USGS CMG C-1-94-NC Metadata

To ground-truth sidescan interpretation of location of barrels of radioactive 
waste.

Ground-truthed visually using video camera and direct observation via Sea CLiff.

Data is archived at US Navy, San Bruno and
         Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
         Metadata in USGS database 9/7/94

      (following is modified from 7/29/94 USGS Bulletin & Aug 1994 GD News)
            During World War II, the Farallones were shot at for gunnery practice and 
     a
            lot of military garbage ended up being dumped around them.  Later, about 
     70,000
      barrels of low-level radioactive waste was dumped there too.
            Thursday, 7/28/94, Herman Karl joined the Laney Chouest (support vessel 
     for
      the DSV Sea Cliff) at Alameda Naval Air Station.  He will be using the DSV
            Sea Cliff to look for the barrels of radioactive waste west of the Farallon
      Islands. This is being done to ground-truth our interpretations of barrels
            on the sidescan sonar images. We have provided sidescan images and 
     locations
      of possible barrels to guide the dive and ROV searches. The cruise is
            sponsored by and in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. Representatives from the
      Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and NOAA's Hazardous
            Materials Response Branch are also participating as part of our 
     cooperative
            research project in the marine sanctuary. The second priority of the cruise
            is to dive in Pioneer Canyon, and the third priority is to dive on what 
     might
            be the USS Independence -- an aircraft carrier blasted and irradiated 
     during
      the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests and then scuttled over the continental
            slope west of the Farallon Islands. So far, our interpretations of the 
     SeaMarc
            IA side scan have been right on, and we've directed the submersible to targets
            (condition of barrels range from virtually intact to completely 
     disintegrated),
      and a dive in Pioneer Canyon has allowed biologists to see lifestyles of
      organizms previously known only from dead specimens.  Rough weather has
            prevented us from verifying a large target thought to be the USS 
     Independence,
      but we'll keep trying.

DSV Sea Cliff and Advanced Tethered Vehicle (ATV) were used.