Single-beam bathymetry data collected in shallow-water areas near Gambell, Golovin, Hooper Bay, Savoonga, Shishmaref, and Wales, Alaska, 2012-2013
Dates
Publication Date
2015
Time Period
2012
File Modification Date
2015-03-27 09:19:00
Citation
Kinsman, N.E.M., 2015, Single-beam bathymetry data collected in shallow-water areas near Gambell, Golovin, Hooper Bay, Savoonga, Shishmaref, and Wales, Alaska, 2012-2013: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, http://dx.doi.org/10.14509/29348.
Summary
Nearshore bathymetry is a vital link that joins offshore water depths to coastal topography. Seamless water depth information is a critical input parameter for reliable storm surge models, enables the calculation of sediment budgets, and is necessary baseline data for a range of coastal development decisions. Bathymetric data collection capabilities of an active coastal geohazard field program operated by the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) were expanded in 2012. Resultant datasets presented in this report include nearshore bathymetric measurements of critical shallow-water coastal areas in the vicinity of six western Alaska communities: Gambell, Golovin, Hooper Bay, Savoonga, Shishmaref, and Wales. These [...]
Summary
Nearshore bathymetry is a vital link that joins offshore water depths to coastal topography. Seamless water depth information is a critical input parameter for reliable storm surge models, enables the calculation of sediment budgets, and is necessary baseline data for a range of coastal development decisions. Bathymetric data collection capabilities of an active coastal geohazard field program operated by the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) were expanded in 2012. Resultant datasets presented in this report include nearshore bathymetric measurements of critical shallow-water coastal areas in the vicinity of six western Alaska communities: Gambell, Golovin, Hooper Bay, Savoonga, Shishmaref, and Wales. These data are provided in the form of vector shiptracks and processed single-beam sounding point clouds. This work was completed with a low-cost, portable sonar system capable of shallow water measurements in rural settings; the system will be maintained for use or loan by DGGS for data collections of this type for the useful life of the equipment.
One of the long-recognized gaps in many coastal datasets is water depth directly adjacent to the shoreline. In few places is this more true than in the data-sparse coastal waters of western Alaska. Between the marine depths and onshore elevations lies a critical zone to which traditional ship-based bathymetric surveys do not extend. These areas are best accessed with portable sonar systems attached to small watercraft capable of navigating shallow waters. Nearshore bathymetric data is a vital component to understanding how coastal storms impact landscapes because marine energy is dissipated (wave breaking) and transformed (wave refraction, shoaling) as it moves across this zone in high-energy storm events. Community-scale models of coastal storm impacts, tsunami inundation, and other scenario-based coastal hazard mapping require seamless topographic-bathymetric grids of depths and elevations transitioning from the marine to terrestrial environment. As many communities seek detailed inundation modeling for storm surge preparation and planning purposes, we need to fill gaps in baseline bathymetric data along Alaska's coast. Other uses for nearshore bathymetry include, but are not limited to, expanding our understanding of coastal/inlet dynamics, quantifying alongshore sediment budgets, calibrating bathymetric mapping with remote sensing platforms, monitoring nearshore benthic environments.
