Reports
Bathymetric survey of the Maryland portion of Chincoteague Bay
2004, Wells, D.V., Ortt, R.A., Jr., Van Ryswick, S., Conkwright, R.D., and Offerman, K.A.
File Reports, Coastal and Estuarine Geology, File Report 2004-04
Executive Summary
The Maryland Geological Survey, through funding from NOAA, conducted hydrographic surveys in the Maryland portion of Chincoteague Bay. The purpose of the study was to provide a consistent bathymetry data set that may be used in other scientific studies. The hydrographic surveys were collected in May through September 2003, using differential global positioning service (DGPS) techniques and digital dual-frequency echo sounding equipment. Hydrographic survey lines were spaced 400 meters apart and extended from shore to shore. Six hundred kilometers of hydrographic records were surveyed and over 600,000 discrete soundings were recorded. In addition to the hydrographic surveys, water level data were collected at four different sites within the study area. The water level data were used to correct the echo sounding data for tide and wind offsets.
Sounding depths were adjusted to North America Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88). The data are listed in ASCII XYZ (northing, easting, depth, time) ASCII format. Location coordinates are in UTM, NAD83. The adjusted sounding data were used to generate 10-meter, regularly spaced grid for the study area and a bathymetry (depth contour) map was created from the gridded data. The XYZ data, metadata, and map are presented on CD-ROM.
