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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

EM302 Water Column Sonar Data Collected During EX1105

During this OER project in partnership with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE), two ships will work collaboratively in the Gulf of Mexico to map known targets of man-made or natural seeps to test the use of their sensors to detect these seeps. The NOAA Ship Pisces will utilize its ME70 multibeam sonar sensor and the Okeanos Explorer will use its state-of-the-art Kongsberg EM302 multibeam sonar system and its newly acquired EK60 echosounder. Of special interest to the objectives of this mission is the water column backscatter data component of the EM302 multibeam survey system. These data will be analyzed as they are collected over known natural and man-made seeps in the Gulf of Mexico and, along with the data from the newly acquired EK60 echosounder, will be compared to those data collected by the Pisces ME70 and single beam sonar sensors.
  • Cite as: NOAA Ocean Exploration. 2011. 'EM302 Water Column Sonar Data Collected During EX1105'. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5736NW3 [access date]
gov.noaa.ngdc.mgg.wcd:EX1105_EM302
Search Data
Download Data
  • AWS Cloud Storage Bucket (download)
    AWS Cloud Storage provides additional public access to water column sonar data through the NOAA Big Data Project
Distribution Formats
  • Kongsberg EM302 water column data (.wcd) format (Version: 1)
    • File Specification: Kongsberg/Simrad .raw files are generated by ME70, EK60 or ES60 instruments. They contain power and optionally angular position data with each beam/frequency identified by an independent channel. See the Simrad interface specification manual for further information. The .wcd files are generated by Kongsberg EM302 or EM122 instruments. See Kongsberg documentation for more information.
Ordering Instructions Contact the NCEI Water Column Sonar Data Manager to order data.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact Water Column Sonar Data Manager
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
(303) 497-4742
wcd.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 2011-08-23T01:14:14 to 2011-09-10T10:43:45
Spatial Reference System urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326Vertical Datum: Unknown
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: -88.5685935
East: -81.7209024
South: 23.86427965
North: 30.08954425
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
    Publication Dates
    • creation: 2011-08-23
    • publication: 2018-08-29
    Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
    Data Update Frequency Not planned
    Purpose By collecting and analyzing sonar data over known natural and man-made seeps in the Gulf of Mexico, a primary objective will be to determine the efficacy of the Okeanos Explorer's Kongsberg EM302 multibeam sonar system and its water column backscatter data for detecting seeps during exploration.
    Use Limitations
    • These data are considered raw and have not been subjected to the NOAA's quality control or quality assurance procedures. They are released for limited public use as preliminary data to be used only with appropriate caution. NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
    • Not subject to copyright protection within the United States.
    Dataset Citation
    • Cite as: NOAA Ocean Exploration. 2011. 'EM302 Water Column Sonar Data Collected During EX1105'. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5736NW3 [access date]
    Cited Authors
    • DOC/NOAA/OAR/OER - Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
    Principal Investigators
    • Mashkoor Malik
    Custodians
    • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
    Publishers
    • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
    Theme keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
    • Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Acoustics > Acoustic Scattering
    • Earth Science > Oceans > Aquatic Sciences > Fisheries
    • Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Acoustics
    • Earth Science > Biosphere > Ecosystems > Marine Ecosystems > Pelagic
    • Earth Science > Biosphere > Ecosystems > Marine Ecosystems
    • Earth Science > Biosphere > Ecosystems > Marine Ecosystems > Benthic
    • Earth Science > Biosphere > Ecosystems > Aquatic Ecosystems
    • Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Bathymetry
    • Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Seafloor Topography
    Data Center keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
    • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
    • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
    Instrument keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
    • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Profilers/Sounders > Acoustic Sounders > WCMS > Water Column Mapping System
    Place keywords International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Sea Area ("Limits of Oceans and Seas" publication S-23)
    • Caribbean Sea
    Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
    • Vertical Location > Water Column
    Use Constraints
    • Cite as: NOAA Ocean Exploration. 2011. 'EM302 Water Column Sonar Data Collected During EX1105'. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5736NW3 [access date]
    • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Access Constraints
    • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
    • Resource may not be available for up to one year after initial collection.
    Fees
    • Free
    Lineage information for: series
    Acquisition Information (collection)
    Instrument
    • Kongsberg EM302
    • Kongsberg EM304
    • Simrad EK60
    • Simrad EK80
    • Knudsen CHIRP 3260
    • RM Young 61202V
    • RM Young 41382VC
    • RM Young 05106
    • Sippican XBT/XSV
    • SBE 45 Micro TSG
    • SBE 911plus CTD
    • SBE 32
    • POS/MV 320
    • Furuno GPS
    • Reson SVP 70
    • Ocean Surveyor ADCP
    • ECO FLNTU Fluorometer
    Platform
    • Okeanos Explorer (EX)
    Operation
    • EX1105_EM302
    Last Modified: 2023-08-16
    For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov