The data will update National Ocean Service nautical charting products, which are used for improving the safety of maritime traffic and commerce, and will support commercial fishing, shipping channels, coastal resilience, scientific research, and Seabed 2030.
Seabed 2030 is a collaborative effort between the Nippon Foundation and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans that aims to integrate and share all available bathymetric data to produce a definitive map of the world’s ocean floor by 2030. Last year, NOAA tasked Woolpert with collecting data in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which included portions of the Potomac, Rappahannock, James, and York Rivers.
Under this contract in Maryland, Woolpert will collect data over 116 square nautical miles in Tangier Sound located in the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America. The 64,000-square-mile watershed is heavily trafficked by commercial and recreational vessels used for tourism, fishing, and marine commerce.
“The hydrographic survey data collected under this contract adjoins bathymetric lidar data previously acquired by Woolpert in Tangier Sound,” Woolpert Project Manager Ryan Cross said. “This modern, high-resolution bathymetry will help improve the safety of vessel navigation within Tangier Sound, including the Nanticoke and Wicomico Rivers. We are pleased to be providing these surveys for the NOAA Office of Coast Survey throughout this important and interesting survey area.”
Cross said the high-resolution multibeam and side-scan sonar data also will be used to detect and map seabed features and archaeologic sites beneficial for fisheries and cultural resource management.
“The data will benefit the USACE Oyster Habitat Preservation and Restoration working group as well as contribute to ongoing underwater archaeological exploration and investigation,” Cross said.
The contract is underway and is expected to conclude in November 2024.
