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David S Foster

Dave Foster is a Data Integration and Analysis Geologist with the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Seafloor Mapping group. 

Science and Products

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Image showing bathymetry of the southern Gulf of Maine with MA coastal zone boundary

Geologic Mapping of the Massachusetts Seafloor

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is conducting geologic mapping of the sea floor to characterize the surface and shallow subsurface geologic framework within the Massachusetts coastal zone. The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-resolution geologic maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) that will...
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Geologic Mapping of the Massachusetts Seafloor

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is conducting geologic mapping of the sea floor to characterize the surface and shallow subsurface geologic framework within the Massachusetts coastal zone. The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-resolution geologic maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) that will...
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Tracklines map

Hurricane Sandy Response- Linking the Delmarva Peninsula's Geologic Framework to Coastal Vulnerability

The Delmarva Peninsula is a 220-kilometer-long headland, spit, and barrier island complex that was significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy. In order to better constrain controls on coastal vulnerability and evolution, the region’s sediment sources, transport pathways and sediment sinks must be identified. This project defines the geologic framework of the Delmarva coastal system through...
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricanes
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Hurricane Sandy Response- Linking the Delmarva Peninsula's Geologic Framework to Coastal Vulnerability

The Delmarva Peninsula is a 220-kilometer-long headland, spit, and barrier island complex that was significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy. In order to better constrain controls on coastal vulnerability and evolution, the region’s sediment sources, transport pathways and sediment sinks must be identified. This project defines the geologic framework of the Delmarva coastal system through...
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Graphic showing the geophysical systems used to map the seafloor surface and underlying structure, and sampling instruments

Sea Floor Mapping Group

The Sea Floor Mapping Group (SFMG) is a core capability at the Woods Hole Coastal & Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) that provides support for coastal, lacustrine and marine geologic research. The staff has a wide-range of expertise and is responsible for geophysical and sampling data acquisition, processing, interpretation and publication, logistics, design, and research and development. SFMG has...
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Hurricane Sandy
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Sea Floor Mapping Group

The Sea Floor Mapping Group (SFMG) is a core capability at the Woods Hole Coastal & Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) that provides support for coastal, lacustrine and marine geologic research. The staff has a wide-range of expertise and is responsible for geophysical and sampling data acquisition, processing, interpretation and publication, logistics, design, and research and development. SFMG has...
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Filter Total Items: 16

High-resolution geophysical and geological data collected from outer Cape Cod, Massachusetts during USGS Field Activity 2021-004-FA

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) completed a bathymetric and shallow seismic-reflection survey during the period of June 9, 2021 to June 24, 2021 in water depths from 2 m to 30 m for a portion of the outer Cape Cod nearshore environment between Marconi and Nauset Beaches. The products from this survey will help to support white shark research
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Geospatial data layers of shallow geology from the inner continental shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula, including Maryland and Virginia state waters

Geologic structure and isopach maps were constructed by interpreting over 19,890 trackline kilometers of co-located multichannel boomer, sparker and chirp seismic reflection profiles from the continental shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula, including Maryland and Virginia state waters. In this region, Brothers and others (2020) interpret 12 seismic units and 11 regional unconformities. They interpret
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution geophysical data collected in Nantucket Sound Massachusetts in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal, during USGS Field Activity 2022-001-FA

In June 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, collected high-resolution geophysical data, in Nantucket Sound to understand the regional geology in the vicinity of Horseshoe Shoal. This effort is part of a long-term collaboration between the USGS and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to map the State’s waters, support research o
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution geophysical and geological data collected in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts during USGS Field Activities 2019-002-FA and 2019-034-FA (ver. 2.0, September 2022)

Accurate data and maps of sea floor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine resources, and assessing environmental changes due to natural or human impacts. To address these concerns the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), comprehensively mapped the Cape Cod Bay sea floor to characterize
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Multichannel seismic-reflection and navigation data collected using SIG ELC1200 and Applied Acoustics Delta Sparkers and Geometrics GeoEel digital streamers during USGS field activity 2020-014-FA.

In March 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez (UPRM) Department of Marine Sciences conducted a marine seismic-reflection experiment focused on observing geophysical evidence of submarine faulting and mass wasting related to the southwestern Puerto Rico seismic sequence of 2019-20. The seismic sequence culminated with a magnitude 6.4 earthquake centered beneat
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Split-beam Echo Sounder and Navigation Data Collected Using a Simrad EK80 Wide Band Tranceiver and ES38-10 Transducer During the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX), USGS Field Activity 2018-002-FA.

In summer 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the U.S Department of Energy and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to conduct the Mid-Atlantic Resources Imaging Experiment (MATRIX) as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Gas Hydrates Project. The field program objectives were to acquire high-resolution 2-dimensional multichannel seismic-reflection and split-beam echosounder data along
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Multichannel Seismic-Reflection and Navigation Data Collected Using Sercel GI Guns and Geometrics GeoEel Digital Streamers During the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX), USGS Field Activity 2018-002-FA

In summer 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the U.S Department of Energy and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to conduct the Mid-Atlantic Resources Imaging Experiment (MATRIX) as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Gas Hydrates Project. The field program objectives were to acquire high-resolution 2-dimensional multichannel seismic-reflection and split-beam echosounder data along
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution geophysical data collected in the vicinity of Buffalo Reef, Michigan, within Lake Superior, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2018-043-FA

In September 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, conducted high-resolution geophysical mapping and sediment sampling to determine the distribution of historical mine tailings on the floor of Lake Superior. Large amounts of waste material from copper mining, locally known as "stamp sands," were dumped into the lake in the early 20th century, wit
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution geophysical and sampling data collected off Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, Massachusetts, 2016

Geophysical and geological survey data were collected off Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, Massachusetts, in May and July 2016. Approximately 130 linear kilometers of subbottom (seismic-reflection) and 234-kilohertz interferometric sonar (bathymetric and backscatter) data were collected along with sediment samples, sea floor photographs, and (or) video at 26 sites within the geophysical survey area. S
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Geospatial Data Layers of Shallow Geology, Sea-Floor Texture, and Physiographic Zones from the Inner Continental Shelf of Martha's Vineyard from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, and Nantucket from Eel Point to Great Point

Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor south and west of Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts. These maps were derived from interpretations of seismic-reflection profiles, high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, bottom photographs, and surficial sediment samples. The interpretation of the seismic stratigraphy and ma
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution geophysical data collected in Lake Powell, Utah-Arizona, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2017-049-FA

High-resolution geophysical mapping of Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah and Arizona was conducted between October 8 and November 15, 2017, as part of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation to provide high-quality data needed to reassess the area-capacity tables for the Lake Powell reservoir. Seismic data collected duri
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution geophysical and sampling data collected at the mouth of Connecticut River, Old Saybrook to Essex, 2012, USGS Field Activity 2012-024-FA

A geophysical and geological survey was conducted at the mouth of Connecticut River from Old Saybrook to Essex, CT in September 2012. Approximately 227 linear-km of digital Chirp sub bottom (seismic-reflection) and 234-kHz interferometric sonar (bathymetric and backscatter) data were collected along with sediment samples, river-bed photographs and/or video at eighty-seven sites within the geophys
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, USGS Science in Long Island Sound and its Watershed
Filter Total Items: 36

Contributions to uncertainty in runup forecasts

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides operational forecasts of total water levels (TWL) and coastal change. Uncertainties around forecast TWL are based on the temporal and spatial range of observed beach slopes near the forecast site. This paper investigates other sources of uncertainty that are not accounted for, focusing on four beaches where the USGS has deployed remote cameras, and on out
Authors
Christopher R. Sherwood, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Peter A. Traykovski, Jin-Si R. Over, Erin Lyons, David S. Foster, Jennifer L. Miselis, Timothy Nelson, Erdinc Sogut
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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Contributions to uncertainty in runup forecasts

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides operational forecasts of total water levels (TWL) and coastal change. Uncertainties around forecast TWL are based on the temporal and spatial range of observed beach slopes near the forecast site. This paper investigates other sources of uncertainty that are not accounted for, focusing on four beaches where the USGS has deployed remote cameras, and on out
Authors
Christopher R. Sherwood, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Peter A. Traykovski, Jin-Si R. Over, David S. Foster, Jennifer L. Miselis, Tim Nelson, Erdinc Sogut
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Processes controlling coastal erosion along Cape Cod Bay, MA

Cape Cod Bay, MA, is a semi-enclosed embayment in the northeastern United States, open on the north to the Gulf of Maine. The coastline experiences impacts typically from strong Nor’easter storms that occur in the late fall or winter months, with some sections of this coastline being affected more severely than others. We investigate the processes that cause spatial variability in storm impacts by
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John C. Warner, Laura L. Brothers, Emily A. Himmelstoss, Christopher R. Sherwood, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, David S. Foster, Amy S. Farris
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Mature diffuse tectonic block boundary revealed by the 2020 southwestern Puerto Rico seismic sequence

Distributed faulting typically tends to coalesce into one or a few faults with repeated deformation. The progression of clustered medium-sized (≥Mw4.5) earthquakes during the 2020 seismic sequence in southwestern Puerto Rico (SWPR), modeling shoreline subsidence from InSAR, and sub-seafloor mapping by high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, suggest that the 2020 SWPR seismic sequence was dist

Authors
Uri S. ten Brink, L Vanacore, E. J. Fielding, Jason Chaytor, A.M. Lopez-Venegas, Wayne E. Baldwin, David S. Foster, Brian D. Andrews
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Molluscan aminostratigraphy of the US Mid-Atlantic Quaternary coastal system: Implications for onshore-offshore correlation, paleochannel and barrier island evolution, and local late Quaternary sea-level history

The Quaternary record of the US Mid-Atlantic coastal system includes onshore emergent late Pleistocene shoreline deposits, offshore inner shelf and barrier island units, and paleovalleys formed during multiple glacial stage sea-level lowstands. The geochronology of this coastal system is based on uranium series, radiocarbon, amino acid racemization (AAR), and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL
Authors
John Wehmiller, Laura L. Brothers, Kelvin Ramsey, David S. Foster, C.R. Mattheus, Christopher Hein, Justin L. Shawler
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Seismic stratigraphic framework of the continental shelf offshore Delmarva, U.S.A.: Implications for Mid-Atlantic Bight evolution since the Pliocene

Understanding how past coastal systems have evolved is critical to predicting future coastal change. Using over 12,000 trackline kilometers of recently collected, co-located multi-channel boomer, sparker and chirp seismic reflection profile data integrated with previously collected borehole and vibracore data, we define the upper (< 115 m below mean lower low water) seismic stratigraphic framework
Authors
Laura L. Brothers, David S. Foster, Elizabeth A. Pendleton, Wayne E. Baldwin
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Measurement of sounds emitted by certain high-resolution geophysical survey systems

Scientific questions regarding the impact of anthropomorphic noise in the marine environment have resulted in an increasing number of regulatory requirements and precautionary mitigation strategies to reduce the risks associated with high-resolution marine geophysical surveys performed in waters subjected to government jurisdiction. An example of regulatory frameworks includes the Marine Mammal Pr
Authors
Steven E Crocker, Frank D Fratantonio, Patrick E. Hart, David S. Foster, Thomas F. O'Brien, Stanley Labak
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, Martha’s Vineyard, and Eel Point to Great Point, Nantucket, Massachusetts

A series of interpretive maps that describe the shallow geology, distribution, and texture of sea-floor sediments, and physiographic zones of the sea floor along the south and west shores of Martha’s Vineyard and the north shore of Nantucket, Massachusetts, were produced by using high-resolution geophysical data (interferometric and multibeam swath bathymetry, light detection and ranging (lidar) b
Authors
Elizabeth A. Pendleton, Wayne E. Baldwin, Seth D. Ackerman, David S. Foster, Brian D. Andrews, William C. Schwab, Laura L. Brothers
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution geophysical data from the Inner Continental Shelf: South of Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management have cooperated to map approximately 185 square kilometers of the inner continental shelf south of Martha’s Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts. This report contains geophysical data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during a survey in 2013. The geophysical data include (1) swath bathymetry collecte
Authors
Seth D. Ackerman, Laura L. Brothers, David S. Foster, Brian D. Andrews, Wayne E. Baldwin, William C. Schwab
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, Massachusetts

Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, Massachusetts. These maps were derived from interpretations of seismic-reflection profiles, high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, bottom photographs/video, and surficial sediment samples collected within the 494-square-kilometer study area. Interpretati
Authors
Wayne E. Baldwin, David S. Foster, Elizabeth A. Pendleton, Walter A. Barnhardt, William C. Schwab, Brian D. Andrews, Seth D. Ackerman
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Sea-floor texture and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Salisbury to Nahant, Massachusetts, including the Merrimack Embayment and Western Massachusetts Bay

A series of maps that describe the distribution and texture of sea-floor sediments and physiographic zones of Massachusetts State waters from Nahant to Salisbury, Massachusetts, including western Massachusetts Bay, have been produced by using high-resolution geophysical data (interferometric and multibeam swath bathymetry, lidar bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic reflection profiles),
Authors
Elizabeth E. Pendleton, Walter A. Barnhardt, Wayne E. Baldwin, David S. Foster, William C. Schwab, Brian D. Andrews, Seth D. Ackerman
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. These maps were derived from interpretations of seismic-reflection profiles, high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, bottom photographs, and surficial sediment samples. The interpretation of the seismic stratigraphy and mapping of glacial and Holocene marine units
Authors
David S. Foster, Wayne E. Baldwin, Walter A. Barnhardt, William C. Schwab, Seth D. Ackerman, Brian D. Andrews, Elizabeth A. Pendleton
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

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