UK Coastal Seafloor Data: Backscatter and Samples from Dunnet Head to Duncansby Head

Acoustic Backscatter mosaics, seabed samples, and images collected by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Civil Hydrography Programme. Data from the HI1784 survey area between Dunnet Head and Duncansby Head was verified by the UK Hydrographic Office. The survey utilized vessels MV Lode, MV Northern Storm, and MV Northern Wind equipped with Kongsberg EM2040D and EM2042 multibeam echosounders.

Use Cases

• Classifying seabed sediment types based on acoustic backscatter mosaics and physical samples.
• Mapping natural seafloor features based on provided shapefile data.
• Analyzing seafloor texture and roughness from backscatter intensity data.
• Ground-truthing remote sensing data with physical seabed samples and images.

Strengths

• Data is verified by the authoritative UK Hydrographic Office.
• Collection utilized specific, named survey vessels (MV Lode, MV Northern Storm, MV Northern Wind) and multibeam echosounder models (Kongsberg EM2040D, EM2042).
• Dataset includes multiple complementary data types: mosaics, samples, images, and shapefiles.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS), collected as part of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Civil Hydrography Programme.

Collection Method

Marine survey using multibeam echosounders and physical sampling.

Time Range

Survey year 2025 is indicated in the title.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-09 08:32:39.576156; freshness should be verified.

Geography

HI1784 survey area from Dunnet Head to Duncansby Head, UK.