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Open-File Report 2014–1012

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### Combined Multibeam Bathymetry Data from Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound – A Regional Perspective 

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## Introduction

| Title PageList of FiguresConversion FactorsAbstract**Introduction**MethodsBathymetryGIS Data CatalogSummaryAcknowledgmentsReferencesContactsIndex | Click on figure for larger image**Figure 1.** Locations of the surveys in Rhode Island and Block  Island Sounds with multibeam echosounder data that have been combined in this  report. 
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in  cooperation with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has  produced detailed maps of the sea floor offshore of Rhode Island (fig. 1). The current phase of this  cooperative research program is directed toward studies of sea-floor topography  and its effect on the distributions of sediments and sedimentary environments.  As part of this phase, individual hydrographic datasets are converted into  Geographic Information System- (GIS-) compatible formats at 2-meter (m)  resolution, verified with bottom photography and sampling, and geologically  interpreted. Each of these GIS datasets, covering areas ranging from  approximately 40 to 163 square kilometers (km²), individually provides important  benthic environmental information, but many applications require a  geographically broader perspective. 

The purpose of this report is to release  4-m raster grids and sun-illuminated GeoTIFFs of the integrated digital terrain  models (DTMs) from multibeam-echosounder data collected during NOAA surveys  H11922, H11995, H11996, H12009, H12010, H12011, H12015, H12023, H12033, H12137,  H12139, H12296, H12298, and H12299. This resolution is adequate for sea-floor feature  and process interpretation but is small enough to be queried and manipulated  with standard GIS programs and to allow for future growth. These combined  bathymetric surveys form a continuous 1244.5-km² area that covers most of Block  Island Sound and extends eastward across Rhode Island Sound, providing a more  regional perspective of the Rhode Island sea floor than previously available (fig. 1). 

The area covered by the new combined dataset  released in this report also abuts the area covered by a combined multibeam  dataset in Long Island Sound (Poppe and others, 2011a) and to the east in  Buzzards Bay (Ackerman and others, 2012) and Vineyard Sound (Andrews and  others, 2013). The Long Island Sound multibeam data were collected by NOAA and  interpreted through a USGS and Connecticut Department of Energy and  Environmental Protection cooperative. The Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound  datasets were collected and interpreted by the USGS under the Massachusetts  Mapping Cooperative (Barnhardt and Andrews, 2006) with the Massachusetts Office  of Coastal Zone Management. Together these datasets extend contiguous detailed  bathymetric coverage across much of the offshore area south of New England.

Because anthropogenic wastes, toxic  chemicals, and changes in land-use patterns resulting from residential,  commercial, industrial, and recreational development have stressed the coastal  environment south of New England, potentially causing degradation and loss of  benthic habitats, detailed maps and interpretations of the sea floor are needed  to evaluate the extent of adverse effects and to manage resources wisely in the  future (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994; Rhode Island Coastal  Resources Management Council, 2010). To that end, the detailed maps and  datasets produced as part of this cooperative program serve many purposes,  including (1) defining the topographic variability of the sea floor, which is  one of the primary controls of benthic habitat diversity; (2) improving our  understanding of the oceanographic processes that control the distribution and  transport of bottom sediments and the distribution of benthic habitats and  associated infaunal community structures; and (3) providing a detailed  framework for future research, monitoring, and management activities. These  datasets could also serve as base maps for subsequent sedimentological,  geochemical, and biological observations because precise information on  topography and environmental setting is important for the selection of sampling  sites and for accurate extrapolation and interpretation of point measurements. |
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U.S. Department of the Interior |            U.S. Geological Survey                                                URL: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2014/1012/html/intro.html            Page Contact Information: GS Pubs Web Contact                        Page Last Modified: Friday, February 21, 2014, 12:07:19 PM