USGS CMG P-1-95-MB Metadata

Seafloor mapping in the offshore Ft Ord region
to characterize the nature of the seafloor morphology and geology

2-m bathymetry and acoustic imagery

175 square kilometers were swath-mapped covering most of the southern
Monterey Bay shelf with the exception of the outer shelf beyond 95 m water
depths; coverage included the shelf northwest of Monterey Peninsula. The data is
hampered by some noise problems due to rough weather and to patchiness in water
velocity distributions and to wave motion of the transducer vertically through
the thermocline.  2-meter, shaded-relief contour maps at 1:5000 have been
produced and the backscatter imagery maps are still in the data-processing
stage.

Associated activities:


  M-1-93-MB


  J-1-94-MB


  J-2-95-MB
  J-6-95-MB
  M-2-95-MB
  P-1-95-MB
  P-3-95-MB
  R-1-95-MB


  M-1-96-MB


  J-1-97-MB
  J-3-97-MB


  A-4-98-MB
  J-3-98-MB
  J-4-98-MB

(from USGS Bulletin 8/18/95)
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Project
was the beneficiary of a high-resolution multibeam bathymetric
survey last week as Humboldt State University's R/V PACIFIC
HUNTER mowed the grass on the southern Monterey Bay shelf. The 5-
day survey revealed a new trend of seafloor mounds in a north-south
alignment northward out from the Peninsula. A relationship to the
Monterey Bay fault zone is suggested by the linear edges of some of
these mounds, parallel to the Monterey Bay fault zone. Both swath
bathymetry and backscatter imagery were collected and gave
complimentary information about the seafloor geology. The
nearshore sand-bands/ribbons, previously mapped by Hunter et al,
were imaged in detail, as was the major pipeline south of the
Salinas River. Our crew of Steve Eittreim, Andy Stevenson and
Roberto Anima were coached by the visiting dean of multibeam,
Larry Mayer of the Univ. of New Brunswick, Canada. The Simrad EM-
1000 system, apparently the state of the art in multibeam bathy,
was in some contrast to the platform used: The PACIFIC HUNTER is a
1927 refitted 125-foot coast guard cutter recently given a new life
as research vessel, thanks to gargantuan efforts on the part of folks
at HSU. She will be berthed at Redwood City for a couple of weeks
before repair of one engine and the trek back to Humboldt Bay.

Eittreim, Stephen L., and Noble, Marlene, editors, 2002, Seafloor geology and
natural environment of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: Marine 
Geology, v
. 181
http://www.sciencedirect.com/


Journals > m > Marine Geology > Volumes 181 - 190 > Volume 181, Issues 1-3



Wong, F.L., and Eittreim, S.L., 2001, Continental Shelf GIS for the Monterey
Bay National Marine Sanctuary: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 01-179,
1 CDROM,
http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/
open-file/of01-179/