OPR-B307-FH-14Rhode Island Sound and ApproachesRhode Island Sound and ApproachesNOAA Ship FERDINAND R. HASSLERH12702210NM SE of Block IslandRhode IslandUnited States400002014LCDR Marc S. Moser, NOAANavigable Area2014-06-042014-06-222014-08-20Multibeam Echo SounderMultibeam Echo Sounder Backscatter,Side Scan SonarmetersUniversal Transverse Mercator (UTM)UTCAtlantic Hydrographic BranchNOAAThe survey is located in Rhode Island Sound, within the sub-locality 10NM SE of Block Island as shown in Figure 1.41.243083333371.404691388941.024523138971.2803281389General locality of survey H12702file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/H12702_General_Locality.pngSurvey Limits were acquired in accordance with the requirements in the Project Instructions and the HSSD.The purpose of this project is to provide contemporary surveys to update National Ocean Service (NOS) nautical charting products.The entire survey is adequate to supersede previous data.Survey Coverage was in accordance with the requirements in the Project Instructions and the HSSD.Survey layout for OPR-B307-FH-14 plotted over RNCs 13218 and 12300file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/H12702_Survey_Layout.pngS2500878.9400.6300045.3200878.9400.6300045.3205.1510000064.882014-06-222014-06-232014-06-242014-06-252014-06-262014-08-192014-08-20Mainscheme survey lines were run with a dual-head multibeam echosounder. Linear nautical miles for the dual-head system were calculated using statistics from the starboard head.Refer to the Data Acquisition and Processing Report (DAPR) for a complete description of data acquisition and processing systems, survey vessels, quality control procedures, and data processing methods. Additional information to supplement sounding and survey data, and any deviations from the DAPR are discussed in the following sections.S25037.73.77NOAA Ship FERDINAND R. HASSLER alongside pier at Marine Operations Center - Atlanticfile:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/Hassler.pngNOAA Ship FERDINAND R. HASSLER (S250), shown in Figure 3, acquired all data within the limits of H12702.RESON7125MBESKlein5000 V2SSSApplanixPOS M/V 320 V5Positioning and Attitude SystemHemisphereMBX-4Positioning SystemSeaBirdSBE19+Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth SensorBrooke OceanMVP-200Sound Speed SystemAMLMicroCTDConductivity, Temperature, and Depth SensorRESONSVP-70Sound Speed SystemMultibeam crosslines were acquired using the RESON 7125 on Dn176 and Dn232. A geographic plot of crosslines is shown in Figure 4. Crosslines were filtered to remove soundings greater than 45 degrees from nadir. To evaluate crossline agreement, two 2-meter surfaces were created: one from crossline soundings, the other from mainscheme soundings. These two surfaces were differenced using CARIS HIPS and SIPS. The statistical analysis of the differences between the mainscheme and crossline surfaces is shown in Figure 5. The average difference between the surfaces is 0.04 meters with a standard deviation of 0.11 meters; 95% of all differences were less than 0.22 meters from the mean.H12702 MBES crossline differences overlaid on mainscheme linesfile:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/H12702_XL_diffs.pngH12702 crossline difference statistics: mainscheme minus crosslinesfile:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/Misc/H12702_MS-XL.txt.png0.010.14S2501.01.00.5CO-OPS provided the tidal zoning uncertainty of 0.14 meters in the Project Instructions for project OPR-B307-FH-14. All data were corrected with zoned tides and received this uncertainty estimate. SMRMSG files were loaded for all lines for post-processed position and attitude RMS values. These were applied by selecting Realtime as the uncertainty source in the CARIS HIPS Compute TPU tool for the following; position, heading, pitch, and roll. Vertical uncertainty was calculated using the Delayed Heave RMS file.The areas of overlap between sheet H12702 and its junction sheets, shown in Figure 6, were reviewed for agreement. The junctioning surfaces were subtracted from the surface of H12702 to assess sounding consistency.H12702 Junctionsfile:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/H12702_junctions.pngH11996100002008NOAA Ship THOMAS JEFFERSONNSurvey H11996 was conducted by NOAA Ship THOMAS JEFFERSON in 2008. The area of overlap includes a swath along the northern extents of H12702 (Figure 6) that includes over 250 thousand nodes. A differenced surface analysis between 2-meter surfaces for each survey showed H12702 to be on average 0.11 meters deeper than H11996, with a standard deviation of 0.11 meters (Figure 7). 95% of all differences are less than 0.20 meters from the mean.Differenced surface statistics - H12702 minus H11996file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/Misc/H12702-H11996.txt.pngH12009200002009NOAA Ship THOMAS JEFFERSONNSurvey H12009 was conducted by NOAA Ship THOMAS JEFFERSON in 2009. The area of overlap includes a swath along the northern edge of H12702 (Figure 6) that includes over 215 thousand nodes. A differenced surface analysis between 2-meter surfaces for each survey showed H12702 to be on average 0.03 meters deeper than H12009, with a standard deviation of 0.12 meters (Figure 8). 95% of all differences are less than 0.22 meters from the mean.Differenced surface statistics - H12702 minus H12009file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/Misc/H12702-H12009.txt.pngH12652400002014NOAA Ship THOMAS JEFFERSONEA junction comparison with survey H12652, which is assigned to the NOAA Ship THOMAS JEFFERSON, was not completed because the survey was not complete at the time of writing this report.H12700400002014NOAA Ship FERDINAND R. HASSLERWSurvey H12700 was conducted by NOAA Ship FERDINAND R. HASSLER in 2014 as a part of project OPR-B307-FH-14. The area of overlap includes a swath along the entire western edge of H12702 (Figure 6) that includes over 1 million nodes. A differenced surface analysis between 2-meter CUBE surfaces for each survey showed H12702 to be on average 0.07 meters shallower than H12700, with a standard deviation of 0.14 meters (Figure 9). 95% of all differences are less than 0.27 meters from the mean.Differenced surface statistics - H12702 minus H12700file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/Misc/H12702-H12700.txt.pngSonar system quality control checks were conducted as detailed in the quality control section of the DAPR.Starboard 7125 artifactOn Dn231 and Dn232 an artifact, shown in Figure 10, was noticed on the starboard 7125. The port 7125 was absent of this artifact (Figure 11). An attempt to normalize the elements of the echosounder was made prior to data collection. After a successful normalization there appeared to be no change. During acquisition the problem resulted in noisy data even with the aggressive use of real-time gates (Figure 12). The resultant fliers were rejected in CARIS HIPS Subset Editor. The artifact is thought to be the result of a bad receiver card in the 7125 wet end. Plans are currently underway to get this issue addressed as soon as possible.The artifact seen in the starboard RESON echosounder displayfile:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/starboard.bmpAbsence of the artifact in the port RESON echosounder display under similar settingsfile:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/port.bmp3D subset of data collected on Dn232 colored by vessel. The starboard head is colored green and makes up the majority of noise displayed. Data were thoroughly cleaned to eliminate these erroneous soundings.file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/Stbd_Noise_subset.pngNone ExistThere were no other factors that affected corrections to soundings.CTD casts using the MVP200 or SBE 19+ were taken approximately every 2-3 hours.Sound speed corrections were applied in CARIS using Nearest in Distance Within Time (NIDWT) of 4 hours for the entire survey (Figure 13). The Moving Vessel Profiler (MVP) towfish was snagged and lost on the first day of acquisition on sheet H12702. Static CTD casts were taken after the loss of the MVP towfish for Dn173 through Dn177. To try to minimize ship downtime during CTD casts, especially without use of an MVP, the project area was divided into three sections. Data were still acquired with north/south ship tracklines but not for the entire length of the sheet. The number of turns resulting from this strategy increased the overall acquisition time but better allowed us to accurately sample smaller areas without conducting more casts. Even with this strategy, the changing sound speed was not sampled enough to capture all spatial and time variances when relying exclusively on manual SBE19+ casts. As shown in Figure 14, outer beam refraction error cause some areas of the MBES to vary up to 50 centimeters, which is still within specification. The submitted surfaces contain a stripe like pattern (Figure 15) which is the result of the sound velocity errors and the relatively flat topography. The MVP towfish was recovered by contract divers and re-terminated in between acquisition legs. The MVP was used for the two final days of acquisition on Dn231 and Dn232.H12702 tracklines colored by SV profile. Nearest in Distance Within Time of 4 hours was used to apply SV profiles for the entire survey.file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/H12702_SVP.pngOuter beam refraction errors caused from changing sound velocity throughout the survey area. Data were cleaned thoroughly where outer beam errors exceeded allowable uncertainty values.file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/H12702_SV.pngStriping artifact seen in a 10x exaggerated surface due to outer beam refraction errors.file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/Striping.pngA density analysis was run to calculate the number of soundings per surface node. Five or more soundings per node are present in over 99.9% of the 2-meter and 4-meter surfaces. For additional detail refer to H12702_Standards_Compliance report submitted in Appendix II of this report.All data reduction procedures conform to those detailed in the DAPR.All sounding systems were calibrated as detailed in the DAPR.Backscatter was logged in RESON datagram 7008 snippets record in the raw .s7k files. The .s7k file also holds the navigation record and bottom detections for all lines of survey H12702. The files were paired with the CARIS HDCS data, imported, and processed using Fledermaus Geocoder Toolbox. The GSF files containing the extracted backscatter are submitted with the data in this survey. The processed mosaic is saved as a Geo-Tiff and also submitted.NOAA Profile Version 5.3.2H12702_MB_4m_MLLWCUBE428.5463.95NOAA_4mComplete MBESH12702_MB_2m_MLLWCUBE225.7863.97NOAA_2mComplete MBESH12702_MB_1m_MLLWCUBE125.5464.73NOAA_1mObject DetectionH12702_MB_4m_MLLW_FinalCUBE436.0063.95NOAA_4mComplete MBESH12702_MB_2m_MLLW_FinalCUBE225.7840.00NOAA_2mComplete MBESH12702_MB_1m_MLLW_FinalCUBE125.5464.73NOAA_1mObject DetectionTwo surfaces are being submitted for each depth range. Refer to section B.5.3 of this report for additional information for why two surfaces are being submitted as well as quality control practices that were taken on each.Surface honoring least depths in rocky areasDuring processing it was noticed that least depths on rocks and boulders were not being reflected in the recommended resolution surfaces. For example, a 2-meter rock was not being honored at a depth of 30 meters in the 2-meter surface. A subset of a single survey (approximately 2km x 4km with depths 30 to 35 meters) was analyzed and found to require approximately 60 designated soundings to honor the least depths of rocks and boulders. The decision was made to create higher resolution surfaces to eliminate the need to individually designate these rocks, e.g. a 1-meter resolution surface. After analysis of the 1-meter surface, 59 of the 60 soundings no longer required to be designated and were accepted per normal procedures by the hydrographer. The 1-meter surface was created for least depth values only. It is the field unit's intent that during the compilation at the hydrographic branch, the 1-meter depths will be chosen over subsequent 2 and 4-meter depths, if the z value is least. According to section 5.2.2.4 of the Hydrographic Survey Specifications and Deliverables (HSSD) it is not necessary that this higher grid resolution surface meet coverage requirements typical for that resolution surface, instead coverage will still be measured by the original resolution requirement. This includes holidays spanning more than three nodes and density standards compliance. Two finalized surfaces are submitted for individual depth ranges for all surveys conducted during the course of OPR-B307-FH-14, one for least depths and the other for coverage. For example, H12702_MB_1m_MLLW_Final surface is for least depths while H12702_MB_2m_MLLW_Final surface, covering the same depth range as the 1-meter, is being submitted for coverage.Designated SoundingsWithin the limits of H12702, eighteen soundings are submitted flagged as designated in CARIS HIPS and SIPS. Of theses eighteen soundings; two are designated for feature creation and sixteen are to preserve the shoal depth in the finalized surfaces.Total Vertical Uncertainty analysisA custom layer was created on finalized surfaces showing the uncertainty of individual nodes in relation to the allowable uncertainty for their depths. This layer was exported and run through a custom Python script resulting in statistical analysis. 100% of nodes with survey H12702 meet the vertical uncertainty standards of section 5.1.3 of the Hydrographic Surveys Specifications and Deliverables (2014). See H12702_Standards_Compliance report submitted in Appendix II of this report.All vertical and horizontal control activities conducted during the course of this survey are fully addressed in the following sections. Therefore, no separate HVCR is submitted.Mean Lower Low WaterDiscrete ZoningNewport, RI84526608452660.tidVerified ObservedB307FH2014_RevCORP.zdfFinal2014-08-252014-09-05Preliminary zoning is accepted as the final zoning for project OPR-B307-FH-14, H12702, during the time period between June 22 - August 20, 2014. All soundings submitted are reduced to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) using verified discrete zoned tides. As required by the Project Instructions, a VDatum evaluation was conducted prior to survey submittal. From this analysis it was discovered that due to the presence of poor vertical GPS solutions, considerable additional time and resources would have been required to complete and submit an acceptable finished product. The recommendation to use the discrete tidal zoning for vertical transformation was made from the analysis results and is included in the evaluation report submitted. The Chief, Hydrographic Survey Division, acknowledged the delivery of the report and stated that no approval memo from HSD is required when proceeding with zoned tides. The VDatum evaluation report and correspondence are included in Appendix II of this report.North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83)UTM Zone 19NSmart BaseACUSHNET 5, Acushnet, MAACU5ACUSHNET 6, Acushnet, MAACU6GROTON, Groton, CTCTGRPUTNAM, Putnam, CTCTPUHLFX CACS-GSD, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CanadaHLFXMORICHES 5, East Moriches, NYMOR5BODIE ISLAND, Bodie Island, NCNCBIBUXTON, Buxton, NCNCBXTARBORO, Tarboro, NCNCTANEWPORT, Newport, RINPRICENTRAL ISLIP, Central Islip, NYNYCIRIVERHEAD, Riverhead, NYNYRHU OF RI COOP, Kingston, RIURILMTS FOX COOP, Foxborough, MAXMTSSmooth Best Estimate of Trajectory (SBET) files have been loaded for all lines for survey H12702 and are used for post-processed horizontal positioning and attitude only.Moriches, NY (293 kHz)Acushnet, MA (306 kHz)DGPS was used for real-time positioning during acquisition. All lines submitted are corrected using post-processed horizontal solutions. DGPS correctors were switched to Acushnet for real-time correctors on Dn231 and Dn232 due to Moriches broadcasting at a reduced power level.Horizontal OffsetsHorizontal offsets exist in the data where the post-processed solutions are not as precise as expected. As shown in Figure 16, one rock may appear as two rocks with about 2 meters of separation. This offset is still well within the allowable horizontal uncertainty for the depths of soundings and has been determined to have little effect to the quality of the final product.Horizontal offsets shown in 2D Subset Editor, soundings colored by line file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/H12702_horizontal_offset.png13218213980000422013-072014-07-242014-07-24A comparison was performed with chart 13218 (1:80,000) using a CARIS sounding and contour layer based on the 4-meter combined surface. Surveyed soundings and contours generally agree within 2-4 feet of charted depths and depth curves (Figure 17) with the exception of one area (see inset). For this area the 180-foot contour is significantly larger than charted and actually connects the two charted 180-foot depth curves.H12702 survey contours (shown in red) overlayed on RNC 13218. Soundings and contours generally agree with charted depths and depth curves except for inset shown.file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/H12702_RNC13218.png12300666400000492012-062014-04-172014-04-17A comparison was performed with chart 12300 (1:400,000) using a CARIS sounding and contour layer based on the 4-meter combined surface. The area of survey H12702 that was not covered by RNC 13218 was a small wedge on the southern end as shown in Figure 18 . RNC 12300 contained no depths in this area. The charted 25-fathom depth curves disagree slightly with surveyed contours (red arrow). Section of H12702 not covered by RNC 13218. RNC 12300 contained no charted depths but surveyed contours disagree slightly from charted depth curves (red arrow).file:///R:/00_PROJECTS/2014/OPR-B307-FH-14_Rhode_Island_Sound_and_Approaches/H12702/DR_Images/H12702_RNC12300.pngUS4MA23M80000272013-11-072014-07-28falseNo comparison was performed with ENC US4MA23M as it contained no soundings different than RNC 13218. See previous chart comparison discussion with RNC 13218.US3NY01M400000322013-01-242014-05-15falseNo comparison was performed with ENC US3NY01M as it contained no soundings different than RNC 12300. See previous chart comparison discussion with RNC 12300.No AWOIS items were assigned for this survey.No Maritime Boundary Points were assigned for this survey.The area surrounding the charted PD wreck was investigated using complete MBES techniques. Refer to the final feature file for remarks and recommendations. The charted unexploded bombs obstruction was investigated using complete MBES techniques. While no evidence of the unexploded bombs were found in the survey data, the hydrographer recommends that this be retained as charted as objects are likely beyond the expected resolution of surface MBES techniques. The charted unexploded depth charges was investigated within the limits of H12702 using complete MBES techniques. While no evidence of the unexploded depth charges were found in the survey data, the hydrographer recommends that this be retained as charted as objects are likely beyond the expected resolution of surface MBES techniques. Two uncharted non-dangerous wrecks were discovered during the course of H12702. Both were fully developed with additional MBES and SSS coverage. Refer to the final feature file for remarks and recommendations. The least depth was designated for each wreck and compared to the sidescan sonar shadow heights for agreement. Rejected data surrounding the soundings is considered noise and should not be reaccepted. Through research it was found that one of the wrecks meets the area and description of the TROYDON, a 90' hydraulic clam dredge that sunk in September 1995. No additional information could be found on the second wreck but from all acquired data is thought to be a sunken barge.No Danger to Navigation Reports were submitted for this survey.No shoals or potentially hazardous features exist for this survey.Survey H12702 is almost wholly contained by the confluence of the Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay traffic lanes and accompanying separation zones and precautionary area. During the times of hydrography traffic was observed to be following the charted pattern. Minimum depths observed during the course of survey H12702 are beyond the deepest drafts to be expected and are therefore not of concern.Ten bottom samples, whose locations were obtained from OPS, were taken within the limits of H12702 and are submitted with the final feature file. Video coverage was obtained on most bottom samples and is submitted with the survey.Shoreline was not assigned in the Hydrographic Survey Project Instructions or Statement of Work.Prior survey comparisons exist for this survey, but were not investigated.The RACON buoy RW "A" that was included in the project reference file (PRF) was removed from the chart during the latest notice to mariners update. It was not seen during survey operations and is therefore appropriately absent from current ENCs and RNCs.No overhead features exist for this survey.Charted cable areas were fully investigated within the limits of H12702. While no evidence of the cables were found in the survey data, the hydrographer recommends that this be retained as charted.No ferry routes or terminals exist for this survey.No platforms exist for this survey.No significant features exist for this survey.No present or planned construction or dredging exist within the survey limits.No new surveys or further investigations are recommended for this area.No new insets are recommended for this area.As Chief of Party, field operations for this hydrographic survey were conducted under my direct supervision, with frequent personal checks of progress and adequacy. I have reviewed the attached survey data and reports.All field sheets, this Descriptive Report, and all accompanying records and data are approved. All records are forwarded for final review and processing to the Processing Branch.The survey data meets or exceeds requirements as set forth in the NOS Hydrographic Surveys and Specifications Deliverables Manual, Field Procedures Manual, Letter Instructions, and all HSD Technical Directives. These data are adequate to supersede charted data in their common areas. This survey is complete and no additional work is required with the exception of deficiencies noted in the Descriptive Report.LCDR Marc S. Moser, NOAAChief of Party2014-09-01LT Adam Reed, NOAAField Operations Officer2014-09-01David T. MoehlSenior Survey Technician2014-09-01OPR-B307-FH-14 Data Acquisition and Processing Report2014-09-01OPR-B307-FH-14 VDatum Validation Report2014-08-012014 Hydrographic Systems Readiness Review Memo2014-05-06