OPR-J359-KR-20 Offshore Apalachicola, FL Northwest Gulf of Mexico Fugro USA Marine, Inc. H13359 5 South Cape St. George Florida United States 20000 2020 Allison C Stone Navigable Area 2020-03-25 2020-06-30 2020-10-14 Multibeam Echo Sounder (MBES) Multibeam Acoustic Backscatter (MBAB) meters UTC NAD83 Zone 16N Atlantic Hydrographic Branch Any revisions to the Descriptive Report (DR) applied during office processing are shown in red italic text. The DR is maintained as a field unit product, therefore all information and recommendations within this report are considered preliminary unless otherwise noted. The final disposition of survey data is represented in the NOAA nautical chart products. All pertinent records for this survey are archived at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and can be retrieved via https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/. Products created during office processing were generated in NAD83 UTM 16N, MLLW. All references to other horizontal or vertical datums in this report are applicable to the processed hydrographic data provided by the field unit. CC0-1.0 (NOAA Contractors) CC0-1.0 https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode These data were produced under contract with NOAA and any potential copyright was assigned to NOAA. NOAA waives any potential copyright and related rights in these data worldwide through the Creative Commons Zero 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0). Contractor Survey H13359 (Table 1) is South Cape St. George (Figure 1). The M/V GO Freedom acquired complete coverage Multibeam Echosounder (MBES) and Multibeam Echosounder Acoustic Backscatter (MBAB) within the assigned survey limits from 30 June 2020 to 20 July 2020; tandem data acquisition occurred with the USV Blue Shadow 1 (aka FAS-901) 16 July 2020 to 19 July 2020. During tandem acquisition, the USV did not need the attentions of ship-board personnel and proved its ability to function as a force-multiplier during acquisition of H13359. The M/V Pelagos acquired complete coverage MBES and MBAB within the assigned survey limits 3 July 2020 to 14 October 2020. The M/V Koach Kline acquired complete coverage MBES and MBAB within the assigned survey limits 2 September 2020 to 6 September 2020. 29.515758777777776 85.10097652777777 29.37967547222222 84.88199063888888 Survey H13359 relative to overall sheet limits of OPR-J359-KR-20 file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_Overview.jpg Survey limits were acquired in accordance with the requirements in the Project Instructions and the HSSD. The Offshore Apalachicola project will provide contemporary surveys to update National Ocean Service (NOS) nautical charting products and services. It is offshore of Apalachicola Bay and Joseph Bay, FL. The survey will provide updated bathymetry and feature data to address concerns of migrating shoals, thus reducing the risk to navigation within the project area. The Apalachicola Surveys delineate the western extent of the Big Bend Mapping project, a Florida Coastal Mapping Program (FCMaP) priority. This multi-year, multi-agency mapping project will fill in an area in which only 2% of the seafloor is mapped to modern standards. Improving the understanding of the bathymetry, geomorphology, bio-diversity and distribution of habitats in this region will support Floridian fisheries, coastal modeling, and resource management. The project will cover approximately 430 square nautical miles of high priority survey area identified in the latest iteration of NOAA HSD's risk-based prioritization model. Data from this project will supersede all prior survey data by providing modern hydrographic survey data for this area and updating the local charting products. The entire survey is adequate to supersede previous data. Full coverage MBES and MBAB (Table 2 and Figures 2-4) were achieved within the survey limits of H13359. All waters in survey area Complete coverage (HSSD 2019 5.2.2.3) Survey coverage was in accordance with the requirements listed above and in the HSSD. Survey H13359 complete coverage MBES file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_FullCov.jpg Survey H13359 1m complete coverage MBES density QC file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_MB_1m_MLLW_FINAL.QAv6.density.png Survey H13359 2m complete coverage MBES density QC file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_MB_2m_MLLW_FINAL.QAv6.density.png M/V GO Freedom 0.0 1290.47 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 62.75 0.0 M/V Pelagos 0.0 1136.73 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 41.27 0.0 M/V Koach Kline 0.0 169.31 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 14.58 0.0 Blue Shadow 1 0.0 330.88 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2927.39 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 118.6 0.0 4.05 10 0 0 0 57.01 2020-06-30 2020-07-01 2020-07-02 2020-07-03 2020-07-04 2020-07-05 2020-07-06 2020-07-08 2020-07-09 2020-07-11 2020-07-12 2020-07-13 2020-07-14 2020-07-16 2020-07-17 2020-07-18 2020-07-19 2020-07-20 2020-07-21 2020-08-09 2020-08-10 2020-08-12 2020-08-13 2020-08-14 2020-08-15 2020-08-16 2020-08-28 2020-08-29 2020-08-30 2020-08-31 2020-09-01 2020-09-02 2020-09-03 2020-09-04 2020-09-05 2020-09-06 2020-09-11 2020-09-18 2020-09-19 2020-09-26 2020-09-27 2020-09-28 2020-09-29 2020-10-03 2020-10-07 2020-10-08 2020-10-14 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. M/V GO Freedom 150.0 12.0 M/V Pelagos 34.0 2.0 Blue Shadow 1 29.0 6.0 M/V Koach Kline 32.0 1.5 M/V GO Freedom with USV Blue Shadow 1 file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/GO_Freedom_Blue_Shadow_1.JPEG M/V Pelagos file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/MV_Pelagos.JPG M/V Koach Kline file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/Koach_Kline1.jpg M/V GO Freedom, USV Blue Shadow (Table 5 and Figure 5), M/V Pelagos (Table 5 and Figure 6), and M/V Koach Kline (Table 5 and Figure 7) acquired MBES, MBAB, surface sound velocity, sound velocity profiles, and attitude and positioning data within the survey limits of H13359 (Table 6). For a detailed listing of equipment used to acquire survey data, refer to the DAPR submitted with this report under Project Reports. MBES Teledyne RESON SeaBat 7125 SV2 MBES Kongsberg Maritime EM 2040 Sound Speed System Teledyne RESON SVP 70 Sound Speed System Valeport Unknown Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth Sensor AML Oceanographic Smart SVP Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth Sensor Valeport Smart SVP Positioning and Attitude System Applanix POS MV 320 v5 Positioning and Attitude System Applanix POS MV 320 v4 For a detailed listing of equipment, refer to the DAPR submitted with this report. Crosslines for survey H13359 were acquired in accordance with section 5.2.4.2 of the HSSD 2019 (Figure 8). Mainscheme to crossline mileage percentage across H13359 is 4.05%. Of the 13,702,499 grid nodes compared between H13359 mainscheme MBES and MBES crosslines, 99.95% were within 50cm difference. The mean difference is 4.6cm, with a standard deviation of 9.3m (Figure 9). H13359 MBES mainscheme and MBES crossline distribution file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_XL_dist.jpg H13359 MBES mainscheme differenced from MBES crosslines statistical output file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_XL_diff.jpg ERS via VDATUM 0.1 0.101 M/V GO Freedom 2.576 N/A N/A 0.25 M/V Pelagos 1.563 N/A N/A 0.25 M/V Koach Kline 0.67 N/A N/A 0.25 Blue Shadow 1 1.143 N/A N/A 0.25 Survey H13359 uncertainty values (Tables 7 and 8) were evaluated in both CARIS HIPS 11.3 and via Pydro QC Tools v3.2.10. The finalized 1m (Figure 10) and 2m (Figure 11) bathymetric grids meet uncertainty standards with a minimum of 99.5% of nodes passing. H13359 1m finalized grid TPU QC file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_MB_1m_MLLW_FINAL.QAv6.tvu_qc.png H13359 2m finalized grid TPU QC file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_MB_2m_MLLW_FINAL.QAv6.tvu_qc.png Four contemporary surveys are available for comparison to H13359: H13360, H13286 (2019), H13284 (2019), and H13358 (Table 9 and Figure 12). Junction surveys to H13359 file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_JNX.jpg H13360 20000 2020 Fugro USA Marine, Inc. N Survey H13360 was acquired by Fugro USA Marine, Inc. in 2020 as a part of OPR-J359-KR-20. Of the 3,216,165 grid nodes compared between H13359 and H13360, 100% agree within 50cm (Figure 13). Survey H13359 junction with Survey H13360 file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_JNX_H13360.jpg H13286 40000 2019 Fugro USA Marine, Inc. W Survey H13286 was acquired by Fugro USA Marine, Inc. in 2019 as a part of OPR-J359-KR-19. Of the 4,207,219 grid nodes compared between H13359 and H13286, 99.9% agree within 50cm (Figure 14). Survey H13359 junction with Survey H13286 file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_JNX_H13286.jpg H13284 40000 2019 Fugro USA Marine, Inc. S Survey H13284 was acquired by Fugro USA Marine, Inc. in 2019 as a part of OPR-J359-KR-19. Of the 3,969,655 grid nodes compared between H13359 and H13284, 100% agree within 50cm (Figure 15). Survey H13359 junction with Survey H13284 file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_JNX_H13284.jpg H13358 20000 2020 Fugro USA Marine, Inc. E Survey H13358 was acquired by Fugro USA Marine, Inc. in 2020 as a part of OPR-J359-KR-20. Of the 3,724,077 grid nodes compared between H13359 and H13358, 99.9% agree within 50cm (Figure 16). Survey H13359 junction with Survey H13358 file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_JNX_H13358.jpg Sonar system quality control checks were conducted as detailed in the quality control section of the DAPR. None Exist There were no conditions or deficiencies that affected equipment operational effectiveness. Shifting Sand Waves The project area of OPR-J359-KR-20 is known to encompass large, migrating sand waves. Several instances of sand wave migration is notable in the vicinities of: 29-29-46.3342N 085-02-59.1541W (Figure 17), 29-29-46.7620N 085-02-19.4181W, 29-29-41.1299N 085-02-56.1528W. These differences are significant enough to have been detected by Pydro XL QC Tools Flier Finder. The mean height of the sand waves does not significantly change, however the 3 instances noted have an mean western migration distance of 7m. The Gulf of Mexico did experience a higher than normal number of storms during 2020 hurricane season; the shifting sand waves are likely due to increased storm activity. Per the Project Instructions a Lidar junction was to be performed, however, at the time of this report no quantifiable Lidar data has been provided. A tif of the applicable data was provided and visually assessed. The western movement of sand waves in the vicinity of positions noted above is notable between the provided tif and the bathymetric surfaces from H13359 are compared. Shifting sand waves in the vicinity of Cape St. George. file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_Sand_Shift.jpg Sound velocity profiles were acquired approximately every two hours from the M/V GO Freedom, M/V Pelagos, and M/V Koach Kline using an AML SV&P probe or Valeport Midas SV2 probe. M/V GO Freedom sound velocity profiles were input into SIS, while vessels were working adjacent line plans. Refer to the DAPR for additional information. All equipment and survey methods were used as detailed in the DAPR. All data reduction procedures conform to those detailed in the DAPR. All sounding systems were calibrated as detailed in the DAPR. No backscatter deliverables are submitted with survey H13359. One line of data per vessel, per day was processed to ensure quality control. All equipment and survey methods utilized in the acquisition and processing of backscatter are detailed in the DAPR. NOAA Profile Version 2020 H13359_MB_1m_MLLW CARIS Raster Surface (CUBE) 1 4.75 27.1 NOAA_1m Complete MBES H13359_MB_1m_MLLW_FINAL CARIS Raster Surface (CUBE) 1 4.75 20.0 NOAA_1m Complete MBES H13359_MB_2m_MLLW CARIS Raster Surface (CUBE) 2 4.75 27.04 NOAA_2m Complete MBES H13359_MB_2m_MLLW_FINAL CARIS Raster Surface (CUBE) 2 18.0 27.04 NOAA_2m Complete MBES Additional information discussing the vertical or horizontal control for this survey can be found in the accompanying HVCR. Mean Lower Low Water ERS via VDATUM GeneralArea_Apalachicola_100m_NAD83-MLLW_geoid12b North American Datum 1983 Projected UTM 16 All positioning and attitude data associated with OPR-J359-KR-20 was post-processed in POSPac MMS using PP-RTX methods. For further discussion, reference the HVCR submitted with this report. A chart comparison was conducted using the Triangle Rule script within the Chart Review Tool of Pydro QC Tools. A combined s57 file of charted soundings extracted from ENCs listed in the project instructions and an s57 file of surveyed soundings were compared with the following results (Figure 18). Survey H13359 surveyed soundings exhibit 2990 instances where surveyed soundings are shoal to charted soundings by greater than 1ft: 2915 surveyed soundings are 1-3ft shoal to charted (Figure 19); 72 surveyed soundings are 4-5ft shoal to charted (Figure 20). The majority of all instances where surveyed soundings are shoal to charted soundings occurs where sand wave crests have shifted, likely due storm activity. Pydro QC Tools chart review output of surveyed soundings shoal to charted soundings file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_ChartComp_heat.png Pydro QC Tools output of survey H13359 areas of shoaling 1-3ft file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_1_3ft_comp.jpg Pydro QC Tools output of survey H13359 areas of shoaling 4-5ft. file:///B:/OPR_J359_KR_20/Surveys/H13359/01_SAR/Reports/DR/Descriptive_Report/Report/SupportFiles/H13359_4_5ft.jpg US4FL68M 80000 21 2020-12-15 2020-12-15 Generalized shoaling exists within the assigned boundary of survey H13359. Full coverage MBES data should provide adequate information necessary to update applicable charts with the most current sounding data. Two assigned features were investigated within the survey limits of H13359. Reference the Final Feature File associated with this survey for further detail. No uncharted features exist for this survey. 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. No Aids to Navigation (ATONs) exist for this survey. No Maritime Boundary Points were assigned for this survey. A total of 11 bottom samples were assigned and investigated within the survey limits of survey H13359. Reference the Final Feature File associated with this survey for further detail. No overhead features exist for this survey. No submarine features exist for this survey. No platforms exist for this survey. No ferry routes or terminals exist for this survey. Abnormal seafloor or Environmental Conditions were observed in this survey, but were not investigated. 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 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. Allison C Stone Chief of Party 2019-12-31