New Mamala Bay Web Site Targets Both Researchers and the Public

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New Mamala Bay Web Site Targets Both Researchers and the Public

By Susan Cochran and Mike Field
September 1999

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Multibeam map of Mamala Bay
Perspective overview of Mamala Bay area created from multibeam data. The submerged reef terrace (A) at 60 to 100 m depths is the dominant feature of the insular shelf edge. High backscatter patterns (reddish-brown) indicate rock exposures (B) and patches of coarse dredge material (C).

The Coastal and Marine Geology project on "Fate of Dredge Disposal Material and Polluted Sediment, Offshore Honolulu, Hawai'i", is nearing completion.

One of its long-standing goals has been to provide a Web site giving access not only to its maps and images, but also as much of the raw data as possible.

The revised web site was completed and opened to the public this month, according to Susan Cochran, an ECO intern working with Mike Field in the Monterey Bay Office. We invite you to visit the newly revised Web site.

Unique Aspects of the Mamala Bay Web Site: Digital Archiving and a Whole Lot More

Sea floor photograph
Over 250 images of the seafloor bottom are available on the Web site.

The intent of this Web site is to meet the needs of ALL interested users, from high school students to agency managers to university researchers. The site is loosely divided into finished products for managers, 3-D perspective images for the casual user, and raw data for those who want to dig deeper.

Photographs, overview images, and maps of the project provide a resource for educators, students, concerned citizens, and policy makers. Research scientists will be interested in items such as the collections of box core X rays and descriptions, sediment analyses, and seismic profiles.

A complete listing of all publications stemming from this project, including some accessible online, is also available.

Core sample
The Mamala Bay Web site hosts a collection of box core data, including on-deck photos, X-rays, and box core descriptions.

And at the same time, the site provides digital archiving for most of the raw data. In addition to multibeam maps, sidescan-sonar mosaics, publications, and references, the site shows examples of Chirp sub-bottom records and over 250 photographs of the sea floor. The sediment character is well documented with descriptions and photos of over 100 box cores, and tables of texture and geochemistry for those who wish to do their own analysis or use the data to design further studies.

Mamala Bay Studies

The health of the ecosystem of Mamala Bay, off Oahu, HI, has been a concern for some time. The effects of decades of ocean disposal offshore of Honolulu were unknown and even the location and possible movement of the disposal material remained undocumented. In response to requests by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in 1991 the USGS Western Coastal and Marine Geology Team (Monty Hampton, Mike Torresan, and Mike Field) began a 5-year partnership to map the dredge disposal material and study the processes that might affect its distribution. The mapping efforts, including a 1998 re-mapping by Jim Gardner using the multibeam system, are now complete. Remaining reports on geochemistry and current processes are in the analysis stage.

Fate of Dredge Disposal Material and Polluted Sediment, Offshore Honolulu, Hawai'i
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

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September 1999

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in this issue: cover story:
Seeing the Bottom

Bathymetric Data: Waverunners

Sediment Database

Mamala Bay Web Site

Hurricane Camille

DOI Environmental Award

Hein Elected IMMS President

Robbins Attends FWC Ceremony

Visitors

September Publications List