NOAA Inspection, Survey & Testing Enhanced
Benthic Habitat and Seafloor Mapping (Great Lakes Lakebed 2030)
Multi-office NOAA project collecting airborne lidar and multibeam sonar data to map Great Lakes nearshore benthic habitat (0-80 m) in support of Lakebed 2030.
Description
With only 15 percent of the Great Lakes surveyed to modern standards, this collaborative NOAA benthic habitat mapping project contributes to the Lakebed 2030 effort by filling gaps in bathymetry data and producing high-density benthic habitat maps of nearshore waters.
Key features
- New airborne topobathy and bathymetric lidar and multibeam sonar surveys
- Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard used to classify substrate, geoform and biotic components
- Nearshore waters of 0-80 meters
- Remotely operated underwater vehicles and drop cameras collect validation data
- Partners include NOAA's Office for Coastal Management, Office of Coast Survey, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
- Data publicly available through the Data Access Viewer on NOAA's Digital Coast
- Area mapped: about 85 km2 (FY2019), 335 km2 (FY2020), 687 km2 (FY2021) and 2,359 km2 (FY2022)
Applications
- Great Lakes habitat management and navigation data
Specifications
| Depth range | 0-80 m |
|---|---|
| Survey methods | Topobathy and bathymetric lidar, multibeam sonar |
| Area mapped FY2022 | 2,359 km2 |
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