Seabed Mapping of the Lower Shoreface and Inner Shelf of Galveston Island-Post Ike

Summary

In collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, Texas A&M University at Galveston will map the inner shelf of Galveston Island from approximately 8 feet of water to 30 feet of water using swath bathymetry (comparable to multibeam), side scan sonar, and CHIRP seismic, coupled with the collection of surface sediment grab samples. The side-scan sonar and swath bathymetry will be used to develop bathymetry (seabed topography) maps and identify sediment types. The CHIRP seismic penetrates into the seabed and will be used to determine the thickness of the deposits as well as identify subsurface features, which may also contain sand deposits. The data gathered from this project will be compared to the baseline data set collected from previous CMP projects.