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Seafloor Mapping in San Francisco Bay
Central Bay Region Multibeam Backscatter and Bathymetry Mosaics |
![[San Francisco Bay: Sonar merged with satellite imagery]](/projects/SFBaySonar/images/georef_icon.gif) San Francisco Bay is the largest estuary on the West Coast. It is surrounded by a growing population of over five million people, and is experiencing increased human impacts on the quality of its water and the use of its waterways, wetlands and coastal areas. Annually, millions of dollars are spent by Federal, State, and local governments, as well as other entities, to dredge navigable waterways, ports, and harbors that shoal due to sedimentation. Scientists at the USGS continue to investigate the patterns and processes of sediment transport in San Francisco Bay. The large deposit of dredged materials that resides on the Bay floor adjacent to Alcatraz Island has created continuing discussion of its fate and erodibility. The images produced in this project clearly identify the deposit and allow for future measurements of its size and shape. By providing highly detailed maps and images of the distribution, sources, sinks, and transport pathways of sediment, we can help managers, decision-makers, and regulators be more efficient in managing human activities like dredge-material disposal, maintenance of navigation waterways and coastal development.
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| Visit the Central Bay Region Multibeam Backscatter and Bathymetry Mosaics web page for a full report and imagery.
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Imagery
| Anaglyph stereo 3D seafloor and land images, shaded relief, and perspective views using multibeam sonar, bathymetry (seafloor topography), Landsat TM (satellite), and IRS-IC (satellite) imagery
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Related Internet Resources
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| USGS: Sediment and Pollutant Transport in Central San Francisco Bay |
| Access USGS - San Francisco Bay and Delta |
| USGS Coastal & Marine Geology Program |
| Central California Internet Resources |
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