part of the Sea level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines project (SSIEES), scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a single-beam bathymetry survey within the estuarine, open bay and tidal creek environments of Grand Bay Alabama/Mississippi, in May-June 2015. The goal of the SSIEES project is to assess the physical controls of sediment and material exchange between wetlands and estuarine environments along the northern Gulf of Mexico, specifically Grand Bay AL/MS and Vermilion Bay, Louisiana, as well as along the east coast in Chincoteague Bay Virginia/Maryland. The data included in this data release will provide baseline bathymetric information for future research investigating wetland/marsh evolution, sediment transport, recent and long term geomorphic change, and will support modeling of future changes in response to restoration and storm impacts. The survey area encompasses more than 40 square kilometers (km2) of Grand Bay’s incorporated waters. This data release archives processed single-beam bathymetry data, collected from May 28-June 3, 2015 (USGS Field Activity Number [FAN] 2015-315-FA). Geographic information system (GIS) data products include: a 10 and 30-meter cell size interpolated bathymetry grid, trackline maps, and point data files. Additional files include error analysis maps, Field Activity Collection System (FACS) logs, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata.

These metadata describe bathymetry data collected during an October 2016 multibeam-echosounder survey of the northern portion of the Santa Barbara Channel, California. Data were collected and processed by the the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) with fieldwork activity number 2016-666-FA. The bathymetry data are provided as a GeoTIFF image.

Bathymetry data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in July 2008 in the northern Santa Barbara Channel in southern California. Data were collected aboard the R/V Parke Snavely, during USGS Field Activity S-9-08-SC, using a bathymetric sidescan system.

An Ellipsoidally Referenced Survey (ERS) using two Teledyne Reson SeaBat T50-P multibeam echosounders, in dual-head configuration, was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) in Grand Bay Alabama/Mississippi (AL/MS) October 22-23, 2018. This dataset, Grand_Bay_2018_MBB_xyz.zip, includes the processed point data (x,y,z), as derived from a 1-meter (m) bathymetric grid.

A reconnaissance multibeam bathymetry survey was conducted by the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) in Grand Bay Alabama/Mississippi on May 12, 2016 as an assessment of the shallow water capabilities of the Teledyne Reson SeaBat T50-P multibeam echosounder, and as an attempt to map the eroding marsh edges at locations of interest around the bay. This dataset, Grand_Bay_2016_MBB_Adjusted_xyz.zip, includes the resulting processed elevation point data (x,y,z), as derived from a half meter resolution surface.

A reconnaissance multibeam bathymetry survey was conducted by the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) in Grand Bay Alabama/Mississippi on May 12, 2016 as an assessment of the shallow water capabilities of the Teledyne Reson SeaBat T50-P multibeam echosounder, and as an attempt to map the eroding marsh edges at locations of interest around the bay. This dataset, Grand_Bay_2016_MBB_Tracklines.zip, includes the trackline vector file derived from the acquisition software at the time of survey.

An Ellipsoidally Referenced Survey (ERS) using two Teledyne Reson SeaBat T50-P multibeam echosounders, in dual-head configuration, was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) covering the nearshore, Gulf side of Breton Island, Louisiana (LA), from August 2-5, 2022. This dataset, Breton_2022_MBES_xyz.zip, includes the processed elevation point data (x,y,z), as derived from a 1-meter (m) bathymetric grid.

In August 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collected high-resolution geophysical data, sediment samples, and bottom imagery to determine the distribution of historical mine tailings on the floor of Lake Superior. Large amounts of waste material from copper mining, locally known as “stamp sands,” were dumped into the lake in the early 20th century, with wide-reaching consequences that have continued into the present. Mapping was focused offshore of the town of Gay on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, where ongoing erosion and re-deposition of the stamp sands has buried miles of native, white-sand beaches. Stamp sands are also encroaching onto Buffalo Reef, a large area of cobble/boulder substrate that supports productive fisheries in the lake. The objectives of this cooperative mapping project are to develop a framework for scientific research and provide baseline information required for management of resources within the coastal zone of northern Michigan. High-resolution bathymetry and backscatter data reveal the irregular topography of the shallow, cobble-covered Buffalo Reef and the relatively smooth surface of finer-grained sediment that covers adjacent, deeper parts of the lake floor. Previous research used numerous sediment samples to determine the general distribution of mine tailings on the lake floor in this area, but little information exists on the extent and thickness of the surficial deposits. The main priority of this project is to image the near-surface stratigraphy, specifically the thickness of surficial sand and mud that threaten to cover the reef, with seismic-reflection profiling systems. In addition to continuous coverage of bathymetric and backscatter data, this project collected a dense grid of closely spaced seismic profiles in 2018, which will guide efforts to mitigate the environmental impacts of the shifting stamp sands. This 2021 (2021-005-FA) survey is the second survey conducted by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in Grand Traverse Bay, Houghton County, MI. The first survey conducted in September 2018 (2018-043-FA) was a regional geologic framework study that covered a large area (30 sq km) and lower resolution (2-m) and included both single-channel, and swept frequency (chirp) subbottom seismic profiles. Data from this survey were published in Andrews and other (2020), see cross-reference section below for details. The data from the 2018 survey was used to plan the higher resolution (less than 1-m) 2021 survey that covered a smaller area (14 sq km) focused on Buffalo Reef and included 410 bottom photographs, and 60 sediment samples collected using the MiniSEABOSS.

An Ellipsoidally Referenced Survey (ERS) using two Teledyne Reson SeaBat T50-P multibeam echosounders, in dual-head configuration, was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) covering the nearshore, Gulf side of Breton Island, Louisiana (LA), from August 6-9, 2024. This dataset, Breton_2024_MBES_xyz.zip, includes the processed elevation point data (x,y,z), as derived from a 1-meter (m) bathymetric grid. The download file, Breton_2024_MBES_Backscatter.zip, includes acoustic backscatter intensity data in 32-bit floating point GeoTIFF (Geographic Tagged Image File Format, .tif) format.