From May 28 to June 3, 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a geophysical survey to investigate the geologic evolution and estuarine sediment thickness in Grand Bay, Alabama and Mississippi. Specific objectives were to document the age and accumulation patterns of estuarine sediment to advance our understanding of sediment exchange with the adjacent marsh and sources of sediment to the coastal ocean. This investigation is part of the USGS Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project. SSIEES seeks to better understand material exchange between marshes and adjacent estuarine water bodies along the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast, and determine the role extreme events (hurricanes, floods, and strong frontal systems) and sea-level change have on coastal change. This publication serves as an archive of unprocessed, digital chirp subbottom and sidescan sonar data, geographic information system (GIS) data and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata, as well as processed sidescan sonar mosaics. Processed subbottom profile images are also provided in the "images" folder of 2015-315-FA_arc.zip. The archived subbottom trace data are in standard Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) SEG Y revision 0 format (Barry and others, 1975) and may be downloaded and processed with commercial or public domain software such as Seismic Unix (SU). The raw sidescan sonar backscatter data are in standard eXtensible Triton Framework (XTF)format. These data are available for viewing using GeoMapApp (http://www.geomapapp.org/) and Virtual Ocean (http://www.virtualocean.org/) multi-platform open source software. In addition, these data files can be downloaded from the USGS Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System (https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov).

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.

This CD-ROM contains digital high resolution sidescan sonar data collected during the USGS Cruise 97009 aboard the R/V MS MS Coastal. This CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) has been produced in accordance with the ISO 9660 CD-ROM Standard and is therefore capable of being read on any computing platform that has appropriate CD-ROM driver software installed. Access to the data and information contained on this CD-ROM was developed using the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) utilized by the World Wide Web (WWW) project. Development of the CD-ROM documentation and user interface in HTML allows a user to access the information by using a variety of WWW information browsers (i.e. NCSA Mosaic, Netscape) to facilitate browsing and locating information and data. To access the information contained on this disk with a WWW client browser, open the file 'index.htm' at the top level directory of this CD-ROM with your selected browser. The HTML documentation is written utilizing some HTML 3.0 enhancements. The disk should be viewable by all WWW browsers but may not properly format on some older WWW browsers. Also, some links to USGS collaborators are available on this CD-ROM. These links are only accessible if access to the Internet is available during browsing of the CD-ROM. The archived sidescan data may be downloaded and processed. There is software available on this CD-ROM for viewing the individual swaths using any computer system running the UNIX operating system.

This CD-ROM contains digital high resolution sidescan sonar data collected during the USGS Cruise 97009 aboard the R/V MS MS Coastal. This CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) has been produced in accordance with the ISO 9660 CD-ROM Standard and is therefore capable of being read on any computing platform that has appropriate CD-ROM driver software installed. Access to the data and information contained on this CD-ROM was developed using the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) utilized by the World Wide Web (WWW) project. Development of the CD-ROM documentation and user interface in HTML allows a user to access the information by using a variety of WWW information browsers (i.e. NCSA Mosaic, Netscape) to facilitate browsing and locating information and data. To access the information contained on this disk with a WWW client browser, open the file 'index.htm' at the top level directory of this CD-ROM with your selected browser. The HTML documentation is written utilizing some HTML 3.0 enhancements. The disk should be viewable by all WWW browsers but may not properly format on some older WWW browsers. Also, some links to USGS collaborators are available on this CD-ROM. These links are only accessible if access to the Internet is available during browsing of the CD-ROM. The archived sidescan data may be downloaded and processed. There is software available on this CD-ROM for viewing the individual swaths using any computer system running the UNIX operating system.

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.

SIDESCAN SONAR AND NAVIGATION FIELD DATA COLLECTED DURING MS MS Coastal 95009 (1 - 14 August, 1995). This CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) has been produced in accordance with the ISO 9660 CD-ROM Standard and is therefore capable of being read on any computing platform that has appropriate CD-ROM driver software installed. Access to the data and information contained on this CD-ROM was developed using the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) utilized by the World Wide Web (WWW) project. Development of the CD-ROM documentation and user interface in HTML allows a user to access the information by using a variety of WWW information browsers (i.e. NCSA Mosaic, Netscape) to facilitate browsing and locating information and data. To access the information contained on this disk with a WWW client browser, open the file 'intro.htm' at the top level directory of this CD-ROM with your selected browser. The HTML documentation is written utilizing some HTML 3.0 enhancements. The disk should be viewable by all WWW browsers but may not properly format on some older WWW browsers. Also, some links to USGS collaborators are available on this CD-ROM. These links are only accessible if access to the Internet is available during browsing of the CD-ROM. The archived sidescan data may be downloaded and processed. There is software available on this CD-ROM for viewing the individual swaths using any computer system running the UNIX operating system. See the "readme.txt" file in the BIN directory for details. This CD-ROM contains copies of the navigation and field sidescan sonar data collected during USGS Cruise 95009, conducted during during 1 - 4 August, 1995. The cruise was a collaborative field program between researchers at Coastal Carolina University and the USGS, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Field Center.

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the University of South Florida and Eckerd College, completed a bathymetric, sidescan sonar, high-resolution seismic-reflection, and surface sediment sampling survey of the inner shelf environment along the western Florida coast. The survey area extends 15km from Sarasota Point to Buttonwood Harbor. This study is part of a larger program initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey to map the geologic framework and monitor the modern processes that affect the western Florida coastal zone. This portion of the project included a reconnaissance high-resolution seismic and side-scan sonar surveys of the entire study area, detailed mapping to identify patterns of hard grounds and sediment cover, and coring of sediments to document historical development of the inner shelf and coastal

This CD-ROM contains copies of the navigation and field sidescan sonar data collected during USGS Cruise 96005, conducted during 1 -14 June, 1996. The cruise was a collaborative field program between researchers at Coastal Carolina University and the USGS, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Field Center. The CD-ROM was produced in accordance with the ISO 9660 standard. An area 3 to 15 meters was surveyed using an 100 kHz sidescan-sonar system and tracklines are spaced so that data coverages overlap and can be assembled into arial mosaics. HTML files enable access using www browsers.

In 2006 and 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the University of New Orleans, conducted geologic mapping to characterize the sea floor and shallow subsurface stratigraphy offshore of the Chandeleur Islands in Eastern Louisiana. The mapping was carried out during two cruises on the R/V Acadiana. Data were acquired with the following equipment: an SEA Ltd SwathPlus interferometric sonar (234 kHz), Klein 3000 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 geologic maps and geophysical interpretations that can be utilized to investigate the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and to identify sand resources within the region.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (MA CZM), is producing detailed geologic maps of the coastal sea floor. Imagery, originally collected by NOAA for charting purposes, provide a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of the Massachusetts coastline, show the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provide information on sediment transport and benthic habitat. Interpretive data layers were derived from multibeam echo-sounder and sidescan sonar data collected in the vicinity of Quicks Hole, a passage through the Elizabeth Islands that extend in a chain southwestward off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In June 2005, bottom photographs and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconaissance survey.