The USGS Woods Hole Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey offshore of the southern coast of Martha's Vineyard, in the vicinity of the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) in August 2007. This mapping program was part of a larger research effort supporting the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Ripples Directed-Research Initiative (DRI) studies at MVCO by providing data collection and modeling. The geophysical data will be used to provide initial conditions for wave and circulation models for the study area. Ultimately, geophysical mapping, oceanographic measurements and modeling will help to improve our understanding of coastal sediment-transport processes. The geophysical mapping utilized a suite of high-resolution instrumentation to map the surficial sediment distribution, depth and sub-surface geology: dual-frequency 100/500 KHz sidescan-sonar system, 234-KHz interferometric sonar, and 500 Hz -12 KHz chirp sub-bottom profiler. The survey was conducted aboard the M/V Megan Miller August 9-13, 2007. The study area covers 35 square kilometers from about 0.2 km to 5-km offshore of the south shore of Martha's Vineyard, and ranges in depth from ~ 5 to 20 meters.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has built the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) near South Beach in Edgartown, Massachusetts. The project was initiated by scientists in the Coastal and Ocean Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (COFDL) at WHOI, who will use the observatory to study coastal atmospheric and oceanic processes. Specifically, the observatory is expected to: * Provide a local climatology for intensive, short duration field campaigns. * Further facilitate regional studies of coastal processes by providing infrastructure that supports easy access to electrical power and data. * Provide a reliable system of rugged sensors that allow opportunistic sampling of extreme events. * Provide continuous long term (25-30 years) observations for climate studies. * Provide a flexible system capable of supporting a wide range of instrumentation and platforms, such as AUV docking stations. * Provide a means for public outreach and educational programs. * Contribute to a larger network of observatories and platforms for real-time observations that can help verify and improve ocean and atmospheric models. The MVCO includes a small shore lab located between the hangars at Katama Air Park, a 10-m meteorological mast near the South Beach Donnelly House, a subsurface node mounted in 12-m water depth approximately 1.5 km south of Edgartown Great Pond, and an air-sea interaction tower (ASIT) equipped with a top-side node to allow access to air-side or underwater instrumentation at the 15-m isobath. The meteorological and subsea instrumentation are connected directly to the shore lab via a buried electro-optic power cable. The core set of instruments at the meteorological mast measure wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, precipitation, CO2, solar and IR radiation, momentum, heat, and moisture fluxes. The core oceanographic sensors at the 12-m offshore node measure current profiles, waves, temperature, salinity, and near-bottom wave-orbital and low frequency currents. In addition to the core set of instruments, the offshore nodes and the meteorological mast act as extension cords into the coastal environment, allowing connection of a wide range of instruments for prolonged deployments. (Reference: http://www.whoi.edu/mvco/description/description2.html)

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has built the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) near South Beach in Edgartown, Massachusetts. The project was initiated by scientists in the Coastal and Ocean Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (COFDL) at WHOI, who will use the observatory to study coastal atmospheric and oceanic processes. Specifically, the observatory is expected to: * Provide a local climatology for intensive, short duration field campaigns. * Further facilitate regional studies of coastal processes by providing infrastructure that supports easy access to electrical power and data. * Provide a reliable system of rugged sensors that allow opportunistic sampling of extreme events. * Provide continuous long term (25-30 years) observations for climate studies. * Provide a flexible system capable of supporting a wide range of instrumentation and platforms, such as AUV docking stations. * Provide a means for public outreach and educational programs. * Contribute to a larger network of observatories and platforms for real-time observations that can help verify and improve ocean and atmospheric models. The MVCO includes a small shore lab located between the hangars at Katama Air Park, a 10-m meteorological mast near the South Beach Donnelly House, a subsurface node mounted in 12-m water depth approximately 1.5 km south of Edgartown Great Pond, and an air-sea interaction tower (ASIT) equipped with a top-side node to allow access to air-side or underwater instrumentation at the 15-m isobath. The meteorological and subsea instrumentation are connected directly to the shore lab via a buried electro-optic power cable. The core set of instruments at the meteorological mast measure wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, precipitation, CO2, solar and IR radiation, momentum, heat, and moisture fluxes. The core oceanographic sensors at the 12-m offshore node measure current profiles, waves, temperature, salinity, and near-bottom wave-orbital and low frequency currents. In addition to the core set of instruments, the offshore nodes and the meteorological mast act as extension cords into the coastal environment, allowing connection of a wide range of instruments for prolonged deployments. (Reference: http://www.whoi.edu/mvco/description/description2.html)

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, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of the Massachusetts coastline, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides 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 Woods Hole, a passage between the Elizabeth Islands and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In November 2007, bottom photographs, seismic-reflection profiles, and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconnaissance survey.

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, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of the Massachusetts coastline, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides 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 Woods Hole, a passage between the Elizabeth Islands and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In November 2007, bottom photographs, seismic-reflection profiles, and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconnaissance survey.

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, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of the Massachusetts coastline, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides 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 Woods Hole, a passage through the Elizabeth Islands, off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In November 2007, bottom photographs, seismic-reflection profiles, and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconaissance survey.

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, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of the Massachusetts coastline, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides 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 Woods Hole, a passage through the Elizabeth Islands, off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In November 2007, bottom photographs, seismic-reflection profiles, and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconaissance survey.

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. The primary objective of this program, initiated in 2003, 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 effects. The project is focused on the inshore waters (5-30 meters deep) of Massachusetts. 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/html/current_map.html). This spatial dataset is from the study area located in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound Massachusetts, and consists of ground-validation data which include the spatial extent of sea-floor sediment sample analyses, the location of sea-floor bottom photographs, and the tracklines along which sea-floor video was collected. These ground-validation (or ground-truth) data accompany a suite of high-resolution geophysical data, including swath bathymetry, sidescan-sonar backscatter intensity, and seismic-reflection data that were released in USGS Open File Reports 2012-1002 and 2012-1006. The sea-floor sampling data were collected during USGS survey 2010-005-FA in 2010 and cover more than 750 square kilometers of the inner continental shelf where the geophysical data were collected in 2009 and 2010.

An unusual accumulation ofi ncohesive fine-grained sediment (silt and clay) occurs in the midst of the sand-covered continental shelf south of Martha's Vineyard. This 4000 square mile deposit of soft material is assumed to overlie relict Pleistocene sands. The objective of this study was to determine the distribution, thickness, and engineering properties of this fine-grained deposit.

An unusual accumulation ofi ncohesive fine-grained sediment (silt and clay) occurs in the midst of the sand-covered continental shelf south of Martha's Vineyard. This 4000 square mile deposit of soft material is assumed to overlie relict Pleistocene sands. The objective of this study was to determine the distribution, thickness, and engineering properties of this fine-grained deposit.