Mapping extent of acoustic surveys completed along the 58‐km long Assateague barrier island stretching from the Ocean City inlet in Maryland, down past Chincoteague Island in northern Virginia. The data was collected June 20th-25th, 2014 and May 12th - 21th, 2015. Full coverage side-scan sonar and partial coverage bathymetry data were collected using an EdgeTech 6205 Multiphase Echosounder. In total, 73 square kilometers were mapped at primarily at 100m line spacing and 80 m swath range per channel (to allow overlap between lines).

This dataset shows the cruise tracklines for the acoustic survey completed to the east of the new breachway created by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The data was collected June 11th-16th, 2015.

This dataset shows 2 m depth contours within the study area. The contours were created using the contour feature within the Spatial Analyst Toolbox in ArcMap (v 10.2.2). Contours were manually edited where necessary to clean up artifacts in the dataset. The input dataset was bathymetry data processed to 50 cm horizontal resolution that was collected June 11th-16th, 2015.

Water-level data used in submerged marine habitat mapping, Assateague Island National Seashore

We created merged bathymetry surfaces segmented in GeoTiff format by resolution and depth within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) from more than 20 multibeam mapping surveys. These bathymetry data were collected between 1998 and 2022 by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United States Geological Survey (USGS), Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and Ocean Exploration Trust (OET). Bathymetry data collected by institutions outside of NOAA are reference to overlapping NOAA hydrographic surveys using an average depth difference correction. The merged bathymetric surface resolutions varied by depth from 2x2m in <40m, 4x4m in 36 to 80 m, 8x8m in 72 to 160m, 16x16m in 144 to 320m and to 24x24m in >300m. They can be used to create high-resolution, nearly continuous coverage benthic habitat maps within the CINMS.

This dataset shows 2 m depth contours within the study area.

Benthic habitat maps were developed for the Otis Pike and Sunken Forest study areas following the top-down mapping approach, for which habitat map units are geologically defined based on the presumption that geologic environments or features contain distinct biological assemblages. The resulting habitats are classified according to the CMECS framework and are referred to as “biotopes.” The term “biotope” is specific in that it integrates biotic-abiotic characteristics to offer more ecologically meaningful information. In this study, biotopes reflect the relationship between macrofaunal communities and geological features of their associated environments within the defined map units. The resulting biotopes are considered preliminary because the relationships identified have not been repeatedly demonstrated over time, as this study represents the first of its kind within FIIS.

This dataset shows the extent of bathymetry data collected during acoustic surveys completed within and adjacent to the boundaries of Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) from 2014-2015. Full coverage sidescan and partial coverage bathymetry data were collected using an Edgetech 6205 Phase-Measuring Sidescan Sonar. In total, 668 hectares were mapped at primarily 20 – 40 meter line spacing and 50 meter swath range to allow overlap of lines.

This dataset contains ground-truth sampling locations and data collected in support of Submerged Marine Habitat Mapping at Fire Island National Seashore. This ESRI file geodatabase contains six feature classes: benthic macrofaunal data, field notes, CMECS classification based on sediment, raw sediment data, SPI analysis, and CMECS classification based on SPI data.