Area of Operations: Penobscot River, Belfast Bay, Penobscot Bay, Maine, United States, North Atlantic
Dates: September 11, 2006 to September 18, 2006
Chief scientist: Walter Barnhardt
Joe Kelley, University of Maine
Objectives: Sea floor mapping of pockmark field at mouth of Penobscot River.
Type of Activity: Sea floor mapping;Sea floor mapping
Information to be derived:
Summary: The survey took place from 11-18 September on board the R/V Rafael. We collected swath bathymetry, sidescan sonar backscatter, and sub-bottom profiles over an area of approximately 25 km2. The survey focused on the mouth of the Penobscot River where it enters upper Penobscot Bay (also known as Belfast Bay). This area is the primary depositional site for sediment carried by the river, and would probably experience significant impacts if/when the proposed dam removals occur in upstream areas. With these data as a pre-removal baseline, we will be able to quantify any changes in bottom morphology and substrate conditions that might result from releasing sediment from upstream impoundments. These new data will be compared to a bathymetric survey collected in 1999 by NOAA that covers part of the same area. Where the data overlap, we will be able to determine what (if any) changes have occurred over the last 7 years and make conclusions about the rates and patterns of sediment accumulation at the mouth of the river.
Contact: Brian Andrews (bandrews@usgs.gov)
InfoBank: uses the identifier R-1-06-ME. Visit this site for more information.
Related Links:
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
