Seth Ackerman
Seth Ackerman is a geologist at the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center. He has worked with the Seafloor Mapping Group (SFMG) since 2003 and the Aerial Imaging and Mapping group (AIM) since 2018.
Science and Products
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...
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,...
Aerial Imaging and Mapping
The Aerial Imaging and Mapping group (AIM), at the U.S. Geological Survey Woods (USGS) Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center provides UAS services to scientists to advance the science mission of the Coastal and Marine Geology Program. Scientists at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center have been using UASs to acquire imagery of coastal and wetland environments, which is then used...
Aerial Imagery collected during unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) operations in Massachusetts and Maine between March 2018 - September 2018
Low-altitude (80 and 100 meters above ground level) digital images were collected at Sage Lot Pond in Waquoit, Massachusetts, two sites on the Mill River in Taunton, MA, Great Marsh in Barnstable, MA, the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in Wells, ME, and on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Quissett Campus in Woods Hole, MA using 3DR Solo unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) in...
High-resolution geophysical and geological data collected in Little Egg Inlet and offshore the southern end of Long Beach Island, NJ, during USGS Field Activities 2018-001-FA and 2018-049-FA
The natural resiliency of the New Jersey barrier island system, and the efficacy of management efforts to reduce vulnerability, depends on the ability of the system to recover and maintain equilibrium in response to storms and persistent coastal change. This resiliency is largely dependent on the availability of sand in the beach system.
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...
High-resolution geophysical data collected along the Delmarva Peninsula 2014, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2014-002-FA
Data collected during the 2014 cruise include swath bathymetry, sidescan sonar, chirp and boomer seismic-reflection profiles, acoustic Doppler current profiler, and sample and bottom photograph data. Processed data in raster and vector format are released here for the swath bathymetry, sidescan sonar, and seismic-reflection profiles.
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.
Sampling data collected in Ipswich Bay and Massachusetts Bay, Massachusetts, in 2012, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2012-035-FA
This dataset, collected aboard the Ocean Survey Vessel Bold as part of the Geologic Mapping of the Massachusetts Sea Floor Program. During the survey, surficial sediment samples and bottom still and video imagery were collected in Ipswich Bay and Massachusetts Bay, Massachusetts.
Aerial imagery and photogrammetric products from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flights over the Lake Ontario shoreline at Sodus Bay, New York, July 12 to 14, 2017
This data release includes images tagged with locations determined from the UAS GPS; tables with updated estimates of camera positions and attitudes based on the photogrammetric reconstruction; tables listing locations of the base stations, ground control points, and transect points; geolocated, RGB-colored point clouds; orthomosaic images; and digital elevation models for each of the regions...
Seismic reflection and sample data collected offshore of Fire Island, New York in 2014, U.S. Geological Field Activity 2014-009-FA
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a geophysical and sampling survey in October 2014 that focused on a series of shoreface-attached ridges offshore of western Fire Island, NY. Seismic-reflection data, surficial grab samples and bottom photographs and video were collected along the lower shoreface and inner continental shelf to assess the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the coastal region...
Sampling data collected in Cape Cod Bay, Buzzards Bay, and Vineyard Sound; south of Martha's Vineyard; and south and east of Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 2011, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2011-015-FA
These survey data are used to explore the nature of the sea floor and, in conjunction with high-resolution geophysical data, to make interpretive maps of sedimentary environments and validate acoustic remote sensing data.
High-resolution geophysical data collected along the Mississippi River Delta front offshore of southeastern Louisiana, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2017-003-FA
High resolution bathymetric, sea-floor backscatter, and seismic-reflection data were collected offshore of southeastern Louisiana aboard the research vessel Point Sur on May 19-26, 2017, in an effort to characterize mudflow hazards on the Mississippi River Delta front. The primary objective of this cruise was to assess the suitability of sea-floor mapping and shallow subsurface imaging tools...
Aerial imagery and photogrammetric products from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flights over the Lake Ontario shoreline at Braddock Bay, New York, July 10 to 11, 2017
Low-altitude (80-100 meters above ground level) digital images were obtained from a camera mounted on a 3DR Solo quadcopter, a small unmanned aerial system (UAS), in three locations along the Lake Ontario shoreline in New York during July 2017. These data were collected to document and monitor effects of high lake levels, including shoreline erosion, inundation, and property damage.
High-resolution geophysical data collected along the Delmarva Peninsula in 2015, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2015-001-FA
The Delmarva Peninsula is a 220-kilometer-long headland, spit, and barrier island complex that was significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy in the fall of 2012. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted cruises during the summers of 2014 and 2015 to map the inner continental shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula using geophysical and sampling techniques to define the geologic framework
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...
Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Foster, David S.; Andrews, Brian D.; Schwab, William C.; Brothers, Laura L.
High-resolution geophysical data collected along the Delmarva Peninsula 2014, U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity 2014-002-FA
The Delmarva Peninsula is a 220-kilometer-long headland, spit, and barrier island complex that was significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy. A U.S. Geological Survey cruise was conducted in the summer of 2014 to map the inner continental shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula using geophysical and sampling techniques to define the geologic framework...
Pendleton, Elizabeth; Ackerman, Seth D.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Danforth, William W.; Foster, David S.; Thieler, E. Robert; Brothers, Laura High-resolution geophysical data collected along the Delmarva Peninsula, 2014, USGS Field Activity 2014-002-FA
The Delmarva Peninsula is a 220-kilometer-long headland, spit, and barrier island complex that was significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy. A U.S. Geological Survey cruise was conducted in the summer of 2014 to map the inner continental shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula using geophysical and sampling techniques to define the geologic framework...
Pendleton, Elizabeth; Ackerman, Seth D.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Danforth, William W.; Foster, David S.; Thieler, E. Robert; Brothers, Laura L.
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...
Ackerman, Seth D.; Brothers, Laura L.; Foster, David S.; Andrews, Brian D.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Schwab, William C.
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...
Baldwin, Wayne E.; Foster, David S.; Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; Barnhardt, Walter A.; Schwab, William C.; Andrews, Brian D.; Ackerman, Seth D.
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,...
Pendleton, Elizabeth E.; Barnhardt, Walter A.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Foster, David S.; Schwab, William C.; Andrews, Brian D.; Ackerman, Seth D.
High-resolution geophysical data collected along the Delmarva Peninsula 2014, USGS Field Activity 2014-002-FA
The Delmarva Peninsula is a 220-kilometer-long headland, spit, and barrier island complex that was significantly affected by Hurricane Sandy. A USGS cruise was conducted in the summer of 2014 to map the inner-continental shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula using geophysical and sampling techniques to define the geologic framework that governs coastal...
Pendleton, Elizabeth E.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Danforth, William W.; Foster, David S.; Thieler, E. Robert; Brothers, Laura L.
Coastal and Marine Geology Program video and photograph portal
This portal contains U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) video and photography of the seafloor off of coastal California and Massachusetts, and aerial imagery of the coastline along segments of the Gulf of Mexico and mid-Atlantic coasts. These data were collected as part of several USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program Seafloor Mapping projects and...
Golden, Nadine E.; Ackerman, Seth D.
Geological sampling data and benthic biota classification: Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts
Sea-floor sample collection is an important component of a statewide cooperative mapping effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). Sediment grab samples, bottom photographs, and video transects were collected within Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay in 2010 aboard the research...
Ackerman, Seth D.; Pappal, Adrienne L.; Huntley, Emily C.; Blackwood, Dann S.; Schwab, William C.
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...
Foster, David S.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Barnhardt, Walter A.; Schwab, William C.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Andrews, Brian D.; Pendleton, Elizabeth A.
Bathymetry of the waters surrounding the Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts
The Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts that separate Vineyard Sound from Buzzards Bay are the remnants of a moraine (unconsolidated glacial sediment deposited at an ice sheet margin; Oldale and O’Hara, 1984). The most recent glacial ice retreat in this region occurred between 25,000 and 20,000 years ago, and the subsequent rise in sea level that...
Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; Andrews, Brian D.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Twichell, Dave
Sea-floor geology in northwestern Block Island Sound, Rhode Island
Multibeam-echosounder and sidescan-sonar data, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in a 69-square-kilometer area of northwestern Block Island Sound, are used with sediment samples, and still and video photography of the sea floor, collected by the U.S. Geological Survey at 43 stations within this area, to interpret the...
McMullen, Katherine Y.; Poppe, Lawrence J.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Blackwood, Dann S.; Woods, D.A.
Hurricane Sandy Aftermath: Determining the Vulnerability and Resilience of the New Jersey Barrier Island System
Hurricane Sandy, one of the most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history, significantly affected the mid Atlantic coast in 2012. In New Jersey, where Sandy made landfall, much of the coast consists of barrier islands - narrow stretches of sand deposited parallel to the mainland coast – that were deeply eroded, overwashed and in places breached by the storm.
The Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Aerial Imaging and Mapping Group Aids in Monitoring and Mapping the Kīlauea Volcanic Eruption
Interagency drone pilots from the USGS, Bureau of Land Management, and Office of Aviation Services, and four data managers, join the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in monitoring and mapping efforts of the eruption.
USGS and Army Corps of Engineers conduct simultaneous measurements at Sandy Neck beach, Cape Cod, MA
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Aerial Imaging and Mapping (AIM) group conducted drone flights from atop a dune at Sandy Neck (Cape Cod) while the Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX) aircraft collected data overhead.
SEABOSS Survey in Long Island Sound
Geological Sampling (videos, photos and sediment samples) in Long Island Sound on the newly stretched R/V Connecticut with scientist from USGS, UConn and Univ of New Haven
Gifts from the Sea
The USGS has completed the second phase of releasing thousands of photos and videos of the seafloor and coastline through their Coastal and Marine Video and Photography Portal.
Dive In – Explore Thousands of Coastal and Seafloor Images
Thousands of photos and videos of the seafloor and coastline—most areas never seen before—are now available and easily accessible online. This is critical for coastal managers to make important decisions, ranging from protecting habitats to understanding hazards and managing land use.