Site Surveys of the Mine Burial/Coastal Processes Experiment Site at the WHOI Coastal Observatory, Martha's Vineyard

Abstract

Abstract : The long-term goal of the Mine Burial Program is to develop a better understanding of the coastal processes driving mine burial in shallow water coastal environments. The scientific objectives of the Mine Burial Program are to develop specific models for mine burial driven by coastal processes, to carry out both laboratory and field programs designed to test these models, and to develop probability statements with respect to the likelihood of mine burial. Two field areas have been identified for this project, one off St. Petersburg, Florida and the second off Martha s Vineyard, Mass. The University of New Hampshire is providing support for these objectives through two separate efforts: 1- the development of a web-based database for the Mine Burial Program and; 2- the collection, processing and analysis of high-resolution multibeam sonar data at the Martha s Vineyard field area. In conjunction with investigators from the University of Texas (John Goff), the University of Hawaii (Roy Wilkins), the Naval Research Lab (Mike Richardson), the USGS (Bill Schwab), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Peter Traykovski), we will use both the sonar data and the database to investigate the statistical properties of sedimentological and morphological variability, as well as track changes in bedform morphology and other time dependent seabed processes.