The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary off central California is covered by a georeferenced sidescan-sonar mosaic. The U.S. Geological Survey acquired the data in 1989 using an AMS-120 system during cruise F9-89-NC. The mosaic displays heterogeneous sea-floor features including outcropping rock, ripples, dunes, lineations, and depressions.
Use Cases
- Analyze seafloor sediment distribution patterns based on the sidescan-sonar mosaic.
- Map underlying geologic structure and morphology based on the remote sensing data.
- Define local current regimes and sediment transport directions based on the heterogeneous sea-floor features.
- Evaluate human impacts on the marine environment based on the geologic framework data.
Strengths
- Covers approximately 1000 km² of the continental shelf.
- Integrates with supplemental remote sensing and ground truth data (Chin et al., 1997; Maher et al., 1991).
- Georeferenced digital mosaic facilitates spatial analysis.
Limitations
- Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
Provenance
- Source
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- Collection Method
- Acquired with an AMS-120 (120 kHz) sidescan-sonar system during cruise F9-89-NC.
- Time Range
- 1989
- Geography
- Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary continental shelf, between Point Reyes and Half Moon Bay, California, extending west to the Farallon Islands.