OPR-T382-RA-23 American Samoa and PRIA American Samoa and PRIA NOAA Ship Rainier (S221) H13732 3 Baker Island American Samoa United States 5000 2023 Héctor L. Casanova CAPT/NOAA Basic Hydrographic Survey Habitat Mapping Maritime EEZ Mapping 2023-02-14 2023-03-17 2023-05-04 Multibeam Echo Sounder Multibeam Echo Sounder Backscatter meters UTC 11 Pacific 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 1N, 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 is referred to as H13732, "Baker" (Sheet 3), within the Project Instructions. The surveyed area encompasses approximately 1741 square nautical miles and is located in Pacific Remote Island Area (PRIA). 0.5238305555555556 176.87889444444446 0.218775 176.0504361111111 H13732 assigned survey area (US1EEZ2M). SupportFiles\H13732_Sheet_Limits.PNG Survey limits were acquired in accordance with the requirements in the Project Instructions and the HSSD. The ecosystem surrounding American Samoa and the U.S. Pacific Remote Island Area (PRIA) are experiencing stress imposed by climate change and other environmental factors. For this project, NOAA Ship Rainier will be operating around American Samoa and PRIA to conduct an extensive hydrographic survey to map bathymetry and habitat around the islands, pinnacles, and reefs in support of nautical charting and habitat mapping. With the collaboration and partnership of the National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science (NCCOS), the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), this project will also study the health of coral reef systems, ocean chemistry, and fisheries habitat. This team has developed a strategy to map the waters from nearshore to depths greater than 1000 meters. Within the project area, the ship's crew will collect bathymetric data to update charts and acquire backscatter data to characterized habitat, while visiting scientists from NCRMP will perform coral reef assessment dives and other oceanographic observations. Data collected during this mission are pivotal to long-term biological and oceanographic monitoring of coral reef ecosystems in American Samoa and PRIA. This project will add to information collected during previous monitoring and mapping surveys. Oceanographic and ecological time series data will allow scientists to evaluate potential changes in environmental conditions and coral reef health. This will enable federal and state resource managers to more effectively conserve coral reef ecosystems of American Samoa and PRIA, and manage ecosystem services. Data collected during this project also supports monitoring components of the NCRMP Coral Reef Ecosystem Integrated Observing System. A modern bathymetric survey in this area will identify hazards and changes to the seafloor, provide critical data for updating National Ocean Service (NOS) nautical charting products, and improve maritime safety. It will also address data gaps to support the Seabed 2030 global mapping initiative. Survey data from this project is intended to supersede all prior survey data in the common area. The entire survey is adequate to supersede previous data. Pydro QC Tools (v3.10.4) Grid QA was used to analyze H13732 multibeam echosounder (MBES) data density. The submitted H13732 finalized variable-resolution (VR) surface met HSSD density requirements as shown in the histogram below. Grid QA results determined that only 51 percent of H13732 nodes met full coverage resolution requirements as explained below. For project OPR-T382-RA-23 Resolution Requirements graphs produced by Pydro’s Grid QA tool have been showing relatively low percentages of grid nodes meeting full coverage resolution requirements. The likely cause of this issue is RAINIER’s use of 64m grids in depths greater than 1000m to maintain a reasonable data density. Since the Grid QA tool was written to match the HSRR specifications with a maximum 32m grid in all waters greater than 640m, RAINIER grids created using the 64m increase in resolution will always fail the resolution requirements check in areas exceeding 1000m. This will of course decrease the percentage of grid nodes meeting coverage resolution requirements. For surveys with a large percentage of area greater than 1000m in depth, this reduction can be significant. The OCS QC Tools team has been made aware of this issue and are trying to work out a solution for this deviation from the specifications. See the Supplemental Records of the sheet submission for more information. Pydro Grid QA derived histogram plot showing HSSD resolution requirements of H13732 finalized variable-resolution MBES data. SupportFiles\H13732_MB_VR_MLLW.GQv6.pct_res.full_cov.png All waters in survey area. Complete Coverage (Refer to HSSD Section 5.2.2.3) The majority of the extent of the assigned sheet limits was surveyed for H13732. This project's requirement to coordinate hydrographic operations with nearshore diving priorities, in addition to the limited number of project days allocated to sheet H13732, imposed significant limitations on the amount of MBES data acquired. Due to these limitations, a portion of area offshore, to the northeast, was not surveyed. H13732 Multibeam echosounder coverage was acquired to the inshore limit of hydrography, the Navigable Area Limit Line (NALL), within the sheet limits. The NALL is defined as the most seaward H13732 NOAA Ship Rainier of the following: the surveyed 10 meter depth contour, the line defined by the distance seaward from the observed MHW line (the assigned sheet limits closely reflect this), or the inshore limit of safe navigation. H13732 MBES coverage and assigned survey limits for Baker Island (US1EEZ2M). SupportFiles\H13732_MBES_Coverage.PNG S221 0.0 678.84 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 114.26 0.0 2802 0.0 37.26 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.98 0.0 0.0 716.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 115.24 0.0 16.09 0 0 0 0 1741.4 2023-03-17 2023-03-18 2023-03-19 2023-03-20 2023-05-02 2023-05-03 2023-05-04 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. S221 70.4 4.7 2802 8.8 1.1 NOAA Ship RAINIER. SupportFiles\NOAA_Ship_Rainier.jpg Example of NOAA Ship RAINIER launch. SupportFiles\Rainier_Launch_2802.jpg Positioning and Attitude System Applanix POS MV 320 v5 MBES Kongsberg Maritime EM 302 MBES Kongsberg Maritime EM 2040 Sound Speed System Lockheed Martin Sippican Deep Blue XBT Sound Speed System Teledyne RESON SVP 70 Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth Sensor AML Oceanographic MVP200 Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth Sensor Sea-Bird Scientific SBE 19plus V2 NOAA Ship RAINIER and launches collected 115.24 nautical miles of multibeam crosslines, approximately 16 percent, across a range of depths in the mainscheme data. The Compare Grids function in Pydro Explorer was used to analyze the finalized VR surfaces of H13732 mainscheme only and crossline only data. Pydro determined that 99.5 percent of nodes met allowable uncertainties. For additional results, see plots below. H13732 crossline surface overlaid on mainscheme tracklines (US1EEZ2M). SupportFiles\H13732_Crosslines.PNG Pydro derived plot showing absolute difference statistics of H13732 mainscheme to crossline data. SupportFiles\H13732_MB_VR_MLLW_XL-H13732_MB_VR_MLLW_MS_depth_delta.png Pydro derived plot showing percentage-pass value of H13732 mainscheme to crossline data. SupportFiles\H13732_MB_VR_MLLW_XL-H13732_MB_VR_MLLW_MS_fracAllowErr_Freq.png ERS via VDATUM 0.0 0.16 S221 N/A 1 4 0.05 2802 3 N/A N/A 0.05 Total Propagated Uncertainty (TPU) values for survey H13732 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 uncertainty was provided in the project instructions for the NOAA vertical datum transformation model used for this survey. In addition to the usual a priori estimates of uncertainty, real-time and post-processed uncertainty sources were also incorporated into the depth estimates of this survey. Real-time uncertainties for position, navigation, attitude, and vessel motion data from Applanix POS MV were applied during acquisition and initially in post-processing. POSPac SBET and RMS files were later applied in CARIS HIPS to supersede POS MV uncertainties associated with GPS height and position. Uncertainty values of the submitted finalized grids were calculated in Caris using "Uncertainty" when creating the finalized surface. Grid QA v6 within Pydro QC Tools was used to analyze H13732 TVU compliance. H13732 met HSSD requirements in over 99.5 percent of grid nodes, which is shown in the histogram plot below. Pydro QC Tools v.6 Grid QA was used to analyze H13732 multibeam echosounder (MBES) data density. The submitted H13732 variable-resolution (VR) surface met HSSD density requirements shown in the histograms below. Pydro derived plot showing TVU compliance of H13732 finalized variable-resolution MBES data. SupportFiles\H13732_MB_VR_MLLW.GQv6.tvu_qc.png Pydro derived histogram plot showing HSSD density compliance of H13732 finalized variable-resolution MBES data. SupportFiles\H13732_MB_VR_MLLW.GQv6.density.png Survey H13732 Baker junctions with survey H13731. Both surveys were conducted while on project OPR-T382-RA-23. Overview of junction between H13731 and H13732 (US1EEZ2M). SupportFiles\H13732_Junction.PNG H13731 5000 2023 RAINIER N Refer to H13731 Howland Island Descriptive Report for additional junction details. 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. None Exist There were no other factors that affected corrections to soundings. Sound Speed Cast Frequency: At least once every 4 hours or as needed. A total of 35 sound speed profiles were acquired for this survey at discrete locations within the survey area at least once every four hours, when significant changes in surface sound speed were observed, or when operating in a new area. All casts were concatenated into a master file and applied to MBES data using the "Nearest distance within time" (4 hours) profile selection method. H13732 sound speed cast locations (US1EEZ2M). SupportFiles\H13732_Cast_Locations.PNG 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. Raw backscatter data were acquired as .ALL or .KMALL files logged during MBES operations and subsequently processed by RAINIER personnel. The .GSF files created during processing and backscatter mosaics per vessel and per frequency are delivered with this report. Backscatter processing procedures are described in the DAPR. Overview mosaic of H13732 multibeam acoustic backscatter coverage (US1EEZ2M). SupportFiles\H13732_Backscatter.PNG CARIS HIPS and SIPS 11.4.6 QPS FMGT 7.10.2 NOAA Profile 2023v1. H13732_MB_VR_MLLW_Final CARIS VR Surface (CUBE) Variable Resolution 4.1 5719.53 NOAA_VR Complete MBES H13732_MB_VR_MLLW CARIS VR Surface (CUBE) Variable Resolution 4.1 5719.53 NOAA_VR Complete MBES H13732_MBAB_2m_2802_300kHz_1of3 MB Backscatter Mosaic 2 N/A Complete MBES H13732_MBAB_3m_S221_300kHz_2of3 MB Backscatter Mosaic 3 N/A Complete MBES H13732_MBAB_6m_S221_32kHz_3of3 MB Backscatter Mosaic 6 N/A Complete MBES Submitted H13732 surfaces were generated using NOAA recommended parameters for density-based (Ranges) Caris variable-resolution bathymetric grids. Per correspondence with the Project Manager, the submitted surfaces were generated with a updated Range/Resolution file, NOAA_DepthRanges_CompleteCoverage_2023_RA, that includes 64 meter grids for depths exceeding 1000 meters. See Supplemental Records for more information. Pydro QC Tools (v.3.10.4) Flier Finder, with default settings, was used to identify sounding "fliers" in the finalized H13732 VR surface. Obvious noise was rejected by the hydrographer in Caris Subset Editor. After data cleaning, the Flier Finder tool was run again and found 1246 potential fliers in the Complete Coverage surface. These were investigated and determined to be a result of the significant slope in the terrain and limited data density on both the steep slopes and the offshore edge of coverage. Therefore, these fliers have been found to be false positives. The image below depicts an example of edge fliers that have been determined to be false. The image below depicts an example of fliers that have been determined to be false. Pydro QC Tools (v.3.10.4) Holiday Finder was used with default settings to find holidays in the finalized H13732 VR surface. Holiday Finder detected 72 certian holidays and 90 possible holidays in the Complete Coverage Surface. All of the holidays are all located outside 4000 meters depth and are primarily a result of low data density at those depths. The holidays were reviewed and do not impact the quality or reliability of the data. See figures below for more information. Example of fliers determined to be false (US5SP23M). SupportFiles\H13732_Fliers.PNG Example of holiday detected by QC Tools Holiday Finder (US5SP23M). SupportFiles\H13732_Holidays.PNG Additional information discussing the vertical or horizontal control for this survey can be found in the accompanying DAPR. Mean Lower Low Water ERS via ERTDM OPR-T382-RA-23_Howland_Baker_Islands_ERTDM_NAD83(PA11)-MHW_16cm1sigma.csar OPR-T382-RA-23_Howland_Baker_Islands_ERTDM_NAD83(PA11)-MLLW_16cm1sigma.csar North American Datum 1983 Projected UTM 1 Precise Positioning-Real Time Extended (PP-RTX) processing methods were used in Applanix POSPac MMS (v8.7) software during post-processing horizontal correction of submitted H13732 MBES data. In US1EEZ2M Baker Island's location is distorted. It is recommended to replace island location with new data. US1EEZ2M Baker Island location. SupportFiles\H13732_Chart_Comp.PNG US5SP23M 15000 4 2017-09-05 2017-09-05 US1EEZ2M 3500000 5 2018-08-08 2018-08-08 No shoals or potentially hazardous features exist for this survey. No charted features exist for this survey. No uncharted features exist for this survey. No channels exist within the survey limits. ENC US5SP23M has one charted Beacon, the Baker Island Light Beacon, safe water feature that was visually confirmed. The ENC also has six charted Landmarks, which were visually confirmed. The Beacon and Landmarks have been added to the final feature file. Beacon, safe water that was visually confirmed. SupportFiles\H13732_000000079700001_a.JPG 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 submarine features exist for this survey. No platforms exist for this survey. No ferry routes or terminals exist for this survey. No abnormal seafloor or environmental conditions 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 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. Héctor L. Casanova Chief of Party 2023-12-31 Garrison L. Grant LT/NOAA Field Operations Officer 2023-12-31 James B. Jacobson Chief Survey Technician 2023-12-31 Christina L. Brooks Sheet Manager 2023-12-31