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Recent Activities in the Western Region Benthic Habitat Project: Cruising Above and Below the Surface
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Guy Cochrane prepares a Deepworker 2000 submersible for a dive in
Lake Washington (Seattle) off the NOAA Sand Point Pier.
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Guy Cochrane and Mike Boyle collected sidescan-sonar and 4-kHz subbottom
seismic data in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) recently.
Two weeks were spent at sea, though much of the time was marginal for operations
due to bad weather. Approximately 100 km2
of data were collected south of Santa
Rosa and San Miguel Islands. A few additional lines were shot South of Anacapa
Island. These data extend the sidescan coverage of the sanctuary that was
obtained in 1998 north of Anacapa Island. Additional fish refuge areas have
been surveyed or will be surveyed along the Santa Barbara area coast.
Guy Cochrane also recently completed his second submersible pilot training
session in preparation for the Sustainable Seas Expedition (see photograph).
A two-week dive cruise, using NOAA ships and one-man submersibles built by
Nuytco Inc., will be made in each of the National Marine Sanctuaries every
year for the next five years. Sustainable Seas dives in the CINMS will be used
to groundtruth the existing sidescan-sonar imagery and to observe the faunal
assemblages in the different habitats mapped. The second submersible pilot
training session focused on use of sonar for navigating a submersible in
low-visibility conditions. The class was held at the NOAA Dive Center at
Lake Washington, Seattle. Visibility was extremely poor in the lake and
sometimes very low above water as well, because of wind-driven rain and hail.
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May 1999
in this issue:
Western Region Benthic Habitat Project
Spectrolaserwizardry
Moloka'i Coral Reefs
George's Bank Moorings: Photo Essay
cover story:
Rio Grande Delta
Venture Capital Award
Bolide Web Site
Virginia Meteorite Impact
Film Crew Visits St. Pete
Coastal Geotools '99
GSA / AAPG / SEPM
Monterey Bay
Coral Reef Assessment
New Staff
Bring Your Kids to Work Day
May Publications List
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
