This part of USGS Data Series 935 (Cochrane, 2014) presents observations from underwater video collected in the Offshore of Burien, California, map area, a part of the Southern Salish Sea Habitat Map Series. To validate the interpretations of multibeam sonar data and turn it into geologically and biologically useful information, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) towed a camera sled over specific locations throughout the Seattle map area to collect video and photographic data that would “ground truth” the seafloor. The ground-truth survey conducted in the Offshore of Burien map area occurred in 2011 on the R/V Karluk (USGS field activities K0109WO, K0111PS) and on the Washington State Department of Fish and Game R/V Molluscan (USGS field activity M0112PS, M0111PS, M0212PS). The underwater camera sled was towed 1 to 2 m above the seafloor at speeds of between 1 and 2 nautical miles/hour. The surveys for this map area include approximately 6 hours (9.1 trackline km) of video.

This part of USGS Data Series 935 (Cochrane, 2014) presents observations from underwater video collected in the Offshore of Seattle, California, map area, a part of the Southern Salish Sea Habitat Map Series. To validate the interpretations of multibeam sonar data and turn it into geologically and biologically useful information, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) towed a camera sled over specific locations throughout the Seattle map area to collect video and photographic data that would “ground truth” the seafloor. The ground-truth survey conducted in the Offshore of Seattle map area occurred in 2011 on the R/V Karluk (USGS field activity K0111PS) and on the Washington State Department of Fish and Game R/V Molluscan (USGS field activity M0111PS). The underwater camera sled was towed 1 to 2 m above the seafloor at speeds of between 1 and 2 nautical miles/hour. The surveys for this map area include approximately 6 hours (9.1 trackline km) of video.

Physical, environmental, and biotic observations were derived from underwater video collected by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) offshore of Morro Bay, California. The data were acquired during three separate surveys in 2019 in support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)/Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing I (Cal DIG I) project. Transect information developed to analyze the data for biotopes (as described in Kuhnz and others, 2021) and the resulting biotope numbers are included in the point data. A joint USGS-BOEM-MBARI cruise, which took place from 19-26 September 2019 on the R/V Bold Horizon (USGS field activity 2019-642-FA), focused on conducting biological surveys using MBARI's MiniROV (dives M137-148). Additional surveys were conducted from 02-14 February 2019 (dives D1120-1131) and from 01-11 November 2019 (dives D1202-1217) using MBARI's R/V Western Flyer and ROV Doc Ricketts. The ROV-video surveys were designed and conducted to collect video ground-truth information about substrate and biota.

This part of USGS Data Series 935 (Cochrane, 2014) presents substrate, geomorphic, and biotope data in the Offshore of Burien, Washington, map area, a part of the Southern Salish Sea Habitat Map Series. Given the variable bathymetric resolution, the complex geologic history of the region, and the lack of acoustic backscatter data, automated and semi-automated classification schemes of classifying seafloor substrate and geoform were deemed to have very low accuracy. Instead, classification of these properties was performed manually following the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS; Madden and others, 2009) using observations from underwater video footage. The best overall predictors of biotic assemblage were used to generate the CMECS biotopes. However, the nature of the biological data gathered makes it difficult to define clear biotopes. It was difficult to see or identify many organisms in the underwater video, and with an average of only 3-4 taxa identified per sampling unit, it is hard to characterize biotic assemblages. Some biological clusters of taxa were identified statistically for multiple map areas, and within each area, some of these groupings were found at consistent depths and/or with predictable substrates. The maps are not fine-grained enough to capture the physical variation seen within one-minute video units. Depth zones in the biotope map are based on Dethier (1992).

This part of USGS Data Series 935 (Cochrane, 2014) presents substrate, geomorphic, and biotope data in the Offshore of Burien, Washington, map area, a part of the Southern Salish Sea Habitat Map Series. Given the variable bathymetric resolution, the complex geologic history of the region, and the lack of acoustic backscatter data, automated and semi-automated classification schemes of classifying seafloor substrate and geoform were deemed to have very low accuracy. Instead, classification of these properties was performed manually following the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS; Madden and others, 2009) using observations from underwater video footage. The best overall predictors of biotic assemblage were used to generate the CMECS biotopes. However, the nature of the biological data gathered makes it difficult to define clear biotopes. It was difficult to see or identify many organisms in the underwater video, and with an average of only 3-4 taxa identified per sampling unit, it is hard to characterize biotic assemblages. Some biological clusters of taxa were identified statistically for multiple map areas, and within each area, some of these groupings were found at consistent depths and/or with predictable substrates. The maps are not fine-grained enough to capture the physical variation seen within one-minute video units. Depth zones in the biotope map are based on Dethier (1992).

This part of DS 781 presents video observations from cruise C0111SC in southern California. The vector data file is included in "c0111sc_video_observations.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/video_observations/data_catalog_video_observations.html. In 1999 and 2009, the seafloor in southern California was mapped by California State University, Monterey Bay, Seafloor Mapping Lab (CSUMB) and by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), using both multibeam echosounders and bathymetric sidescan sonar units. These mapping missions combined to collect bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data from about the 10-m isobath to out beyond the 3-nautical-mile limit of California's State Waters. To validate the interpretations of sonar data in order to turn it into geologically and biologically useful information, the USGS ground-truth surveyed the data by towing camera sleds over specific locations throughout the region. During the 2011 ground-truth cruise, the camera sled housed two video cameras (one forward looking and the other vertical looking), a high-definition video camera, and an 8-megapixel digital still camera. The video was fed in real time to the research vessel, where USGS and NOAA scientists recorded both the geologic and biologic character of the seafloor into programmable keypads once every minute. In addition to recording the seafloor characteristics, a digital still photograph was captured once every 30 seconds. This ArcGIS shape file includes the position of the camera, the time each observation was started, and the visual observations of geologic and biologic habitat.

This part of DS 781 presents video observations from cruise C0111SC in southern California. The vector data file is included in "c0111sc_video_observations.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/video_observations/data_catalog_video_observations.html. In 1999 and 2009, the seafloor in southern California was mapped by California State University, Monterey Bay, Seafloor Mapping Lab (CSUMB) and by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), using both multibeam echosounders and bathymetric sidescan sonar units. These mapping missions combined to collect bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data from about the 10-m isobath to out beyond the 3-nautical-mile limit of California's State Waters. To validate the interpretations of sonar data in order to turn it into geologically and biologically useful information, the USGS ground-truth surveyed the data by towing camera sleds over specific locations throughout the region. During the 2011 ground-truth cruise, the camera sled housed two video cameras (one forward looking and the other vertical looking), a high-definition video camera, and an 8-megapixel digital still camera. The video was fed in real time to the research vessel, where USGS and NOAA scientists recorded both the geologic and biologic character of the seafloor into programmable keypads once every minute. In addition to recording the seafloor characteristics, a digital still photograph was captured once every 30 seconds. This ArcGIS shape file includes the position of the camera, the time each observation was started, and the visual observations of geologic and biologic habitat.

This part of DS 781 presents video observations from cruise C0212SC in southern California. The vector data file is included in "c0212sc_video_observations.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/video_observations/data_catalog_video_observations.html. In 2006 and 2009, the seafloor in central California was mapped by California State University, Monterey Bay, Seafloor Mapping Lab (CSUMB) and by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), using both multibeam echosounders and bathymetric sidescan sonar units. These mapping missions combined to collect bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data from about the 10-m isobath to out beyond the 3-nautical-mile limit of California's State Waters. To validate the interpretations of sonar data in order to turn it into geologically and biologically useful information, the USGS ground-truth surveyed the data by towing camera sleds over specific locations throughout the region. During the 2012 ground-truth cruise, the camera sled housed two video cameras (one forward looking and the other vertical looking), a high-definition video camera, and an 8-megapixel digital still camera. The video was fed in real time to the research vessel, where USGS and NOAA scientists recorded both the geologic and biologic character of the seafloor into programmable keypads once every minute. In addition to recording the seafloor characteristics, a digital still photograph was captured once every 30 seconds. This ArcGIS shape file includes the position of the camera, the time each observation was started, and the visual observations of geologic and biologic habitat.

This part of DS 781 presents video observations from cruise C0212SC in southern California. The vector data file is included in "c0212sc_video_observations.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/video_observations/data_catalog_video_observations.html. In 2006 and 2009, the seafloor in central California was mapped by California State University, Monterey Bay, Seafloor Mapping Lab (CSUMB) and by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), using both multibeam echosounders and bathymetric sidescan sonar units. These mapping missions combined to collect bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data from about the 10-m isobath to out beyond the 3-nautical-mile limit of California's State Waters. To validate the interpretations of sonar data in order to turn it into geologically and biologically useful information, the USGS ground-truth surveyed the data by towing camera sleds over specific locations throughout the region. During the 2012 ground-truth cruise, the camera sled housed two video cameras (one forward looking and the other vertical looking), a high-definition video camera, and an 8-megapixel digital still camera. The video was fed in real time to the research vessel, where USGS and NOAA scientists recorded both the geologic and biologic character of the seafloor into programmable keypads once every minute. In addition to recording the seafloor characteristics, a digital still photograph was captured once every 30 seconds. This ArcGIS shape file includes the position of the camera, the time each observation was started, and the visual observations of geologic and biologic habitat.

This part of DS 781 presents video observations from cruise S2210MB in northern California. The vector data file is included in "s2210mb_video_observations.zip," which is accessible from http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/video_observations/data_catalog_video_observations.html. Video observations from cruise S2210MB will be published in 24 future Scientific Investigations Maps in the California State Waters Map Series (namely, Offshore of Pigeon Point, Offshore of Scott Creek, Offshore of Santa Cruz, Offshore of Aptos, Monterey Canyon and Vicinity, Offshore of Seaside, Offshore Point Lobos, Offshore of Point Sur map areas). In 2006 and 2009, the seafloor in the Offshore of Pigeon Point, Offshore of Scott Creek, Offshore of Santa Cruz, Offshore of Aptos, Monterey Canyon and Vicinity, Offshore of Seaside, Offshore Point Lobos, Offshore of Point Sur in central California was mapped by California State University, Monterey Bay, Seafloor Mapping Lab (CSUMB) and by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), using both multibeam echosounders and bathymetric sidescan sonar units. These mapping missions combined to collect bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data from about the 10-m isobath to out beyond the 3-nautical-mile limit of California's State Waters. To validate the interpretations of sonar data in order to turn it into geologically and biologically useful information, the USGS ground-truth surveyed the data by towing camera sleds over specific locations throughout the region. During the 2012 ground-truth cruise, the camera sled housed two video cameras (one forward looking and the other vertical looking), a high-definition video camera, and an 8-megapixel digital still camera. The video was fed in real time to the research vessel, where USGS and NOAA scientists recorded both the geologic and biologic character of the seafloor into programmable keypads once every minute. In addition to recording the seafloor characteristics, a digital still photograph was captured once every 30 seconds. This ArcGIS shape file includes the position of the camera, the time each observation was started, and the visual observations of geologic and biologic habitat.