Deck shot of M/V Scarlett Isabella
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 successfully supported Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources Program research for more than 25 years.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Science Applications
SFMG uses acoustic and optical techniques to acquire detailed geologic information about the sea floor, such as seabed topography, sediment composition and distribution, and underlying geologic structure. This information defines the geologic framework and provides a base for a wide-range of USGS research.
Each year the SFMG supports dozens of research efforts, most recently including: gas hydrate and methane/carbon dioxide flux along the Atlantic margin; landslide and tsunami hazards along the mid-Atlantic and New England passive margin and the southeast Alaska active margin; characterization of mudflow hazards along the Mississippi River Delta Front; dive support for biological invasive species studies and benthic habitat studies; sediment characterization within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary; field observations in support of sea-level rise storm response studies along the east coast; and mapping lake floor topography and underlying stratigraphy in support of natural resource management within western reservoirs and Great Lakes.
Sea Floor Mapping Capabilities
SFMG maintains a suite of instruments used to map the seafloor surface and underlying structure in shallow to deep-water environments. These instruments include: multibeam, single-beam, and split beam echo sounders, sidescan-sonar, phase differencing bathymetric sonar, single- and multichannel seismic-reflection systems, and sample equipment designed to collect sediment samples, still photographs, and/or video images of the sea floor.
SFMG is a diverse team of marine electronics technicians, engineers, geologists, physical scientists, geographers, and visual and imaging specialists. This group has expertise in collecting, processing and interpreting geophysical and sample data in lacustrine, coastal and marine environments.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
SFMG staff regularly collaborates with scientists at Universities, federal and state agencies, and the private sector to support collaborative research, and to help develop new software and hardware remote sensing techniques.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 27
Deck of M/V Scarlett Isabella
Sediment Sampling for Gas Hydrate
USGS scientists collect sediment samples in a gas hydrates area during a cruise on the U.S. Atlantic margin in 2015.
USGS scientists collect sediment samples in a gas hydrates area during a cruise on the U.S. Atlantic margin in 2015.
Lobster
Digital still photograph from Ipswich Bay near Salisbury, MA, showing a lobster, sponges, and brachiopods, on cobbles and ledge covered with bubblegum algae and red filamentous algae. A thin veneer of coarse sand and gravelly sediment partially cover the rocks. Water depth at this location is approximately 24 meters.
Digital still photograph from Ipswich Bay near Salisbury, MA, showing a lobster, sponges, and brachiopods, on cobbles and ledge covered with bubblegum algae and red filamentous algae. A thin veneer of coarse sand and gravelly sediment partially cover the rocks. Water depth at this location is approximately 24 meters.
R/V Rafael
The R/V Rafael performs nearshore geophysical surveys, and includes high resolution sub-bottom profiling, sidescan sonar, and multibeam echosounding in its arsenal of survey capabilities.
The R/V Rafael performs nearshore geophysical surveys, and includes high resolution sub-bottom profiling, sidescan sonar, and multibeam echosounding in its arsenal of survey capabilities.
Starfish, seastars, blood stars
Digital still photograph from Massachusetts Bay near Cohasset, MA, showing seastars (Asterias sp.), blood stars (Henricia sanguinolenta), blood drop tunicates (Dendrodoa carnea), mussels, and barnacles on cobbles and boulders covered with bubblegum algae and red filamentous algae. Water depth at this location is approximately 19.6 meters.
Digital still photograph from Massachusetts Bay near Cohasset, MA, showing seastars (Asterias sp.), blood stars (Henricia sanguinolenta), blood drop tunicates (Dendrodoa carnea), mussels, and barnacles on cobbles and boulders covered with bubblegum algae and red filamentous algae. Water depth at this location is approximately 19.6 meters.
Lab setup aboard R/V Gyre
Lab setup aboard R/V Gyre in the Gulf of Mexico from the 2003 field season. Computers, recorders, and other electronic gear are securely mounted in racks or on tabletops and shelving for stability in rolling seas and for access.
Lab setup aboard R/V Gyre in the Gulf of Mexico from the 2003 field season. Computers, recorders, and other electronic gear are securely mounted in racks or on tabletops and shelving for stability in rolling seas and for access.
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 successfully supported Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources Program research for more than 25 years.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Science Applications
SFMG uses acoustic and optical techniques to acquire detailed geologic information about the sea floor, such as seabed topography, sediment composition and distribution, and underlying geologic structure. This information defines the geologic framework and provides a base for a wide-range of USGS research.
Each year the SFMG supports dozens of research efforts, most recently including: gas hydrate and methane/carbon dioxide flux along the Atlantic margin; landslide and tsunami hazards along the mid-Atlantic and New England passive margin and the southeast Alaska active margin; characterization of mudflow hazards along the Mississippi River Delta Front; dive support for biological invasive species studies and benthic habitat studies; sediment characterization within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary; field observations in support of sea-level rise storm response studies along the east coast; and mapping lake floor topography and underlying stratigraphy in support of natural resource management within western reservoirs and Great Lakes.
Sea Floor Mapping Capabilities
SFMG maintains a suite of instruments used to map the seafloor surface and underlying structure in shallow to deep-water environments. These instruments include: multibeam, single-beam, and split beam echo sounders, sidescan-sonar, phase differencing bathymetric sonar, single- and multichannel seismic-reflection systems, and sample equipment designed to collect sediment samples, still photographs, and/or video images of the sea floor.
SFMG is a diverse team of marine electronics technicians, engineers, geologists, physical scientists, geographers, and visual and imaging specialists. This group has expertise in collecting, processing and interpreting geophysical and sample data in lacustrine, coastal and marine environments.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
SFMG staff regularly collaborates with scientists at Universities, federal and state agencies, and the private sector to support collaborative research, and to help develop new software and hardware remote sensing techniques.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 27
Deck of M/V Scarlett Isabella
Deck shot of M/V Scarlett Isabella
Sediment Sampling for Gas Hydrate
USGS scientists collect sediment samples in a gas hydrates area during a cruise on the U.S. Atlantic margin in 2015.
USGS scientists collect sediment samples in a gas hydrates area during a cruise on the U.S. Atlantic margin in 2015.
Lobster
Digital still photograph from Ipswich Bay near Salisbury, MA, showing a lobster, sponges, and brachiopods, on cobbles and ledge covered with bubblegum algae and red filamentous algae. A thin veneer of coarse sand and gravelly sediment partially cover the rocks. Water depth at this location is approximately 24 meters.
Digital still photograph from Ipswich Bay near Salisbury, MA, showing a lobster, sponges, and brachiopods, on cobbles and ledge covered with bubblegum algae and red filamentous algae. A thin veneer of coarse sand and gravelly sediment partially cover the rocks. Water depth at this location is approximately 24 meters.
R/V Rafael
The R/V Rafael performs nearshore geophysical surveys, and includes high resolution sub-bottom profiling, sidescan sonar, and multibeam echosounding in its arsenal of survey capabilities.
The R/V Rafael performs nearshore geophysical surveys, and includes high resolution sub-bottom profiling, sidescan sonar, and multibeam echosounding in its arsenal of survey capabilities.
Starfish, seastars, blood stars
Digital still photograph from Massachusetts Bay near Cohasset, MA, showing seastars (Asterias sp.), blood stars (Henricia sanguinolenta), blood drop tunicates (Dendrodoa carnea), mussels, and barnacles on cobbles and boulders covered with bubblegum algae and red filamentous algae. Water depth at this location is approximately 19.6 meters.
Digital still photograph from Massachusetts Bay near Cohasset, MA, showing seastars (Asterias sp.), blood stars (Henricia sanguinolenta), blood drop tunicates (Dendrodoa carnea), mussels, and barnacles on cobbles and boulders covered with bubblegum algae and red filamentous algae. Water depth at this location is approximately 19.6 meters.
Lab setup aboard R/V Gyre
Lab setup aboard R/V Gyre in the Gulf of Mexico from the 2003 field season. Computers, recorders, and other electronic gear are securely mounted in racks or on tabletops and shelving for stability in rolling seas and for access.
Lab setup aboard R/V Gyre in the Gulf of Mexico from the 2003 field season. Computers, recorders, and other electronic gear are securely mounted in racks or on tabletops and shelving for stability in rolling seas and for access.