No Aids to navigation (ATONs) exist for this survey.No platforms exist for this survey.SupportFiles\FeatureFile_ChartOverlay.pngCharted submarine cables within assigned survey area on ENC Chart USCA85M.Multiple submarine pipelines are charted and were investigated. There was no evidence of pipelines in the bathymetry data. No present or planned construction or dredging exist within the survey limits.No overhead features exist for this survey.No new insets are recommended for this area.Shoreline was not assigned in the Hydrographic Survey Project Instructions or Statement of Work.No new surveys or further investigations are recommended for this area.SupportFiles\pockmarks.pngExample of "pock-marks" observed in H13151. A field of "pock-marks" is visible within the survey extents. They are most heavily concentrated in the Northeast quadrant of the survey but can be found throughout the survey extents. No ferry routes or terminals exist for this survey.No prior survey comparisons exist for this survey.No shoals or potentially hazardous features exist for this survey.No bottom samples were required for this survey.No charted features exist for this survey.No Maritime Boundary Points were assigned for this survey.No uncharted features exist for this survey.A comparison was made between H13151 survey data and Electronic Navigation Chart (ENC) US3CA85M. This was accomplished by creating CUBE surfaces and contours in Caris and comparing the surveyed contours with the charted depth curves on chart US3CA85M. The chart used is the most recent edition. No channels exist for this survey. There are no designated anchorages, precautionary areas, safety fairways, traffic separation schemes, pilot boarding areas, or channel and range lines within the survey limits.SupportFiles\Contours.pngENC US3CA85M overlaid with H13151 surveyed contours. false12161162018-10-112017-10-17US3CA85M20A comparison with H13151 surveyed contours and ENC US3CA85N revealed the following: All surveyed contours generally agree with the ENC charted depth curves. 1United StatesOffshore Estero Bay to Offshore Cape San MartinCalifornia80000H13151NOAAPacific Hydrographic Branch2018Benjamin K. Evans, CDR/NOAANavigable Area2018-10-282018-08-29Multibeam Echo SounderMultibeam Echo Sounder Backscatter2018-08-23The purpose of this survey is to provide contemporary surveys to update National Ocean Service (NOS) nautical charts. All separates are filed with the hydrographic data. Any revisions to the Descriptive Report (DR) generated during office processing are shown in bold red italic text. The processing branch maintains the DR as a field unit product, therefore, all information and recommendations within the body of the DR are considered preliminary unless otherwise noted. The final disposition of surveyed features is represented in the OCS nautical chart update products. All pertinent records for this survey, including the DR, are archived at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and can be retrieved via http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/. metersUniversal Transverse Mercator (UTM)UTCNOAA Ship RAINIEROffshore South-Central CaliforniaCalifornia DeepwaterInvestigations and Groundtruthing (CalDIG) ProjectOPR-L373-RA-18This survey is a part of the California Deepwater Investigation and Groundtruthing (CalDIG) project, which is a collaboration between NOAA's Office of Coast Survey (OCS), the Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) of the USGS, and the Environmental Studies Program of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The primary purpose of the CalDIG project is to collect data for surficial geology, benthic habitats, sub-bottom faults, geologic hazards, and sedimentary processes. To accomplish this goal, USGS operated towed seismic survey equipment from RAINIER, while RAINIER personnel simultaneously acquired multibeam bathymetry, backscatter, and watercolumn data. Survey H13151 and the contents of this Descriptive Report refer only to the NOAA-acquired multibeam data; the seismic data acquired simultaneously will be managed and and published by USGS. This project also supports the Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) campaign to explore deepwater areas off the U.S. Pacific Coast. Data collected throughout this survey will be used to determine the viability of potential lease locations for offshore wind energy production. Additionally, USGS will use the bathymetric and seismic data to investigate a field of potential gas seeps in the northern portion of the survey area.The entire survey is adequate to supersede previous data.SupportFiles\H13151_VR_MLLW_Final.QAv5.density.pngPydro derived plot showing HSSD density compliance of H13151 finalized variable-resolution MBES data.SupportFiles\Bathy_Sheetlimits_chart_annotated.pngH13151 MBES coverage and assigned survey limits (Chart 18020)SupportFiles\Holidays.pngVR Surface showing locations of holidays derived from Pydro. The USGS and BOEM teams prioritized maximal multibeam coverage and requested to minimize overlap between adjacent lines and omit holiday runs from the cruise. To best balance the goals of NOAA, USGS, and BOEM, the survey team accepted an increased probability of leaving holidays in exchange for multibeam coverage over a larger area. As a result, a waiver was requested from the NOAA Hydrographic Survey Division to dispense the requirement for holiday acquisition. This memo is included in Appendix II. The Pydro QC Tools Holiday Finder was used and 19 holidays were identified within the H13151 surveyed area. All areas were examined and determined to be small enough in size and sufficiently deep as to effectively rule out the possibility of any hazards to navigation. Complete Coverage MBES data, backscatter data and water column data. (refer to HSSD Section 5.2.2.3)All waters in survey areaThe USGS will simultaneously collect high resolution, low energy multichannel seismic (MCS) and CHIRP subbottom data during acquisition requiring a survey speed of 6 knots. All waters in survey areaSupportFiles\Survey Outline chart overlay.pngH13151 assigned survey area and survey coverage (Chart 18020)35.592361121.98174635.249422121.194191The survey area is referred to as H13151, "Offshore Estero Bay to Offshore Cape San Martin (Sheet 1)". This area is outlined in the project instructions and encompasses approximately 865 square nautical miles. S-22100000891.700112.200000891.70012.6112.2000777.8802018-10-282018-09-152018-09-142018-09-132018-09-062018-09-052018-09-042018-09-032018-09-022018-08-312018-08-302018-08-29Data were acquired within survey limits as required in the Project Instructions and HSSD unless otherwise noted in this report. Raw Backscatter data were logged as .all files for delivery to NOAA's Pacific Hydrographic Branch. Backscatter data were processed by the field unit and mosaics generated. One processed 6-meter mosaic was generated for the H13151 survey area. The processed mosaic paired .all files with HDCS data. During backscatter processing the following error was encountered: Could not find BathySummary tag in LogFile.xml or Process.log in HDCS directory for file. This resulted in some of the lines not being processed. A work around was identified in which a copy of the HDCS data was created, the lines identified and a backup of the process log (Process.log.bak) was used to generate the backscatter mosaic. All sounding systems were calibrated as detailed in the DAPR.All data reduction procedures conform to those detailed in the DAPR.NOAA_VRVariable Resolution468.61621.8Complete MBESH13151_MB_VR_MLLW_FinalCARIS VR Surface (CUBE)NOAA_VRVariable Resolution468.61621.8Complete MBESH13151_MB_VR_MLLWCARIS VR Surface (CUBE)Submitted surfaces were generated using the recommended parameters for "Ranges" style variable resolution bathymetric grids as specified in HSSD 2018. No soundings were designated in this survey and no Dangers to Navigation (DTONs) were detected throughout the survey area. NOAA Profile V_5_7CarisHIPS/SIPS10.3.3FledermausFledermaus Geocoder Toolbox (FMGT)7.8.1All data for H13151 were acquired by NOAA Ship Rainier. The vessel acquired depth soundings, backscatter imagery and sound speed profiles. S22170.44.7SupportFiles\20180628_221958.jpgNOAA Ship Rainier in Williams Cove, AKRefer 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.ApplanixPositioning and Attitude SystemPOS MV 320 v5Kongsberg MaritimeMBESEM 710Teolodyne RESONSurface Sound Speed SystemSVP 70Lockheed MartinTemperature SensorSippican Deep BlueRefer to the Data Acquisition and Processing Report (DAPR) for a comprehensive description of data acquisition and processing systems, survey vessels, quality control procedures and data processing methods. Additional information to supplement sounding and other survey data and any deviations from the DAPR are discussed in this report. All equipment and survey methods were used as detailed in the DAPR. Sig Mini-SparkerAs a joint USGS/BOEM/NOAA mission other pieces of equipment were being towed during the survey. The Sig Mini-Sparker was used concurrently and spikes were observed in the Sound Velocity Profiles collected while in use. The spikes were smoothed using the "magic wand" tool in Sound Speed Manager.Kongsberg EM710SupportFiles\castle soundings.pngExample of a blowout from Raw data. The sonar was operating at the deeper end of its depth range and high wave conditions led to blowouts throughout the survey. Pydro QC Tools 2 v 2.6.7 Detect Fliers v5 was used to identify fliers in the finalized variable resolution surface. Detect Fliers parameters included Gaussian Curvature, Adjacent Cells, Edge Slivers, and Isolated Nodes. Flier Height was not restricted. Obvious noise was rejected by the hydrographer in Caris subset editor. After data cleaning, Detect Fliers was run again and found 24 fliers in the surface. These were investigated and found to be false positives. The results of the Detect Fliers tool are included as a .000 file in the Separates section of this report. Detect FliersPydro QC Tools 2 v2.6.7 Detect Fliers v5 was used to find fliers in the finalized variable resolution surface. Detect Fliers parameters included Gaussian Curvature, Adjacent Cells, Edge Slivers, and Isolated Nodes. Flier height was not restricted. Obvious noise was rejected by the hydrographer in Caris subset editor. After data cleaning, Detect Fliers was run again and found 24 fliers in the surface. These were investigated and found to be false positives. The results of the Detect Fliers tool are included as a .000 file in the Separates section of this report.SupportFiles\junction-overview.pngOverview of H13151, H13152 and H13089 coverage. SupportFiles\junction_surface_chart_overlay.pngH13151 and H13089 junction difference surface. SupportFiles\H13151_VR_MLLW_Final-H13089_MB_VR_MLLW_Final_fracAllowErr_Freq.pngPydro derived plot showing percentage-pass value of the junction between surveys H13151 and H13089. SupportFiles\H13151_VR_MLLW_Final-H13089_MB_VR_MLLW_Final_depth_delta.pngPydro derived plot showing absolute difference statistics of the junction between surveys H13151 and H13089. SupportFiles\H13151_VR_MLLW_Final-H13089_MB_VR_MLLW_Final_fracAllowErr_vsDepth.pngPydro derived plot showing node depth vs. allowable error fraction of the junction between surveys H13151 and H13089. NOAA Ship RAINIER2017E80000H13089The junction with survey H13089 encompasses 55.58 square nautical miles within survey H13151. The Compare Grids functions of Pydro Explorer derived a difference surface from the variable-resolution CUBE surface of each survey for comparison. Analysis of the difference surface indicated that survey H13089 is an average of 0.19 meters deeper than survey H13151 with a standard deviation of 0.73 meters. SupportFiles\B-2 Junction Difference.pngH13151 and H13152 junction difference surface. The Compare Grids functions of Pydro Explorer derived a difference surface from the variable-resolution CUBE surface of each survey for comparison. Analysis of the difference surface indicated that survey H13151 is an average of 0.08 meters deeper than survey H13152 with a standard deviation of 1.02 meters.SupportFiles\H13152_H13151_Compare.jpgPydro derived plot showing percentage-passSupportFiles\H13152_H13151_Compare2.jpgPydro derived plot showing absolute differenceNOAA Ship RAINIER2018S80000H13152The junction with survey H13152 encompasses 11.43 square nautical miles along the southern boundary of survey H13151. The junction analysis between H13151 and H13152 can be found in the H13152 Descriptive Report. Two junction comparisons were completed for survey H13151. Survey H13152 was acquired concurrently with this survey. Survey H13089 was completed by Rainier in October 2017. SupportFiles\XL_Chart_overlay_modded.pngOverview of crosslines on H13151SupportFiles\H13151_MS_diff_XL_VR_fracAllowErr_Freq.pngH13151 crossline comparison distributionSupportFiles\H13151_MS_diff_XL_VR_depth_delta.pngH13151 crossline absolute difference statisticsNOAA Ship Rainier acquired 112.15 nautical miles of multibeam crosslines. The Compare Grids function in Pydro Explorer analyzed finalized VR surfaces of H13151 crossline-only data and mainscheme-only data. In the difference surface, 99.5% of nodes were within allowable error limits. Sea StateThroughout the survey, the ship was subject to sustained high sea states, including both long-period swell and locally generated wind waves. The result was increased bubble sweep-down that led to blowouts and higher than normal noise levels. SupportFiles\H13151_VR_MLLW_Final.QAv5.tvu_qc.pngPydro derived histogram plot illustrating TVU compliance of H13151 finalized multi-resolution MBES data. S-221.05N/AN/A0.083018ERS via VDATUM0Expendable Bathythermographs (XBT) were used for sound speed profiles throughout the survey in lieu of CTD and MVP casts due to the survey depth and risk of entanglement in the towed USGS gear. An uncertainty value of 4 m/s was used for processing total propagated uncertainty. Total Propagated Uncertainty (TPU) values for survey H13151 were derived from a combination of fixed values for equipment and vessel characteristics, as well as from field assigned values for sound speed uncertainties. Tidal zoning uncertainty of .083018 meters was provided in the Project Instructions as part of the VDatum. See the 2018 DAPR for further information. In addition to the usual a priori estimates of uncertainty, some real-time and post-processed uncertainty sources were also incorporated into the depth estimates of this survey. Real-time uncertainties from Kongsberg MBES sonars were recorded and applied in post-processing. Applanix TrueHeave (POS) files, which record estimates of heave uncertainty, were applied during post-processing. Finally, the post-processed uncertainties associated with vessel roll, pitch, yaw and position were applied in Caris HIPS using SBET and RMS files generated using POSPac MMS software. Uncertainty values of the submitted finalized grid was calculated in Caris using "Greater of the Two" of uncertainty and standard deviation (scaled to 95%). Grid QA v5 within Pydro QC Tools 2 was used to analyze H13151 TVU compliance; a histogram plot of the results is shown below (Figure 8). A total of 53 sound speed profiles were acquired for this survey at discrete locations within the survey area at least once every four hours, when significant changes to surface sound speed were observed, or when operating in a new area. For MBES operations from S221, sound speed profiles were acquired using the Lockheed Martin Sippican Deep Blue Expendable Bathymetric Thermographs (XBTs). All casts were concatenated into a master file and applied using the "Nearest distance within time" (4 hours) profile selection method. Sound velocity profiles were processed with the MK21 software produced by Lockheed Martin.SupportFiles\Soundings bathymetry overlay.pngFigure 6: H13151 sound speed cast locationsAt least every 4 hours.Sonar system quality control checks were conducted as detailed in the quality control section of the DAPR. 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 Specifications and Deliverables, 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.Commanding Officer2019-01-16Benjamin K. Evans, CDR/NOAAField Operations Officer2019-01-16Andrew R. Clos, LT/NOAAChief Survey Technician2019-01-16James B. JacobsonSheet Manager2019-01-16Airlie G. Pickett, ENS/NOAAPost Processed Real-Time-Extended (PP-RTX) processing methods were used in the Applanix POSPac MMS 8.2.1 software to produce Smoothed Best-Estimate Trajectories (SBET) for post-processing horizontal correction. North American Datum 1983Projected UTM 10NERS via VDATUMOPR_L373_RA_18_20181115b_xyNAD83-MLLW_geoid12b.csarMean Lower Low WaterThere were no tide gauges or base stations installed by the survey vessel crew for this project; no Horizontal and Vertical Control Report (HVCR) was submitted.