Bathymetric Globe
Bathymetry is the measurement of water depths. The Bathymetry Globe (BathyGlobe) shows those areas of the ocean that have been accurately mapped using the technology of multibeam echosounders and for which the data are publicly available. As of 2024, this represents only 26.1% of the world’s ocean depths.
Remote-sensing data and tools are increasingly being used in supporting coastal ecosystem studies, coastal zone management, seafloor characterization, and ocean planning. However, a topic that often receives insufficient attention is the field component of calibration and validation of coastal remote-sensing data.
The Naval Historical Center (NHC), the UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (CCOM), and Reson Inc., collaborated to explore the state of preservation and impact on the surrounding environment of a series of wrecks located off the coast of Normandy, France, adjacent to the American D-Day landing sectors.
After the catastrophic events associated with the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drill rig and the subsequent three-month spill from the Macondo 252 well, staff from the Center (both NOAA and CCOM staff) responded to the national call for help and in Deepwater Horizon-related activities.
New Hampshire's Great Bay Estuary has been surveyed several times in the past century, with CCOM/JHC conducting hydrographic surveys in portions of Great Bay and Little Bay using single beam, multibeam, and sidescan sonars.
HydrOffice represents a collaborative effort led by the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping to develop a research software environment with applications to facilitate all phases of the ping-to-chart process: facilitate data acquisition, automate and enhance data processing, and improve hydrographic products.
Jeffreys Ledge is a major morphologic feature in the western Gulf of Maine (WGOM) located ~50 km off the coast of New Hampshire, and coming within ~10 km of shore near Cape Ann, MA. Jeffreys Ledge rises as much as ~150 m from adjacent basins to depths less than 50 m on the ridge surface.
The Northeast Bathymetry and Backscatter Compilation of Western Gulf of Maine, Southern New England and Long Island combines MBES surveys of the continental shelf seafloor to present a synthesis of all of the high-resolution bathymetry in a single gridded surface and presenting backscatter where available and of good quality.
High-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) bathymetry and backscatter surveys, along with ground truth consisting of archived seismic reflection profiles, bottom sediment grain size data, vibracores, and video were used to develop surficial geology maps based on the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard.
ScapaMAP (Scapa Flow Marine Archeology Project) is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institution, international project involving government agencies, industry and the academic community, designed to document a unique marine archeological area in the waters of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands of Scotland.
The Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping was awarded funding to support research into methods for mapping in support of storm response activities. This 24-month funded effort is intended to investigate methods for assessing the changes in the environment caused by events like Super Storm Sandy.
The Western Gulf of Maine (WGOM) seafloor has numerous bathymetric highs, deep basins, extensive bedrock outcrops, and numerous sand and gravel bodies so the bathymetry varies dramatically over short distances. A synthesis of high resolution MBES surveys of the WGOM were used to develop a composite which is displayed in ERSI's ArcGIS.