The high-resolution seafloor data collected contributes to a larger effort funded by the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration to map the CINMS, which until recently had been poorly mapped, as well as efforts to map and understand low-stand offshore shorelines. Significant features mapped with the EM 2040P include what appear to be boulders eroded by wave activity and sedimentary features visible along the California coast today.
EM 2040P Utilised on E/V Nautilus
Researchers from University of New Hampshire Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping took part in a cruise aboard E/V Nautilus to map ancient shorelines within the Channel Islands National
Marine Sanctuary (CINMS). Using an EM 2040P multibeam echo sounder mounted on an ASV, the team surveyed the seafloor along the edge of the islands coming within meters of steep cliffs. "The EM 2040P provided
a compact package suitable for our autonomous and remotely operated vessel, and allowed us to map steep shorelines from a safe distance,” said Val Schmidt, Research Engineer at the Center.
08 Sep 2017