Singlebeam raw files

Singlebeam raw files

Singlebeam raw files

Equipment Used: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is equipped with a 26 kilohertz (kHz) Kongsberg EM 304 MKII multibeam sonar. The nominal transmit (TX) alongtrack beamwidth is 0.5°, and the nominal receive (RX) acrosstrack beamwidth is 1.0°. The system generates a 150° beam fan, containing 512 beams with up to 800 soundings per ping cycle when in high-density mode. In waters shallower than approximately 3,300 m the system is able to operate in dual-swath mode, where one nominal ping cycle includes two swaths, resulting in up to 1,600 soundings. Data are recorded using Kongsberg's Seafloor Information System (SIS) software. Collocated to the bathymetric data, bottom backscatter data were collected and stored within the raw files, both as beam-averaged backscatter values, and as full-time series values (snippets) within each beam. During standard data acquisition, the EM 304 multibeam sonar is synchronized with the other active sonars using the Kongsberg Synchronization Unit with the EM 304 multibeam sonar set as the master. Any changes in equipment setup for the year or expedition are detailed in the annual Readiness Report or associated Expedition Report, respectively. For general information about sub-bottom operations, please refer to the NOAA Ocean Exploration Mapping Procedures Manual. Calibrations: At the beginning of each field season, a multibeam geometric calibration (patch test) is conducted to resolve any angular misalignments of the EM 304 multibeam equipment. A patch test is also conducted if any multibeam equipment (e.g., transducers, IMU, antennas) is installed or disturbed. The patch test determines if there are any residual biases or errors in navigation timing, pitch, roll, and heading/yaw (and resolves each bias individually in that order). Whenever possible (and assuming reasonable values), the results of each test are applied in SIS prior to data collection for the following test. Calibration Reports are archived as supplemental documents to the annual Readiness Report throughout the year. A relative backscatter correction was performed in 2021, and the resulting gain values were uploaded to the processing unit. This procedure helps to normalize differences in backscatter values resulting from variable frequencies and pulse durations employed within sectors and among ping modes used during multibeam data acquisition. Acquisition Corrections: Real-time corrections to the data upon acquisition include the continuous application of surface sound speed obtained with a hull-mounted Reson SV-70 probe, and application of water column sound speed profiles obtained with Sippican Deep Blue Expendable Bathythermographs (XBTs) and/or Seabird CTD 9/11. Sound speed profiles are conducted every four hours, or more frequently as dictated by local oceanographic conditions (typically every two hours when operating in more dynamic areas). Reson sound speed values are constantly compared against secondarily derived sound speed values from the ship’s onboard thermosalinograph flow-through system as a quality assurance measure. Roll, pitch, and heave motion corrections are applied in real-time via a POS MV 320 version 5 or a Seapath-380, using Marine Star DGPS correctors. The motion and positioning unit used will be noted in the processing logs. No tidal corrections are applied to the raw or processed data. Multibeam data quality is monitored in real-time by acquisition watchstanders. Ship speed is adjusted to maintain data quality and sounding density as necessary. Line spacing is planned to ensure one-quarter to one-third swath-width overlap between lines, depending on the environmental conditions and impact on the quality of the outer swath regions. Angles are generally left open (70°/70°) during transits to maximize data collection and are adjusted on both the port and starboard sides to ensure the best data quality and coverage. If outer beams are returning obviously spurious soundings (e.g., due to attenuation or low

Singlebeam raw files (.bot, .idx, .raw)

Singlebeam raw files (.bot, .idx, .raw)

This Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) shakedown expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer began in Norfolk, Virginia on June 13, 2021 and concluded on June 28, 2021 in Newport, Rhode Island. This was the first time the ROVs Deep Discoverer and Seirios were mobilized and used for ROV dives since the extensive 2021 winter dry dock repair period. While underway, 24?hour operations focused on preparing remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems for the remainder of 2021 expeditions. Extensive testing, calibration, and troubleshooting was completed for new ROV motors, motor controllers, cameras, lighting, hydraulic systems, and a navigational sonar during 11 ROV dives. The first five dives progressively got to deeper depths ranging from 670 m to 4370 m with the primary objective of new equipment integration and personnel training. The following five dives were conducted on Caryn Seamount, and the mid-Atlantic canyons Toms, Hudson (twice), and Uchupi. The last dive of the expedition was on a recently discovered sonar anomaly that turned out to be a World War II era submarine, the Humaita (ex-USS Muskallunge). Five biological and three geological samples were collected for later analyses from Caryn Seamount and the mid-Atlantic canyons. Mapping operations during the expedition included continued calibrating and troubleshooting of the ship's new EM304 multibeam sonar and transducer array. Additional mapping operations included improving multibeam bathymetry in previously mapped areas, sub-bottom sonar surveys conducted on the Currituck landslide feature off of North Carolina, EK60 water column sonar survey of the diurnal migration above Hudson Canyon, and searching for underwater cultural heritage sites by observing sonar depth and backscatter anomalies.

From April 4 - 28, 2022, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer sailed to support NOAA Ocean Exploration's Puerto Rico Mapping and Deep-Sea Camera expedition (EX-22-03). The ship departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The mission objectives were two-fold: seafloor mapping in U.S waters offshore of Puerto Rico and testing deep-sea camera systems developed by the Multidisciplinary Instrumentation in Support of Oceanography (MISO) Facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for potential integration into future NOAA Ocean Exploration operations. The primary mapping area of the expedition was the Muertos Trough region and surrounding seamounts in U.S. Caribbean waters around Puerto Rico. In addition, a transit over the 8,000 m deep Puerto Rico Trench was used to test the limits of the new Kongsberg EM 304 MKII multibeam sonar that was installed in 2021. Upon completion of mapping in the priority areas, the expedition focused on testing the integrated deep-sea camera and conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) system to support a number of mission objectives through simultaneous imaging and sampling of the water column. The last portion of the expedition consisted of mapping the high seas and offshore waters of the U.S. East Coast while transiting to the final destination of Newport, Rhode Island.

From June 5-20, 2023 (Dutch Harbor, Alaska to Kodiak, Alaska), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted mapping operations off the coast of the Aleutian Islands in U.S. waters, aiding in closing bathymetric gaps within this region. Expedition EX2303 collected 37,601 square kilometers of bathymetry and associated water column within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Sea deeper than 200 m. During mapping operations, NOAA Ocean Exploration simultaneously collected EM 304 multibeam sonar bathymetry observations and Simrad EK60/EK80 split-beam fisheries sonar observations of biologic material in the water column, as well as Knudsen 3260 sub-bottom profiler observations of sub-seafloor geologic structure and sediment. A focused survey region targeted potential geological hazards along the Aleutian Trench. During the expedition, one CTD cast collected water samples for environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. The exploratory mapping operations conducted during this cruise will provide initial characterization of the region, as well as data to support further exploration.

From February 23 - March 3, 2022 (Pascagoula, MS to Key West, FL), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted a shakedown of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV), video, telepresence, and sampling operations as well as mapping and positioning systems aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. The ROV engineers tested and calibrated ROVs Deep Discoverer and Seirios' ROV motor controllers, auto position software, lighting system, hydraulic system, ME-20 low-light camera, high-definition ancillary ROV cameras, sector-scanning sonar, as well as tested remote-piloting capabilities of ROV Deep Discoverer. Shakedown and readiness operations for the EM 304 multibeam sonar included a GNSS Azimuth Measurement Subsystem (GAMS) calibration, Patch Test, speed-noise test, coverage extinction data collection, and integration and testing of the newly installed SeaPath 380-R3. In total, the expedition team conducted 7 ROV dives ranging from 480 to 3,420 m depth and collected 4,930 square kilometers of acoustic data during transits and calibrations. The expedition explored the West Florida Shelf and the Straits of Florida offshore the U.S. southeastern coast. The expedition confirmed the location of a shipwreck target, thought to be a 19th century whaler. Corals and sponges were observed 4 out of the 7 surveyed dive sites, with 3 of the 7 containing high diversities of benthic species. A total of 12 samples were collected: 3 geological, 3 biological, and 6 commensal (not including blank samples).