Coastal Single-Beam Bathymetry Data Collected in 2024 From Breton Island, Louisiana

As part of the restoration monitoring component of the Deepwater Horizon early restoration project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS SPCMSC) conducted single-beam and multibeam bathymetry surveys around Breton Island, Louisiana (LA), from August 5-10, 2024, for Field Activity Number (FAN) 2024-320-FA. The purpose of data collection was to measure submerged elevations and develop a digital elevation model of the seafloor around Breton Island. These data were collected as part of the Louisiana Outer Coast Restoration Construction Monitoring project supported by funding from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment - Deepwater Horizon Restoration Activities and, in combination with both previous and planned future surveys, can be used to evaluate elevation change following island restoration.

The survey area encompassed approximately 77 square kilometers (km2) of nearshore environment including the former Mississippi River to Gulf Outlet (MRGO) and submerged areas surrounding Breton Island. The single-beam bathymetry was acquired using two 12-foot personal watercraft (PWC) and a 20-foot power catamaran. All vessels were outfitted with high precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, motion reference units, and survey grade single-beam echosounders (SBES). Multibeam echosounder (MBES) data including the backscatter component and chirp seismic sub-bottom data were collected concurrently as part of FAN 2024-320-FA; those data are available as separate data releases: Bemelmans and others (2025); Forde and others (2025), respectively.

Bemelmans, C.B., Stalk, C.A., and Flocks, J.G., 2025, Coastal multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data collected in August 2024 from Breton Island, Louisiana: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P13BWAJC.

Forde, A.S., Stalk, C.A., and Flocks, J.G., 2025, Chirp sub-bottom profile geophysical data collected in 2024 offshore of Breton Island, Louisiana: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P13SMFT7.