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Scientific literature and information products produced by Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center staff

Filter Total Items: 1691

Ocean and coastal data management

We introduce data management concepts, including what we mean by "data" and its "management," sources of data, interoperability, and data geometry. We then discuss various components of a data management system. Finally, we summarize some existing ocean and coastal data management efforts. We make specific recommendations throughout the paper. We are generally optimistic that ocean and coastal dat
Authors
Jeff de La Beaujardière, C Beegle-Krause, Luis Bermudez, Steven C. Hankin, Lisa Hazard, Eoin Howlett, Steven Le, Roger Proctor, Richard P. Signell, Derrick P. Snowden, Julie Thomas

Standard-target calibration of an acoustic backscatter system

The standard-target method used to calibrate scientific echo sounders and other scientific sonars by a single, solid elastic sphere is being adapted to acoustic backscatter (ABS) systems. Its first application, to the AQUAscat 1000, is described. The on-axis sensitivity and directional properties of transducer beams at three operating frequencies, nominally 1, 2.5, and 4 MHz, have been determined
Authors
Kenneth G. Foote, Marinna A. Martini

Chemical and isotopic signature of bulk organic matter and hydrocarbon biomarkers within mid-slope accretionary sediments of the northern Cascadia margin gas hydrate system

The chemical and isotopic compositions of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) from two mid-slope sites of the northern Cascadia margin were investigated during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 311 to elucidate the organic matter origins and identify potential microbial contributions to SOM. Gas hydrate is present at both locations (IODP Sites U1327 and U1328), with distinct pattern
Authors
Masanori Kaneko, Hiroshi Shingai, John W. Pohlman, Hiroshi Naraoka

The national assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts

Sandy ocean beaches are a popular recreational destination, often surrounded by communities containing valuable real estate. Development is on the rise despite the fact that coastal infrastructure is subjected to flooding and erosion. As a result, there is an increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present shoreline changes. The U.S. Geological Survey's National Assessment of
Authors
Emily A. Himmelstoss, Meredith G. Kratzmann, Cheryl Hapke, E. Robert Thieler, Jeffrey List

Coastal vulnerability assessment of the Northern Gulf of Mexico to sea-level rise and coastal change

A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise along the Northern Gulf of Mexico from Galveston, TX, to Panama City, FL. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change
Authors
E.A. Pendleton, J.A. Barras, S.J. Williams, D. C. Twichell

Regional seismic stratigraphy and controls on the Quaternary evolution of the Cape Hatteras region of the Atlantic passive margin, USA

Seismic and core data, combined with amino acid racemization and strontium-isotope age data, enable the definition of the Quaternary stratigraphic framework and recognition of geologic controls on the development of the modern coastal system of North Carolina, U.S.A. Seven regionally continuous high amplitude reflections are defined which bound six seismic stratigraphic units consisting of multipl
Authors
D. J. Mallinson, S.J. Culver, S.R. Riggs, E. R. Thieler, D. Foster, J. Wehmiller, K.M. Farrell, J. Pierson

Tectonic controls on nearshore sediment accumulation and submarine canyon morphology offshore La Jolla, Southern California

CHIRP seismic and swath bathymetry data acquired offshore La Jolla, California provide an unprecedented three-dimensional view of the La Jolla and Scripps submarine canyons. Shore-parallel patterns of tectonic deformation appear to control nearshore sediment thickness and distribution around the canyons. These shore-parallel patterns allow the impact of local tectonic deformation to be separated f
Authors
Nicolas Le Dantec, Leah J. Hogarth, Neal W. Driscoll, Jeffrey M. Babcock, Walter A. Barnhardt, William C. Schwab

Aminostratigraphy of surface and subsurface Quaternary sediments, North Carolina coastal plain, USA

The Quaternary stratigraphy and geochronology of the Albemarle Embayment of the North Carolina (NC) Coastal Plain is examined using amino acid racemization (AAR) in marine mollusks, in combination with geophysical, lithologic, and biostratigraphic analysis of 28 rotasonic cores drilled between 2002 and 2006. The Albemarle Embayment is bounded by structural highs to the north and south, and Quatern
Authors
John F. Wehmiller, E. Robert Thieler, D. Miller, V. Pellerito, Keeney V. Bakeman, S.R. Riggs, S. Culver, D. Mallinson, K.M. Farrell, L.L. York, J. Pierson, P.R. Parham

Reconnaissance dating: a new radiocarbon method applied to assessing the temporal distribution of Southern Ocean deep-sea corals

We have developed a rapid 'reconnaissance' method of preparing graphite for 14C/12C analysis. Carbonate (~15 mg) is combusted using an elemental analyzer and the resulting CO2 is converted to graphite using a sealed tube zinc reduction method. Over 85% (n=45 replicates on twenty-one individual corals) of reconnaissance ages measured on corals ranging in age from 500 to 33,000 radiocarbon years (Ry
Authors
Andrea Burke, Laura F. Robinson, Ann P. McNichol, William J. Jenkins, Kathryn M. Scanlon, Dana S. Gerlach

Parametric study of the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sand, silt, and clay sediments: 1. Electromagnetic properties

The marked decrease in bulk electrical conductivity of sediments in the presence of gas hydrates has been used to interpret borehole electrical resistivity logs and, to a lesser extent, the results of controlled source electromagnetic surveys to constrain the spatial distribution and predicted concentration of gas hydrate in natural settings. Until now, an exhaustive laboratory data set that could
Authors
J.Y. Lee, J.C. Santamarina, C. Ruppel

Parametric study of the physical properties of hydrate‐bearing sand, silt, and clay sediments: 2. Small‐strain mechanical properties

The small‐strain mechanical properties (e.g., seismic velocities) of hydrate‐bearing sediments measured under laboratory conditions provide reference values for calibration of logging and seismic exploration results acquired in hydrate‐bearing formations. Instrumented cells were designed for measuring the compressional (P) and shear (S) velocities of sand, silts, and clay with and without hydrate
Authors
J.Y. Lee, F.M. Francisca, J.C. Santamarina, C. Ruppel

Physical properties of hydrate‐bearing sediments

Methane gas hydrates, crystalline inclusion compounds formed from methane and water, are found in marine continental margin and permafrost sediments worldwide. This article reviews the current understanding of phenomena involved in gas hydrate formation and the physical properties of hydrate‐bearing sediments. Formation phenomena include pore‐scale habit, solubility, spatial variability, and host
Authors
William F. Waite, J.C. Santamarina, D.D. Cortes, Brandon Dugan, D.N. Espinoza, J. Germaine, J. Jang, J.W. Jung, T.J. Kneafsey, H. Shin, K. Soga, William J. Winters, T.S. Yun