The U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center in cooperation with the University of Maine mapped approximately 50 square kilometers of the seafloor within Belfast Bay, Maine. Three geophysical surveys conducted in 2006, 2008 and 2009 collected swath bathymetric (2006 and 2008) and chirp seismic reflection profile data (2006 and 2009). The project characterized the spatial, morphological and subsurface variability of the Belfast Bay, Maine pockmark field. Pockmarks are large seafloor depressions that are associated with seabed fluid escape.

The U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center in cooperation with the University of Maine mapped approximately 50 square kilometers of the seafloor within Belfast Bay, Maine. Three geophysical surveys conducted in 2006, 2008 and 2009 collected swath bathymetric (2006 and 2008) and chirp seismic reflection profile data (2006 and 2009). The project characterized the spatial, morphological and subsurface variability of the Belfast Bay, Maine pockmark field. Pockmarks are large seafloor depressions that are associated with seabed fluid escape.

The U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center in cooperation with the University of Maine mapped approximately 50 square kilometers of the seafloor within Belfast Bay, Maine. Three geophysical surveys conducted in 2006, 2008 and 2009 collected swath bathymetric (2006 and 2008) and chirp seismic reflection profile data (2006 and 2009). The project characterized the spatial, morphological and subsurface variability of the Belfast Bay, Maine pockmark field. Pockmarks are large seafloor depressions that are associated with seabed fluid escape.

Water quality in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary along the New Jersey coast is the focus of a multidisciplinary research project begun in 2011 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. This narrow estuary is the drainage for the Barnegat Watershed and flushed by just three inlets connecting it to the Atlantic Ocean, is experiencing degraded water quality, algal blooms, loss of seagrass, and increases in oxygen -depletion events, seaweed, stinging nettles, and brown tide. The scale of the estuary and the scope of the problems within it necessitate a multidisciplinary approach that includes characterizing its physical characteristics (for example, depth, magnitude and direction of tidal currents, distribution of seafloor and subseafloor sediment) and modeling how the physical characteristics interact to affect the estuary's water quality. Scientists from USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program offices in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and St. Petersburg, Florida, began mapping the seafloor of the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary in November 2011 and completed in September 2013. With funding from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and logistical support from the USGS New Jersey Water Science Center, they collected data with a suite of geophysical tools, including swath bathymetric sonar for measuring seafloor depth, a sidescan sonar for collecting acoustic-backscatter data (which provides information about seafloor texture and sediment type), and a subbottom profiler for imaging sediment layers beneath the floor of the estuary. 2011-041-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2011-041-FA 2012-003-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2012-003-FA 2013-014-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2013-014-FA 2013-030-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2013-030-FA

In freshwater bodies of New Hampshire, the most problematic aquatic invasive plant species is Myriophyllum heterophyllum or variable leaf water-milfoil. Once established, variable leaf water-milfoil forms dense beds that can alter the limnologic characteristics of a waterbody, impacting natural lacustrine communities and their habitats. Variable leaf water-milfoil infestations also disrupt recreational uses of waterbodies and have negatively affected swimming, boating, fishing, and property values in and around several lakes and ponds in New Hampshire. In 1965, Moultonborough Bay, Lake Winnipesaukee became the first waterbody in New Hampshire where variable leaf water-milfoil was observed. Variable leaf water-milfoil is native to the Southeastern and Midwestern areas of the United States where more alkaline waters appear to limit the growth of this plant. Outside its native range, however, it adapts well to the relatively acidic, low-alkalinity, and nutrient-poor conditions of oligotrophic lakes and bays similar to Moultonborough Bay. In 2005, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) collaborated with the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate the distribution (presence and density) of variable leaf water-milfoil in Moultonborough Bay. This study utilized geophysical systems and conventional water-quality measurements to identify lake-floor environments that may provide suitable habitat for the establishment and growth of variable leaf water-milfoil. The results of the study are intended to assist resource managers in federal and state agencies by providing methods for detecting variable leaf water-milfoil and for identifying areas susceptible to infestation. Ultimately, this information may lead to early detection, prevention, and more effective mitigation strategies. Field activity information for this cruise is available on-line through the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fa=2005-004-FA.

In freshwater bodies of New Hampshire, the most problematic aquatic invasive plant species is Myriophyllum heterophyllum or variable leaf water-milfoil. Once established, variable leaf water-milfoil forms dense beds that can alter the limnologic characteristics of a waterbody, impacting natural lacustrine communities and their habitats. Variable leaf water-milfoil infestations also disrupt recreational uses of waterbodies and have negatively affected swimming, boating, fishing, and property values in and around several lakes and ponds in New Hampshire. In 1965, Moultonborough Bay, Lake Winnipesaukee became the first waterbody in New Hampshire where variable leaf water-milfoil was observed. Variable leaf water-milfoil is native to the Southeastern and Midwestern areas of the United States where more alkaline waters appear to limit the growth of this plant. Outside its native range, however, it adapts well to the relatively acidic, low-alkalinity, and nutrient-poor conditions of oligotrophic lakes and bays similar to Moultonborough Bay. In 2005, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) collaborated with the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate the distribution (presence and density) of variable leaf water-milfoil in Moultonborough Bay. This study utilized geophysical systems and conventional water-quality measurements to identify lake-floor environments that may provide suitable habitat for the establishment and growth of variable leaf water-milfoil. The results of the study are intended to assist resource managers in federal and state agencies by providing methods for detecting variable leaf water-milfoil and for identifying areas susceptible to infestation. Ultimately, this information may lead to early detection, prevention, and more effective mitigation strategies. Field activity information for this cruise is available on-line through the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fa=2005-004-FA.

These data were collected under a cooperative agreement between the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC). Initiated in 2003, the primary objective of this program is to develop regional geologic framework information for the management of coastal and marine resources. Accurate data and maps of seafloor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine resources, and assessing environmental changes due to natural or human impacts. The project is focused on the inshore waters of coastal Massachusetts, primarily in water depths of 2-30 meters. Data collected for the mapping cooperative have been released in a series of USGS Open-File Reports (). The data collected in this study area located around the western extent of the Elizabeth Islands includes high resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, seismic-reflection, and navigation data. These data were collected during a nearshore cruise in September 2010 onboard the R/V Rafael using the following equipment: an SEA Ltd SwathPlus interferometric sonar (234 kHz), Klein 3000 dual frequency sidescan sonar, an Edgetech 424 chirp subbottom profiling system, and 4 GPS antennae. More information about the cruise conducted as part of the project: Geologic Mapping of the Seafloor Offshore of Massachusetts can be found on the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Field Activity webpage:

In 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole, MA and St. Petersburg, FL, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District conducted geologic mapping to characterize the seafloor and shallow subsurface stratigraphy offshore of the Gulf Islands of Mississippi. The mapping was carried out during two cruises in March, 2010 on the R/V Tommy Munro of Biloxi, MS. Data were acquired with the following equipment: an SEA Ltd SwathPlus interferometric sonar (both 234 kHz and 468 kHz systems), a Klein 3000 and a Klein 3900 dual frequency sidescan-sonar, and an Edgetech 512i chirp subbottom profiling system. The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-quality, high-resolution geologic maps and geophysical interpretations that can be utilized to identify sand resources within the region and better understand the Holocene evolution and anticipate future changes in this coastal system. More information on the field work can be accessed from the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Field Activity webpage https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2010-012-FA or the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Geology InfoBank https://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/m/m210gm/html/m-2-10-gm.meta.html.

These data were collected under a cooperative agreement with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHSC). Initiated in 2003, the primary objective of this program is to develop regional geologic framework information for the management of coastal and marine resources. Accurate data and maps of sea-floor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine resources, and assessing environmental changes due to natural or human impacts. The project is focused on the inshore waters of coastal Massachusetts, primarily in water depths of 3-30 meters deep. Data collected for the mapping cooperative have been released in a series of USGS Open-File Reports (http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/). The data collected in the study area located in Vineyard Sound Massachusetts includes high-resolution geophysics (bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic reflection). The data were collected during three separate surveys conducted between 2009 and 2011and cover approximately 340 square kilometers of the inner continental shelf. More information about the individual USGS surveys conducted as part of the Vineyard Sound project can be found on the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Field Activity webpage: 2009-002-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2009-002-FA 2010-004-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2010-004-FA 2011-004-FA: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2011-004-FA

These data were collected in a collaboration between the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The primary objective of this program was to collect baseline bathymetry for Muskeget Channel, Massachusetts, and identify areas of morphologic change within and around the channel. Repeat surveys in select areas were collected one month apart to monitor change. These data were collected to support an assessment of the effect on sediment transport that a tidal instream energy conversion facility would have within Muskeget Channel. Accurate data and maps of sea-floor topography are important first steps in monitoring bedform migration, fish habitat, marine resources, and environmental changes due to natural or human impacts. The data include high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, sound velocity in water, and navigation data. These data were collected during two surveys between October 2010 and November 2011 onboard the research vessel (RV) Rafael using an SEA Ltd. SwathPlus interferometric sonar (234 kilohertz). More information about the cruise can be found on the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center field activity Web page at https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2010-072-FA.