Evaluation of Arctic Multibeam Sonar Data Quality Using Nadir Crossover Analysis and Compilation of a Full-Resolution Data Product

• Main Author: Flinders, Ashton
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository 2014
• Subjects: canada basin; Chukchi
• Online Access: https://scholars.unh.edu/ccom_seminars/142; https://scholars.unh.edu/context/ccom_seminars/article/1141/type/native/viewcontent/143.jpg_AWSAccessKeyId_AKIAYVUS7KB2IXSYB4XB_Signature_VCpTqMLY4ZkQqHUD3is_2FOOgyQ9g_3D_Expires_1725029620

We document a new high-resolution multibeam bathymetry compilation for the Canada Basin and Chukchi Borderland in the Arctic Ocean–United States Arctic Multibeam Compilation (USAMBC Version 1.0). The compilation preserves the highest native resolution of the bathymetric data, al- lowing for more detailed interpretation of seafloor morphology than has been previously possible. The compilation was created from multibeam bathymetry data available through openly accessible government and academic repositories. Much of the new data was collected during dedicated map- ping cruises in support of the United States effort to map extended continental shelf regions beyond the 200 nm Exclusive Economic Zone. Data quality was evaluated using nadir-beam crossover-error statistics, making it possible to assess the precision of multibeam depth soundings collected from a wide range of vessels and sonar systems. Data were compiled into a single high-resolution grid through a vertical stacking method, preserving the highest quality data source in any specific grid cell. The crossover-error analysis and method of data compilation can be applied to other multi- source multibeam datasets, and is particularly useful for government agencies targeting extended continental shelf regions but with limited hydrographic capabilities. Both the gridded compilation and an easily-distributed geospatial PDF map are freely available through the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (ccom.unh.edu/theme/law-sea). The geospatial pdf is a full resolution, small file-size product that supports interpretation of Arctic. Presenter Bio Ashton Flinders has B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Applied Physics from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, and an M.S. degree in Geophysics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His research at the University of Hawaii focused on a gravity survey of the islands of Kauai and Niihau (Hawaiian Island Chain) that he conducted between May and September of 2008. He also partook in a ...