Multibeam sonar data was collected 24 hours a day during a 12-day transit from Honolulu to Alameda in October 2015. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Okeanos Explorer expedition also gathered sub-bottom profile and split-beam echosounder data. Onshore scientists monitored data quality and discovery potential from the transmitted sonar products.
Use Cases
- Map seafloor bathymetry using 24-hour multibeam sonar data collected along the transit route.
- Analyze sub-surface sediment layers from sub-bottom profile data collected at the discretion of the Commanding Officer.
- Study water column backscatter and biological features using EK 60 split-beam echosounder data.
- Correlate ocean temperature profiles from XBT casts conducted every 6 hours with sonar observations.
Strengths
- Continuous 24-hour data collection for multibeam and echosounder systems over a 12-day period.
- Data underwent quality monitoring by onshore mapping physical scientists.
- Established shipboard Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for data production and transmission.
Limitations
- Onboard multibeam data processing was minimal due to limited staffing.
- The dataset is temporally limited to a single 12-day expedition in 2015.
- Specific column definitions, row counts, and file formats are not provided in the metadata.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI Accession 0138039).
- Collection Method
- Data collected via shipboard instruments (multibeam sonar, EK 60 echosounder, sub-bottom profiler, XBTs) during the EX1505 expedition.
- Time Range
- 2015-10-05 to 2015-10-16.
- Freshness
- Data collection ended on 2015-10-16; no update frequency specified.
- Geography
- North Pacific Ocean along the transit route from Honolulu, Hawaii to Alameda, California.