Knowledgebase: Mapping the undersea landscape: Using seafloor maps to improve management of the Gulf of Maine

Data sources for mapping

Multibeam sonar and other remote methods	Geophysical surveys and geological sampling	Biological sampling and fisheries

New technology allows unprecedented mapping

Recent technological advances allow seafloor mapping on an unprecedented scale. New technologies enable researchers to survey large underwater areas to produce high-resolution bathymetric, geological, and ecological maps. Multibeam sonar is especially noteworthy. It generates detailed images of bathymetry and geology of the seabed. To ground-truth the multibeam data and produce interpretive habitat maps, researchers conduct video and photographic surveys, and collect sediment and biota. Other mapping technologies include satellite remote sensing, CASI, LIDAR, sidescan sonar, single-beam sonar, and laser line scan.

Products

Left: Multibeam sonar image of bathymetry at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Right: Multibeam backscatter data overlaid on bathymetry. Backscatter measures hardness and roughness of the substrate: coarse sand or rock (red and orange), sand or muddy sand (green), mud or sandy mud (blue). This information can be combined with biological data to produce habitat maps. Click here to see larger versions of these multibeam images.

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1. An increasing need for seafloor mapping
2. Only 15 percent of Gulf is adequately mapped
3. New technology allows unprecedented mapping
4. Introduction to applications
5. Case study: Routing a fiber-optic cable
6. Case study: Assessing effects of a fishery closure
7. Case study: Improving management of a lobster fishery
8. Case study: Identifying low-impact sites for aquaculture
9. Case study: Reducing impacts & improving efficiency of scallopers
10. Mapping the future: Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative

Acknowledgements

Links: More information about seafloor mapping

Download a 4-page, printer-friendly PDF version of "Mapping the undersea landscape: Using seafloor maps to improve management of the Gulf of Maine."

To obtain printed copies of the publication, contact Susan Snow-Cotter.

This publication was produced by the Gulf of Maine Council's Science Translation Project.

Image credits: Bedford Institute of Oceanography (top left); United States Geological Survey (top center, bottom left and right); James G. Reid (top right).