GeoTIFF image of acoustic backscatter collected by the U.S. Geological Survey off of Port Lambton, Ontario within the St. Clair River, 2008 (GeoTIFF, PORTL_05M.TIF)

In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a geophysical and sampling survey of the riverbed of the Upper St. Clair River between Port Huron, MI, and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The objectives were to define the Quaternary geologic framework of the St. Clair River to evaluate the relationship between morphologic change of the riverbed and underlying stratigraphy. This report presents the geophysical and sample data collected from the St. Clair River, May 29-June 6, 2008 as part of the International Upper Great Lakes Study, a 5-year project funded by the International Joint Commission of the United States and Canada to examine whether physical changes in the St. Clair River are affecting water levels within the upper Great Lakes, to assess regulation plans for outflows from Lake Superior, and to examine the potential effect of climate change on the Great Lakes water levels ( http://www.iugls.org). This document makes available the data that were used in a separate report, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1137, which detailed the interpretations of the Quaternary geologic framework of the region. This report includes a description of the suite of high-resolution acoustic and sediment-sampling systems that were used to map the morphology, surficial sediment distribution, and underlying geology of the Upper St. Clair River during USGS field activity 2008-016-FA . Video and photographs of the riverbed were also collected and are included in this data release. Future analyses will be focused on substrate erosion and its effects on river-channel morphology and geometry. Ultimately, the International Upper Great Lakes Study will attempt to determine where physical changes in the St. Clair River affect water flow and, subsequently, water levels in the Upper Great Lakes.

2008年，美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey, USGS）与伍兹霍尔海岸与海洋科学中心（Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, WHCMSC）联合美国陆军工程兵团，对密歇根州休伦港与加拿大安大略省萨尼亚市之间的上圣克莱尔河河床开展地球物理与采样调查，旨在明确圣克莱尔河的第四纪地质框架，以评估河床形态变化与下伏地层之间的关联。本报告呈现了2008年5月29日至6月6日期间，作为“国际上五大湖上游研究计划”（International Upper Great Lakes Study）一部分的圣克莱尔河地球物理与采样数据。该计划是由美加国际联合委员会（International Joint Commission）资助的五年期项目，核心目标包括：探究圣克莱尔河的物理变化是否影响上五大湖水位、评估苏必利尔湖出水调控方案，以及研究气候变化对五大湖水位的潜在影响（数据来源：http://www.iugls.org）。本数据集收录了美国地质调查局2009-1137号开放文件报告（U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1137）中所用的全部数据，该报告详细阐释了该区域的第四纪地质框架。本报告介绍了2008年美国地质调查局野外作业编号2008-016-FA期间，用于绘制上圣克莱尔河河床形态、表层沉积物分布与下伏地质特征的全套高分辨率声学与沉积物采样系统。本次数据发布同时纳入了采集到的河床视频与影像资料。后续分析将聚焦于河床基质侵蚀及其对河道形态与几何特征的影响。最终，国际上五大湖上游研究计划将试图明确圣克莱尔河的物理变化在何处影响水流，并进而影响上五大湖的水位。