What is Hydrography?

What is Hydrography? – NOAA Hydro Training 2012

Surveying Puget Sound, 1927

What is Hydrography?


What is Hydrography?• International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)

Definition:‐ Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals

with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary purpose of safety of navigation and in support of all other marine activities, including economic development, security and defense, scientific research, and environmental protection. (14 September 2011, www.iho.int)

http://www.iho.int/


(USM and UNB Intro to Hydrography, GGE1001)

Three Aspects• Coastal Hydrography is concerned with the development of

ports and harbors, coastal erosion problems, the utilization of harbor and coastal conservation services and, especially, the safety of navigation in coastal waters.

• Off-shore Hydrography is concerned with ‐ The provision of hydrographic data as an extension of the coastal zone

normally encompassing the continental shelf‐ The development of mineral deposits, including hydrocarbons ‐ Provision of data for fisheries management

• Oceanic Hydrography is concerned with the acquisition of hydrographic data in the deep ocean areas for the depiction of sea-floor geomorphology.


71% of the Earth surface is covered with water, yet only about 10% of the seafloor has been surveyed by echo sounders at a resolution of 1 minute or better. –IHO, 2011

Why Hydrography is Important


3.4 Million Square Nautical Miles

NOAA’s Charting Responsibility


Critical Areas and Priorities• NOAA Maintains approximately

1,000 nautical charts encompassing U.S. Territorial waters and the EEZ‐ Nearly 50% of all soundings on

current charts were acquired utilizing leadlines prior to 1940

• These areas are prioritized into categories:‐ Critical Areas; ‐ Emerging Critical Areas‐ Resurvey Areas‐ Priority Areas

» Divided into Priorities from 1 to 5Leadline Sounding Operations

C&GS, 1928

NOAA Hydrographic Survey Priorities, 2011


Critical Areas and Priorities• Prioritized by the following factors:

‐ Shipping Tonnage and Trends‐ Vintage of Surveys in the Area (Year, Equipment, Process)‐ Under-keel Clearance of Vessels‐ Potential for Unknown Dangers to Navigation due to

dynamic bottom or human influence‐ Requests for surveys from Pilot’s Associations, the U.S.

Coast Guard, and the Marine Community through NOAA’s Regional Navigation Managers



Critical Areas and Priorities• Of the 43,000 SNM identified as Critical in 1994, only

14,980 SNM remains

• Nationally, 36,545 SNM of modern, Full Bottom Coverage completed since 1994

• NOAA, through ships and contractors, survey approximately 1,300 – 1,600 SNM per year with existing resources and funding levels



Who is Responsible


Why do we survey?

• Emma Mærsk‐ Length: 1,302 ft ‐ Beam: 184 ft‐ Draught: 51 ft

Bigger, Taller, Longer Ships


Hydro & Homeland Security• The Oceanographer of the Navy

requested NOAA to provide side scan sonar imagery of shipping channels and harbors to the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO)‐ NOAA collected data at 34 strategic

commercial ports‐ NAVO collected data at 14 military

ports‐ NAVO processes and stores data

• This data is used as a baseline for comparison

Klein 5000 Side Scan Sonar

Detailed Side Scan Sonar Imagery


Hydro & Homeland Security

• If a threat condition occurred, the Navy will use the baseline data of pre-existing objects so they can search for new objects, utilizing mine counter-measure assets more effectively to determine if a mine has been placed on the seafloor.


Leadline Single Beam Multi Beam

Pre - 1940 1940 - 1998 1998 - Present

Bottom Coverage by Survey Method


Shallow Water Multibeam• Direct measurement

of Depth• Multibeam sonar

systems are rigidly attached to the survey vessel

• Less swath width than Side-Scan

Project: OPR-O190-RA-11


Side-Scan Sonar• Underwater Imagery‐ Although depths can be

correlated, not a direct measurement

• Used to look for features‐ Features will be surveyed

with Multibeam• Side-Scan “Towfish” are

towed behind the survey vessel

• Very wide coverage swath

Side-Scan Image of USS Monitor


Hydro Types

Ship’s Multibeam

Side Scan Sonar


NOAA Hydrographic Fleet

Thomas JeffersonNorfolk, VA 1992

RainierNewport, OR 1968

FairweatherKetchikan, AK 1968 / 2004

R/V Bay Hydro IISolomons, MD

Navigation Response Teams (NRT’s)

Six Teams, Nationwide


Nancy Foster

Ronald Brown

Oscar Dyson

Hi’ialaki

Gloria Michelle Henry Bigelow

Okeanos Explorer Bell M. Shimada

Pisces

Other Hydro-Capable NOAA Vessels


NOAA’s Navigation Services: Nautical Charting

• Nautical Charts‐ 1,000 Paper Charts‐ 998 Print-on-Demand‐ 380 Electronic Navigation

Charts (ENCs)• Coast Pilot‐ Nine Volumes

encompassing U.S coastal and intracoastal waters

• Notice to Mariners‐ Provides Updates for all

charts and Coast Pilots


NOAA’s Navigation Services: Navigation Response Teams (NRT’s)

• Small teams located around the country‐ NRT-1; Gulf of Mexico‐ NRT-2; Southeast‐ NRT-3; Northwest‐ NRT-4; Great Lakes‐ NRT-5; Northeast‐ NRT-6; Southwest

• Highly mobile units providing site surveys and rapid disaster response


Nautical Charts

National Spatial Reference System

Hydrographic Surveys

Research and DevelopmentModels and New Technologies

Real Time Tides and Currents

Products for Safe Navigation


The End

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What is Hydrography?