Bathymetry and backscatter intensity of the sea floor of the Sandy Hook artificial reef, offshore of New Jersey

Abstract

The Sandy Hook artificial reef, located on the sea floor offshore of Sandy Hook, New Jersey was built to create habitat for marine life. The reef was created by the placement of heavy materials on the sea floor; ninety-five percent of the material in the Sandy Hook reef is rock. In 2000, the U.S. Geological Survey surveyed the area using a Simrad EM1000 multibeam echosounder mounted on the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) ship Frederick G. Creed. The purpose of this multibeam survey, done in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when the Creed was in the New York region in April 2000, was to map the bathymetry and backscatter intensity of the sea floor in the area of the Sandy Hook artificial reef. The collected data from this cruise are bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and navigation trackline.