Autonomous Surface Vehicle Sidescan-sonar mosaic from St. Vincent Bar, Apalachicola Bay, Florida (ASV175.TIF)

These data were collected under a cooperative mapping program between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center (NOAA\CSC), and the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). The primary objectives of this program were to collect marine geophysical data to develop a suite of seafloor maps to better define the extent of oyster habitats, the overall seafloor geology of the bay and provide updated information for management of this resource. In addition to their value for management of the bay's oyster resources, the maps also provide a geologic framework for scientific research and the public.
High resolution bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic profile data were collected over a 230 square kilometers of the floor of the bay. The study focused on the Apalachicola Bay and Western St. George Sound portions of the estuary mostly in depths > 2.0 meters.

本数据集采集自美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey, USGS）、美国国家海洋和大气管理局海岸服务中心（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center, NOAA CSC）与阿巴拉契科拉国家河口研究保护区（Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, NERR）联合开展的合作测绘项目。本项目的核心目标为采集海洋地球物理数据，以构建一套海底地图集，进而更精准地划定牡蛎栖息地的分布范围、明确海湾整体海底地质特征，并为该资源的管理提供更新后的支撑信息。除服务于海湾牡蛎资源的管理工作外，这套地图还可为科学研究与公众科普提供地质框架支撑。
研究团队在该海湾230平方千米的海底区域采集了高分辨率测深数据、反向散射强度数据与地震剖面数据。本次研究聚焦于河口范围内的阿巴拉契科拉湾与圣乔治湾西部海域，作业区域水深大多超过2.0米。