MCA CHP 2023: Acoustic Backscatter and Seabed Samples from Workington to Seascale

2023 data from the UK's Civil Hydrography Programme includes acoustic backscatter mosaics, seabed samples, and images for the coastal area from Workington to Seascale. Data was collected by vessels Northern Wind and Lode using a Kongsberg EM 2040D system and verified by the UK Hydrographic Office. The dataset is provided by the British Geological Survey.

Use Cases

• Classify seabed sediment types based on acoustic backscatter mosaics and physical samples.
• Map seafloor morphology and roughness for nautical charting based on backscatter data.
• Validate remote sensing models with ground-truth data from the H575 seabed samples.
• Analyze spatial distribution of seabed features for habitat mapping in the specified coastal corridor.

Strengths

• Data is verified by the authoritative UK Hydrographic Office.
• Includes multiple data modalities: acoustic mosaics, physical samples, and images.
• Collection methodology is specified, using Kongsberg EM 2040D multibeam systems.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS), collected for the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency Civil Hydrography Programme.

Collection Method

Collected by survey vessels Northern Wind and Lode using Kongsberg EM 2040D multibeam echosounders.

Time Range

2023

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04 09 08:29:36.547536; freshness should be verified.

Geography

UK coastal area from Workington to Seascale.