A Multi-Frequency Sonar Study of the Monterey Canyon and Fan

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The PI has developed a side-scan sonar system for imaging the seafloor. This system has 30 and 72 kHz side-scan transducers and a 3.5 kHz down-looking transducer. This is a state-of-the-art system that has been under development since 1986. The use of side-scan and multibeam systems has increased in the academic community in the past few years and there is a need to understand and to quantify the images produced by these systems. The PI proposes to collect a variety of sonar data sets during a 28-day cruise to the Monterey canyon area. The objective of the program is to operate the new sonar system in a previously well-mapped and generally predictible geological environment to learn the types and extent of new information that can be obtained from this type of remote sensing. This project will begin to replace the subjective methods presently used to describe and map seabem landforms and their sediment cover with quantitative techniques. Existing data in the area includes: DeepTow and Gloria II sonar imagery, seismic reflection data, sediment cores, total Seabeam bathymetric coverage, about 30,000 bottom photographs, and a number of submersible dives. The area is also the site of current and long-term observations by NOAA, the USGS, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and others. Thus, this area is a good location to compare and ground-truth the various bottom sensing systems.