NCCOS Mapping: Comprehensive Seafloor Substrate Mapping and Model Validation in the New York Bight from 2017-10-20 to 2019-03-27 (NCEI Accession 0204737)

This collection of benthic habitat mapping data is an inventory of hydrographic multibeam sonar surveys, georeferenced benthic photographs and video clips, seafloor morphometric analysis, and predictive models all collected in the New York Wind Energy Areas (NYWEA) designated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the Northeast Atlantic. These areas are located in a region known as the New York Bight, offshore of the New Jersey and Long Island, NY, coastlines. The multibeam data sets contain both bathymetry and backscatter data of the call areas from 2015-2018. Multibeam products were then processed into a series of topographic morphometrics using an R script and the Bathymetry and Reflectivity-based Estimator for Seafloor Segmentation (BRESS) tool. These products were used as predictions for local and regional substrate modeling and habitat characterization. HD underwater video, still photos, and sediment samples were collected in 2018 for ground validation (GV) and accuracy assessment (AA) of the predictive models. All of the seafloor imagery were analyzed and compiled into a comprehensive benthic habitat map of the NYWEA.