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Geophysical Data Collected off the South Shore of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts

January 30, 2010

The U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey offshore of the southern coast of Martha's Vineyard, in the vicinity of the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory in 2007. This mapping program was part of a larger research effort supporting the Office of Naval Research Ripples Directed-Research Initiative studies at Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory designed to improve our understanding of coastal sediment-transport processes. The survey was conducted aboard the Megan T. Miller August 9-13, 2007. The study area covers 35 square kilometers from about 0.2 kilometers to 5 kilometers offshore of the south shore of Martha's Vineyard, and ranges in depth from ~6 to 24 meters. The geophysical mapping utilized the following suite of high-resolution instrumentation to map the surficial sediment distribution, bathymetry, and sub-surface geology: a dual-frequency 100/500 kilohertz sidescan-sonar system, 234 kilohertz interferometric sonar, and 500 hertz -12 kilohertz chirp subbottom profiler. These geophysical data will be used to provide initial conditions for wave and circulation modeling within the study area.

Publication Year 2010
Title Geophysical Data Collected off the South Shore of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
DOI 10.3133/ofr20081288
Authors J. F. Denny, W. W. Danforth, D. S. Foster, C. R. Sherwood
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Open-File Report
Series Number 2008-1288
Index ID ofr20081288
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Woods Hole Science Center
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