The NOS S/V Bay Hydrographer and NOS's Oxford Laboratory

Sun-illuminated side scan sonar mosaic of Diamond Shoal at the mouth of the Choptank River, Chesapeake Bay. The color and the elevation in the image are derived from the backscatter intensity. The image provides a baseline for scientists in the development of the Acoustic Seafloor Classification System (ASCS).

Friday, December 10 and Monday, December 13, the NOS S/V BAY HYDROGRAPHER helped Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) scientists from NOS's Cooperative Oxford Laboratory characterize the bay bottom in two areas off the mouth of the Choptank River, along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Using state-of-the art side scan and multibeam sonar equipment and on-board image processing capabilities, the vessel's crew developed mosaic images that provide a baseline for the Oxford scientists in their development of the Acoustic Seafloor Classification System (ASCS). The mosaic for Diamond Shoal, one of the areas surveyed, is available for downloading (please note it is a large file) at 1p2m-diamond.zip.

One of the applications of the ASCS will be to identify and map surface and buried oyster shell resources in the bay. The December outing by the BAY HYDROGRAPHER augmented work initiated with the Oxford Laboratory in June 1999, and is part of a larger effort to explore non-traditional, synergistic opportunities with state and federal resource agencies. In addition to working with the Oxford Laboratory, in June 1999 the BAY HYDROGRAPHER mapped some areas of interest to MDNR staff involved in the oyster replenishment program. These mapping efforts mark the first time NOS has applied its navigational surveying capabilities for resource management purposes in the Chesapeake Bay. (Contact R. Schneider, OCRM, 301-713 3132, x123 and LT D. Haines, OCS, 301-713-2698, x112)