Results of multibeam swath surveying by NOAA in the Gulf of Mexico exclusive economic zone

Conference · Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA)

OSTI ID:5921533

Grim, P J ^[1]

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1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Rockville, MD (USA)

The National Ocean Service/NOAA is conducting detailed, systematic multibeam swath surveys of the sea floor for all of the US Exclusive Economic Zone. The EEZ extends seaward from the coastline for 200 nautical miles (370 km). The surveys cover 100% of the ocean floor. The area surveyed in the Gulf of Mexico, as of January 1990, comprises about 70,000 km{sup 2}. Most of this area is south of Louisiana between 88{degrees}W and 91{degrees}W. It is anticipated that by the end of the 1990 field season this coverage will extend westward to 92{degrees}W or 93{degrees}W. The processed sounding data result in an evenly spaced 250 m grid. Navigational accuracy is generally accurate to within 50 m and it is estimated that most soundings, taking the sound velocity of sea water and other corrections into account, are measured to within l% of true depth. The major data products are (1) computer-produced multicolored bathymetric maps, each measuring one degree in longitude by one half degree in latitude, made at a scale of 1:100,000 with a contour interval of 20 m and (2) the 250 m gridded data, used to produce the map contours, made available on floppy disks for use in microcomputers. Plans call for three or four Gulf of Mexico maps to be published in 1990. However, after data processing and prior to the publication of a map, black and white diazo copies of the map are available to the public. Details of many seafloor features are being revealed for the first time by these surveys.

• OSTI ID: 5921533
• Report Number(s): CONF-9010204-; CODEN: AABUD
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA), Vol. 74:9; Conference: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies and Gulf Coast Section of SEPM (Society of Economics, Paleontologists, and Mineralogist) meeting, Lafayette, LA (USA), 17-19 Oct 1990; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
GULF OF MEXICO
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
SEA BED
MAPPING
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MAPS
MICROPROCESSORS
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RIVER DELTAS
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
US NOAA
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
COASTAL REGIONS
COMPUTERS
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
MICROELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
RIVERS
SEAS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
US ORGANIZATIONS
580000* - Geosciences