S-N906-NRTSE-22 Grays Harbor Grays Harbor NOAA NRT-Seattle H13634 1 Grays Harbor Washington United States 10000 2022 LTJG Patrick Faha Basic Hydrographic Survey 2022-06-01 2022-06-22 2022-09-16 Multibeam Echo Sounder Side Scan Sonar meters UTC Pacific Hydrographic Branch This survey is in conjunction with survey H13848 (OPR-N938-NRTSE-23) submitted under separate cover. They should be reviewed and considered as a package. 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 10N, 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 Field Units) CC0-1.0 https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode These data were produced by NOAA and are in the public domain within the United States. NOAA waives any potential copyright and related rights in these data worldwide through the Creative Commons Zero 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0). NOAA The survey area is located at the entrance of Grays Harbor along the central west coast of Washington State in the ancestral waters of the Quinault and Queets tribes and descendants of five other coastal tribes: Quileute, Hoh, Chehalis, Chinook, and Cowlitz (http://www.quinaultindiannation.com/). Chehalis Indians had a very large settlement at what is today the location of Westport on the south side of the entrance to the bay. 'Ts-a-lis' is the lower Chehalis word for Westport, meaning “place of sand”. Early explorers pronounced the word “Chehalis.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grays_Harbor) 46.96277777777778 124.18416666666667 46.907222222222224 123.97944444444444 H13634 Sheet Limits on ENC US5WA60M SupportFiles\H13634SurveyArea.PNG The surveys H13643 and H13848 were submitted at separate dates, but intended to be reviewed in combination, as a single survey. This proves challenging for a number of reasons, one of which is that there are two registry numbers that are in the records. In coordination with the HTL, it was decided to re-define the boundaries of H13634 and H13848, and to use bathymetry from both surveys within those two areas. A geographic North-South axis was defined, where all bathymetry from both H13634 and H13848 (MBES, SSS, MBAB) and features were split - the eastern portion being the new extents of H13634, and the western portion H13848. Because VR surfaces are not able to be segmented with surface extraction, new surfaces were created for H13634, meeting object detection requirements (50cm and 1m resolutions). H13848 surfaces remained 50cm and 1m. Due to a long pause in H13634 survey dates (63 days between DN194 and 257) the H13634 bathymetry was also split into two separate surfaces, separated by dates. H13634 surfaces 1of6 and 4of6 cover survey dates DN173 to DN194, while surfaces 2of6 and 5of6 cover DN 257 to DN 259. This virtually eliminated grid tearing due to shifting sediment in the area, allowing the best possible bathymetry to be submitted to the NBS whose supersession rules can make meaningful differentiations based on acquisition dates. Finally, bathymetry from the same eastern extents of H13848 were also included, and renamed H13634 - specifically surfaces 3of6 and 6of6. New surfaces required a lot of cleaning, and once fliers were removed, erode edges was employed on all surfaces to further reduce edge noise issues and represent best available bathymetry, especially considering H13848 data is set line spacing with SSS. A This is the final disposition of H13634 - all data in the eastern portion of the combined survey areas have been collected, and referred to as H13634, regardless of the survey of origin. All data from H13634 is adequate to supersede chart data. The remainder of the document should be read through the lens of this additional information. Data was collected in the survey area over two years: 2022 and 2023. Separate survey registry numbers were assigned for the 2022 data (H13634; S-N906-NRTSE-22) and 2023 data (H13848;S-N938-NRTSE-23). While this report specifically covers H13634 it is recommended that the two surveys be reviewed and compiled as a unit. H13848 will be submitted with a DR Summary. H13848 was conducted as side scan with concurrent multibeam in an effort to cover shoal areas not adequately covered by 100% multbeam in 2022 with H13634. Data were acquired to the survey limits in accordance with the requirements in the Project Instructions and the 2022 NOS Hydrographic Surveys Specifications and Deliverable (HSSD) with the exceptions noted below. In all inshore areas where the 3.5 meter depth contour or the sheet limits were not met, the Navigable Area Limit Line (NALL) was defined as the inshore limit of bathymetry due to the safety of maneuvering the survey vessel in shallow non-navigationally significant areas. Significant wave heights west of Green Buoy #9 prohibited safe operation seaward of it as did wave heights south of North Jetty. An area to the NE of the main survey area, inshore of the mouth and bar, had significant shoaling prohibiting efficient coverage with full multibeam during survey H13634 and was instead covered with a side scan with concurrent multibeam in 2023 under H13484. (Figure 2) Inshore limits of the west portion of H13634. SupportFiles\InShoreCoverage.JPG The primary purpose of this project is to provide contemporary hydrographic data to update NOAA’s nautical charting products to improve the safety of maritime traffic. The survey is partially adequate to supersede previous data. Survey data from this project, in conjunction with H13848 (S-N938-NRTSE-23) is intended to supersede all prior survey data in the common area. Data acquired in H13634 by itself may not meet all multibeam echo sounder (MBES) coverage requirements for object detection, as required by the HSSD. Additional information provided about crosslines (Section B.2.1), NOAA allowable uncertainty (Section B.2.2.) The surface was analyzed using the HydrOffice QC Tools Grid QA feature (Figure 3). Density requirements for H13634 were achieved with at least 99.5% of surface nodes containing five or more soundings as required by HSSD Section 5.2.2.3. The few nodes that did not meet density requirements are due to sparse data in the outer beams, especially near steep sand waves where acoustic shadowing occurred, and at the edges of the survey limits. Pydro derived histogram plot showing HSSD object detection compliance for H13634 MBES within the finalized CUBE surface. SupportFiles\H13634_MB_VR_MLLW.GQv6.density.png All waters in survey area Object Detection Coverage (Refer to HSSD Section 5.2.2.2) Data were acquired for H13634 in accordance with the requirements in the Project Instructions and the 2022 NOS HSSD (Figure 4 ) with the exceptions noted bellow. H13634 data were reviewed in CARIS HIPS and SIPS for holidays in accordance with Section 5.2.2.3 of the HSSD. HydrOffice QC Tools Holiday Finder tool identified 1034 holidays. This tool automatically scans the surface for holidays as defined in the HSSD and was run in conjunction with a visual inspection of the surface by the hydrographer. Bio-fouling and frequent sonar blowouts led to a large number of holidays for H13634 (See Section B.2.5). The number of holidays and the lack of coverage in shoal areas led to the decision to re-survey the area in 2023 with sidescan and concurrent multibeam. H13634 on US5WA60M SupportFiles\Coverage.JPG S3006 0.0 312.5293 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.8668 0.0 0.0 312.5293 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.8668 0.0 2.84 0 0 0 0 4.0 2022-06-22 2022-06-23 2022-06-24 2022-06-25 2022-06-26 2022-06-27 2022-06-29 2022-06-30 2022-07-01 2022-07-13 2022-09-14 2022-09-15 2022-09-16 This survey was collected initially from 06/22/2022 to 09/16/2022. 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. S3006 34.0 4.0 S3006 in Puget Sound SupportFiles\boat.PNG MBES Kongsberg Maritime EM 2040C Positioning and Attitude System Applanix POS MV 320 v5 Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth Sensor AML Oceanographic MicroX SV Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth Sensor SonTek CastAway-CTD The equipment was installed on S3006. The vessel is equipped with POS MV v5 system for positioning and attitude, Kongsberg EM 2040C for MBES, AML Oceanographic MicroX SVS surface sound speed sensor, and YSI CastAway-CTD casts. Multibeam crosslines were collected by S3006 across a variety of depth ranges and water masses. Crosslines were collected, processed and compared in accordance with Section 5.2.4.2 of the HSSD. A Variable Resolution (VR) surface was created of only mainscheme lines, and a second VR surface was created of only crosslines (Figure 6 ). A difference surface was generated with Pydro tool 'Compare Grids' by subtracting the crossline only surface from the mainscheme surface (mainscheme- crosslines= difference surface), from which statistics were derived. Statistics show the mean difference between the depths derived from mainscheme data and crossline data was -0.01 meters and 95% of nodes falling within 0.48 meters (Figure 7). For the respective depths, the difference surface was compared to the allowable NOAA uncertainty standards (Figure 8). In total, 98% of the depth differences between H136343 mainscheme and crossline data were within allowable NOAA uncertainties (Figure 9). The coloring represents areas where the TVUmax error tolerance is exceeded; red, orange and yellow colors represent areas where mainscheme data is deeper than crossline data; the blue shades represent where crossline data is deeper than mainscheme data. The analysis was performed on H13634 MBES data reduced to MLLW using ERS methods. The largest differences occur in areas of shifting sandwaves. H13634 Crosslines SupportFiles\XLcoverage.JPG The statistics and distribution summary plot of the difference between H13634 mainscheme and crossline data. SupportFiles\H13634_MB_MainOnly_VR_MLLW-H13634_MB_XL_VR_MLLW_depth_delta.png Histogram plot utilizing the magnitude of the Allowable Error Fraction to show the indication of what percentage of the total number of comparisons pass the TVU max test for H13634. SupportFiles\H13634_MB_MainOnly_VR_MLLW-H13634_MB_XL_VR_MLLW_fracAllowErr_Freq.png Depth differences between H13634 mainscheme and crossline data as compared to NOAA allowable uncertainty standards for the associated depths. SupportFiles\XlineFrac.JPG Area of shifting sand showing higher difference between crossline and mainscheme data. SupportFiles\XlineFracZoom.JPG ERS via VDATUM 0.0 0.226 S3006 4.0 0 0 0.5 Total Propagated Uncertainty (TPU) values for H13634 were derived from a combination of fixed values for equipment and vessel characteristics, as well as field assigned values for sound speed uncertainties. The uncertainty for the VDatum model was provided to the field unit. In addition to the usual a priori estimates of uncertainty provided via device models for vessel motion, ERS, real time and post processed uncertainty sources were also incorporated into the depth estimates of H13634. Real-time uncertainties from the Kongsberg 2040C MBES sonars were incorporated and applied during post processing. Uncertainties associated with vessel roll, gyro, and navigation were applied real-time. H13634 utilized kinematic (RTK) positioning service. The recorded delayed heave Applanix files included an estimate of the heave uncertainty and were applied during post processing. All of the aforementioned uncertainties were applied in CARIS. H13634 is an ellipsoidally referenced survey (ERS) and the tidal component was accomplished via separation model. The surface was analyzed using the HydrOffice QC Tools Grid QA feature to determine compliance with specifications. Overall, 99.5% of nodes within the surface meet NOAA Allowable Uncertainty specifications for H13634. (Figure 11) H13634 Node Uncertainty as a fraction of Allowable. SupportFiles\H13634_MB_VR_MLLW.GQv6.tvu_qc.png There are no contemporary surveys that junction with this survey. Sonar system quality control checks were conducted as detailed in the quality control section of the DAPR. Bio-fouling on Sonar Head Data collected at the start of survey in summer 2022 appeared excessively noisy. This was initially attributed to the rough sea state in the area, however after a particularly calm day the boat was hauled out and the sonar head inspected. Significant bio-fouling was noted on the sonar head and subsequently removed. Pitting on the hull was also noted at the time leading to the boat being hauled out for repair and contributing to the gaps in time for data collection (see Section B.2.6 - Sandwave Movement). Significant cleaning of the data was required to remove the noise created by the bio-fouling and subsequently resulted in large number of data gaps in surfaces. Crab Pots and Currents In addition to data gaps mentioned above from bio-fouling, additional data gaps were created during data acquisition due to difficultly running lines around the large number of crab-pots and strong currents, particularly in the area east of the mouth entrance. Normally attempts to re-collect the data would be made made prior to leaving the area for extended amounts of time however the maintenance required on the hull prevented a timely re-collection of data over all the data gaps. Attempts to recollect over the data gaps were made months after initial collection which leads to the next issue encountered: sandwaves. Sandwave Movement As noted above, unexpected maintenance to the hull of S3006 caused data collection to be broken up over time. Initial collection in June-July followed by additional collection in September 2022. Sandwaves were readily apparent in the initial data collection and sediment transport was very notable in areas where the September data overlaps the earlier data. Stepping is noticeable in the surface where this data overlaps. Most of the the difference in depth is around or less than 1m but an inshore area SW of the Northern point of the entrance has a difference of around 6 m (Figure 12,13). It is recommended that changeable sandwave areas be charted. Shifting sandwaves visible in the surface and subset editor for data collected between July and September. SupportFiles\Sandwave2.JPG Largest difference apparent in data collected in July compared to data collect in September. SupportFiles\Sandwave1.JPG Every four hours Casts were conducted at a minimum of one every four hours during acquisition. Casts were conducted more frequently when there was a change in surface sound speed greater than four meters per second. (Figure 14). SVP casts were applied to the MBES lines in CARS using the “nearest in distance within time of 4 hours” method. All sound speed methods were used as detailed in the DAPR. Sound speed cast locations. SupportFiles\H13634_soundSpeed.JPG As previously noted, due to the factors affecting the initial data collection, data was reacquired in the survey area in 2023 under registry number H13848; S-N938-NRTSE-23. It is recommended that the two surveys be reviewed and compiled as a unit. All data reduction procedures conform to those detailed in the DAPR. The hull repair necessitated the removal and subsequent re-installation of the multi beam sonar. A patch test was conducted and reference surface collected at the Shilshole Bay reference surface location prior to additional data collection. Patch test values and reference surface matched previous and calibration values were maintained as reported in DAPR. Patch Test 2022-08-16 Multibeam re-installation Raw backscatter data is logged as .all file during acquisition. Backscatter for this survey was processed in FMGT V7.10.2. The following lines did not processes in FMGT and are not included in the final mosaic: 0399_20220701_151936_S3006; 0427_20220915_160439_S3006. CARIS HIPS and SIPS 11.4.22 QPS Fledermaus 7.10.2 NOAA Extended Attribute Files Version 2022. H13634_MB_VR_MLLW_Final CARIS VR Surface (CUBE) 1.74 NOAA_VR Object Detection H13634_MB_VR_MLLW CARIS VR Surface (CUBE) 1.94 NOAA_VR Object Detection The NOAA CUBE parameters defined in the HSSD were used for the creation of all CUBE surfaces for H13634. The surfaces have been reviewed where noisy data, or "fliers," are incorporated into the gridded solutions causing the surface to be shoaler or deeper than the true sea floor. Where these spurious soundings cause the gridded surface to be shoaler or deeper than the reliably measured seabed by greater than the maximum allowable Total Vertical Uncertainty at that depth, the noisy data have been rejected by the hydrographer and the surface recomputed. With the default settings in HydrOffice Flier Finder, 24 'fliers' remain in the finalized surface. All the remaining fliers are on areas affected by sandwave movement and do not represent actual fliers (Figure 15) (See Section B.2.6). Significantly more 'fliers' are noted if "noisy edges' is selected in HydroOffice Flier Finder. Iterative attempts were made to clean the data at the margins to remove remaining fliers but due to the inherent sparseness of data at these edges and Caris processing, Flier Finder still flags soundings at these margins. Despite this, the hydrographer feels the data is adequate to supersede charted. Fliers shown in orange over areas surface is affected by sandwaves. SupportFiles\Fliers1.JPG Designated Soundings H13634 contains 7 designated soundings in accordance with HSSD Section 5.2.1.2.3. Designated soundings were selected to accurately represent the seafloor and correlate to submerged addressed features included in the Final Feature File (FFF). (Note the submitted FFF contains additional submerged features identified and marked by designated soundings in survey H13848.) Per Section 8.1.6.2 of the 2022 Field Procedures Manual, no Horizontal and Vertical Control Report has been generated for H13634 Mean Lower Low Water ERS via VDATUM S-N906-NRTSE-22_VDatum_100m_NAD83-MLLW_geoid12b.csar Elliposidal Referenced Survey (ERS) methods were used as the final means of reducing H13634 to MLLW for submission. VDatum separation model was provided with the project instructions. Sounding elevations relative to the ellipsoid were post-processed with the daily logged POSPac data to create a best statistical estimate of trajectory (SBET) file, as detailed in the DAPR. All of H13634 meets HSSD vertical accuracy requirements. North American Datum 1983 Projected UTM 10 Precise Positioning-SmartBase and RTX processing methods were used in Applanix POSpac MMS 8.8 software to produce SBETs for post-processing horizontal correction. All of H13545 meets HSSD horizontal accuracy requirements. A comparison was performed between survey H13634 and US5WA60M. The contours and soundings were overlaid on the charts to assess differences between the surveyed soundings and charted depths. ENCs were compared by extracting all soundings from the chart for general agreement and to identify areas of significant change. In general there is significant shifting of contours and sounding within the survey area due to the changeable nature of the seabed and currents in the area. Most contours shifted shoreward of charted. Data from H13634, in conjunction with H13848 should supersede charted data. Survey contours and soundings in blue overlain on ENC US5WA60M showing shifting of contours. SupportFiles\Contours1.JPG Survey contours and soundings in blue overlain on ENC US5WA60M showing shifting of contours. SupportFiles\Contours2.JPG US5WA60M 40000 30 2021-11-24 2022-05-13 Shifting sandy shoals are present in the area and should be updated per H13634 and H13848 data. No immediate Dangers to Navigation (DTON) were identified or reported. No features were assigned in CSF. Charted features exist for this survey and are included int the FFF. The submitted Final Feature File (FFF) contains new features from both H13634 and H131848 identify by SORIND and SORDAT. The combined FFF contains 27 new Obstructions and 29 retained charted features (mostly ATONs). Channels exist within the area but were excluded from survey limits ATONs exist in the survey area and all are on station serving their intended purpose. No Maritime Boundary Points were assigned for this survey. No bottom samples were required for this survey. No overhead features exist for this survey. No additional submarine features exist for this survey. No platforms exist for this survey. No ferry routes or terminals exist for this survey. Shifting sandwaves are present throughout the survey area. It is recommended that changeable sandwave areas are charted in accordance with H13634 and H13848 data. Detail showing the extensive sandwaves, vertical exaggerated (3). SupportFiles\SandwaveDetail.JPG There was active dredging happening in Crossover Channel near the the NE assigned section of survey. Changes in depth (~1m) were noted in along this section between lines collected on DN194 and DN259. Dredging noted in data collected on DN194 and DN259. SupportFiles\Dredging_Offset.JPG Due to the changeable nature of the seafloor in the area, it is recommended (and will likely be requested) that this area is surveyed on frequent schedule. No new ENC scales 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. Patrick Faha LTJG/NOAA Chief of Party 2024-02-29 Annemieke Raymond Sheet Manager 2024-02-29