Archive of 15 cubic inch water gun data collected during USGS Cruise ALPH98013, New York Bight, 10-22, September, 1998

Background

This CD-ROM contains copies of the navigation and field water gun subbottom data collected aboard the F/V Alpha & Omega II. The USGS Cruise ALPH98013 was conducted from 10-22 September, 1998, and is a collaborative involving the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, New York District and the United States Geological SurveyCoastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Field Center.

In 1995, the USGS, in cooperation with the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), New York District, began a program to generate reconnaissance maps of the sea floor offshore of the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, one of the most populated coastal regions of the United States. The goal of this mapping program is to provide a regional synthesis of the sea-floor environment, including a description of sedimentary environments, sediment texture, sea-floor morphology, and geologic history to aid in understanding the impacts of anthropogenic activities, such as ocean dumping. This mapping effort differs from previous studies of this area by obtaining digital, sidescan sonar images that cover 100 percent of the sea floor.

This investigation was motivated by the need to develop an environmentally acceptable solution for the disposal of dredged material from the New York - New Jersey Port, by the need to identify potential sources of sand for renourishment of the southern shore of Long island, and by the opportunity to develop a better understanding of the transport and long-term fate of contaminants by investigations of the present distribution of materials discharged into the New York Bight over the last 100+ years (Schwab and others, 1997).

Sidescan-sonar data collected during USGS Cruises Seax95007 and Seax96004 (May 1995 and May 1996, respectively) were digitally mosaicked to provide a base suitable for use in Geographic Information Systems of the New York Bight Apex region. During USGS Cruise Alph98013, supplemental sidescan sonar and seismic reflection data were collected within the New York Bight Apex region, primarily to augment the seismic reflection portion of the mapping project. Additional sidescan sonar and seismic reflection data were collected east of the Seax95007 and Seax96004 survey areas. These data abut sidescan sonar and seismic reflection data collected off the Southern Long Island shoreline during USGS Cruises Dian96040, Dian97011, and Dian97032 (September 1996, May 1997, October 1997, respectively).