USGS CMG 2010-018-FA Metadata

Two-icebreaker US-Canada experiment to identify the outer limits of the
extended continental shelf of each nation in the western Arctic Ocean.

Bathymetric maps;Sea floor map;
Bathymetric maps;
Sediment thickness maps

Collected 12 kHz Bathymetry (Simrad EM122) to identify the 2500 meter
contour on widely spaced tracklines.  Multichannel seismic profiles were
collected aboard the Louis St Laurent to map sediment thicknesses.

Start of October 28, 2010 email....]
From: bedwards 
Date: October 28, 2010 4:39:21 PM PDT
Subject: Arctic Cores: Workshop and other matters

All:

This email covers four topics:
    - Confirming the date of the workshop
    - Update on the status of the cores
    - Conceptualized activities at the workshop
        - Requesting input from you on your participation and specific cores of 
   interest.

Please include/invite other scientists who might be interested.

Workshop Dates:
Unless I receive strong comments to the contrary, we will hold the core workshop 
the week of 06December2010 (immediately prior to San Francisco AGU) at our 
offices in Menlo Park, CA. I'll send out specific information shortly.

Core Status:
We collected samples at five sites (see attached figures below). Strew slide 
descriptions of the bottom of each core are by John Barron (USGS). John's focus 
is on diatoms. I should have foram descriptions shortly after GSA.
    - Site 1: Piercement structure/mound (cores 1GB-1; 1P-1; 1TC-1)
                - 1GB-1: Poorly sorted subangular silt with dominant background clay 
        that resembles glacial flour. Some silt-sized brown angular fragments (may be 
       organic). Rare, poorly preserved sponge spicules. Barren of diatoms.
                - 1P-1: Very similar to 1GB-1 but with seemingly coarser clastic grains. 
       Barren of diatoms.
    - Site 2: Outcrop exposure near edge of Beaufort shelf (cores 2P-1; 2TC-1)
                - 2P-1: Poorly sorted, subangular to subrounded clastic silt fragments 
        in a clay matrix. Moderately common diatoms; moderate preservation (some 
        fragmentation).  AGE: likely late Pliocene ca. 2.3 to 1.7Ma. Lack of common sea 
       ice taxa indicative of relatively ice-free conditions.
    - Site 3: top of 2009 seamount (cores 3P-1; 3TC-1)
                - 3P-1: Poorly sorted, subangular silt with dominant background clay 
        which has many brown (organic?) particles. Rare calcareous? spheres (about 50 
       µm diameter). Some pollen grains. Barren of diatoms.
        - Site 4: Distal submarine fan channel (Mosher's site M02): Cores 4P-1; 
   4TC-1
                - 4P-1: Dominant subrounded clastic grains in a clay matrix. Barren of 
       diatoms.
    - Site 5: Site of opportunity (near WP37): Cores 5P-1; 5TC-1
                - 5P-1: No core catcher or core cutter sample is available. Therefore, 
        no biostratigraphic reconnaissance sample available for analysis until the 
        workshop (unless I receive very strong request(s) that a sample is taken from 
       the bottom of the core prior to the workshop).

The cores currently reside in our walk-in refrigerator in Menlo Park. Some 
jostling occurred during transport while at sea and during trucking the cores 
from Seattle, WA to Menlo Park, CA. That jostling plus two months of storage 
likely impacts the quality of the MSCL data. I am in the process of logging the 
cores with our MSCL and will send these data (Vp, gamma bulk density, magnetic 
susceptibility) when available. Should be early next week. Consistent with 
comments from our earlier email exchange, I will not split or photograph the 
cores until the core workshop.

Conceptualized Core Workshop Activities:
Because we are not splitting the cores until the workshop, I envision that:
        - the participants will work as a team to describe the working half (data to 
   be entered in our FileMakerPro database) of each core section. 
        - Meanwhile, the archive half will be cleaned and photographed using our 
    MSCL - I'll try to have someone on hand for this work. Otherwise, photography 
   will be done by workshop participants.
        - We will agree on subsamples (whole core prior to splitting as necessary), 
   our core curator (Brian Buczkowski) will properly record each request.
        - For consistency with the ECS Sample Policy, the HLY1002 SAG (Sample 
    Allocation Group) must authorize each request before sampling. For us, this is 
    an awkward condition and I will work with the SAG members for resolution prior 
   to the workshop. For HLY1002, the SAG members are:
        - myself (as cruise leader of HLY1002)
        - Barbara Moore (US Department of State)
        - Candace Major (NSF)
        - Andy Armstrong (NOAA; Arctic Integrated Regional Team (IRT) lead
        - Because of the need to describe each core section, I suspect the process 
   will be slow. Hence, I am reserving the entire week for this work.

Requesting your input to each of the three items below:
To best utilize your time at the workshop, I ask your response to each of the 
following:
    (1) Specify your core(s) of interest by core ID
    (2) Identify your ideal time (days) at the workshop. 
    (3) Will you be attending the workshop?

I am aware of, assume and/or suggest interest on the part of the following 
scientists. Please identify other interested scientists for each site.
    - Site 1: Tom Lorenson, John Pohlman, Pat Hart
    - Site 2: John Barron
        - Site 3: Dave Mosher, John Shimeld, Peta Mudie, Graham Williams, Rob 
   Fensome (I have no email information for the latter three scientists)
    - Site 4: Dave Mosher
    - Site 5: Dave Mosher

Suggested dates (I solicit your thoughts):
        Monday 06December: Site 1 (cores 1GB-1 [one section; 133 cm], 1P-1 [four 
   sections; 571 cm], and 1TC-1 [one section; 83 cm])
        Tuesday 07December: Site 2 (cores 2P-1 [three sections; 302 cm] and 2TC-1 
   [one section; 79 cm])
        Wednesday 08December: Site 3 (core 3P-1 [five sections; 494 cm]; 3TC-1 was 
   core catcher only)
        Thursday 09December: Site 4 (core 4P-1 [three sections; 337 cm]; 4TC-1 was core catcher only)
        Friday 10December; Site 5 (core 5P-1 [ four sections; 496 cm]; 5TC-1 [one 
   section, 15 cm])

4 Attachments:
[http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/h/h310ar/samp/h-3-10-ar.cores_map.pdf]
[http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/h/h310ar/samp/h-3-10-ar.cores_table.pdf]
[http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/h/h310ar/samp/h-3-10-ar.ecs003000-4.pdf]
[http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/h/h310ar/samp/h-3-10-ar.ecs003005-10.pdf]
[End of October 28, 2010 email.]


Law of the Sea - New Data Acquisition


Platform Owner:
U.S. Coast Guard


Sponsoring Office:
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center


Affiliate Principal and Organization (if any):
Brian Edwards, USGS-Menlo Park, CA


Number of days at sea:
34
 Major Center Equipment Required:
Bathymetry - 12 kHz


Navigation Methods:
gps;


Data Types:
Bathymetric, Seismic,


Degree of Certainty:
Certain


Continuous Data (in km):
8424


Number of Stations Occupied:
0


Number of Submersible Dives:
0


Related Web Sites:
http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2010/08/;
http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2010/08/fieldwork2.html;


Science Strategy:
Resources;


Notes:
Cruise list still be developed as of Feb. 2010.  No WHSC staff will be
aboard the Canadian ice breaker LOUIS S. ST. LAURENT (J. Childs,
USGS-Menlo Park, CA will be liaison aboard LOUIS).


Submitted By:
Deborah Hutchinson


Report Date:
2010-09-22

2921-0FQ80

USGS

Cooperative funding with NOAA