Porometric properties of siliciclastic marine sand: a comparison of traditional laboratory measurements with image analysis and effective medium modeling

During the 1999 sediment acoustics experiment (SAX99), porometric properties were measured and predicted for a well sorted, medium sand using standard laboratory geotechnical methods and image analysis of resin-impregnated sediments. Sediment porosity measured by laboratory water-weight-loss methods (0.372 /spl plusmn/ 0.0073 for mean /spl plusmn/1 standard deviation) is 0.026 lower than determined by microscopic image analysis of resin-impregnated sediments (0.398 /spl plusmn/ 0.029). Values of intrinsic permeability (m/sup 2/) determined from constant-head permeameter measurements (3.29 /spl times/ 10/sup -11/ /spl plusmn/ 0.60 /spl times/ 10/sup -11/) and by microscopic image analysis coupled with effective medium theory modeling (2.78 /spl times/ 10/sup -11/ /spl plusmn/ 1.01 /spl times/ 10/sup -11/) are nearly identical within measurement error. The mean value of tortuosity factor measured from images is 1.49 /spl plusmn/ 0.09, which is in agreement with tortuosity factor determined from electrical resistivity measurements. Slight heterogeneity and anisotropy are apparent in the top three centimeters of sediment as determined by image-based porometric property measurements. However, the overall similarity for both measured and predicted values of porosity and permeability among and within SAX99 sites indicates sediments are primarily homogeneous and isotropic and pore size distributions are fairly uniform. The results indicate that an effective medium theory technique and two-dimensional image analysis accurately predicts bulk permeability in resin-impregnated sands.     

Characterization of interface roughness of rippled sand off Fort Walton Beach, Florida

As part of the environmental characterization to model acoustic bottom scattering during the high-frequency sediment acoustics experiment (SAX99), fine-scale sediment roughness of a medium sand was successfully measured within a 600 /spl times/ 600-m area by two methods: stereo photography and a technique using a conductivity system. Areal coverage of the two methods, representing approximately 0.16 m/sup 2/ of the sea floor, was comparable, resulting in the depiction and quantification of half-meter wavelength sand ripples. Photogrammetric results were restricted to profiles digitized at 1-mm intervals; sediment conductivity results generated gridded micro-bathymetric measurements with 1- to 2-cm node spacing. Roughness power spectra give similar results in the low-spatial-frequency domains where the spectra estimated from both approaches overlap. However, spectra derived from higher resolution photogrammetric results appear to exhibit a multiple-power-law fit. Roughness measurements also indicate that spectrum changes as a function of time. Application of statistical confidence bounds on the power spectra indicates that roughness measurements separated by only 1-2 m may be spatially nonstationary.     

Dynamic measurement of sediment grain compressibility at atmospheric pressure: acoustic applications

Under certain conditions, Wood's equation can be used to predict sound speed in fluid/solid-grain suspensions if the bulk moduli and densities of the grains and fluid are known. In this paper, that relationship is used to estimate grain-bulk moduli in suspensions where sound speed, fluid density, fluid bulk modulus, grain density, and particle concentrations are known or accurately measured. Measured values of grain-bulk moduli for polystyrene beads suspended in water (mean = 4.15 /spl times/ 10/sup 9/ Pa) and soda-lime glass beads suspended in a "heavy liquid" (mean = 3.8 /spl times/ 10/sup 10/ Pa) are consistent with the values of bulk moduli for polystyrene beads and soda-lime glass beads found in the literature (3.6 to 4.2 /spl times/ 10/sup 9/ Pa and 3.4 to 4.0 /spl times/ 10/sup 10/ Pa, respectively). These measurements thus provide controls, which demonstrate the validity of the suspension technique to estimate values of particle bulk modulus. The values of bulk modulus, measured using the same suspension techniques, for Ottawa sand and quartz sand grains collected from the coastal sediments of the northeast Gulf of Mexico ranged between 3.8 and 4.7 /spl times/ 10/sup 10/ Pa, with 95% confidence limits between 3.0-5.7 /spl times/ 10/sup 10/ Pa. These measured values of bulk modulus are consistent with the range of handbook values for polycrystalline quartz (3.6 to 4.0 /spl times/ 10/sup 10/ Pa). The use of the lower bulk modulus (i.e., 7.0 /spl times/ 10/sup 9/ Pa) recently suggested by Chotiros is therefore inappropriate and traditional handbook values of sediment grain-bulk moduli should be used as inputs for sediment acoustic modeling.     

Puzzling mass movement features in the Navarinsky Canyon head,Bering Sea

Two types of morphologic features in the head of Navarinsky Canyon are attributed to mass movement of near-surface sediment. A series of pull-aparts is located downslope of large sand waves. These pull-aparts, possibly induced by liquefaction, affect the upper 5 to 10 m of sandy sediment (water depths 350 to 600 m) on a 1^o slope. A hummocky elongate mound of muddy sand (water depths 550 to 800 m) contains chaotic internal reflectors to a subbottom depth of 30 to 40 m and possibly is the product of a shallow slide. We speculate that Holocene seismicity is the likely triggering mechanism.     

Sediments in the East China Sea

This paper describes measurements of sediments during the 2000-2001 Asian Seas International Acoustic Experiment in the East China Sea. A number of techniques were used to infer properties of these sediments, including gravity and piston cores, subbottom profiling using a water gun, long-range sediment tomography, and in situ measurement of conductivity. Historical data from echosounder records and cores showed two regions of surficial sediments in the experimental area: a silty area to the west and a sandy area to the east. The tomography, cores, and water-gun measurements confirm the two surficial sediment regions seen in the historical data and also indicate that the subbottom structure at the experimental site consists of a thin (0-3 m thick) layer of sandy sediment directly beneath the sea floor. Below this layer, there is an extensive package of sediment with relatively uniform acoustic attributes. Core analysis shows that the surface sediment layer varies in compressional wave speed from a low near 1600 m/s in the west side of the experiment area to 1660 m/s in the east side of the experiment area. Long-range sediment tomography inversions show a similar spatial variation in the surface layer properties. In addition, the layer thickness as determined from tomography is consistent with the estimates from subbottom profiling.     

Fundamental response of pore-water pressure to microfabric and permeability characteristics: Eckernförde Bay

Ambient and dynamic in situ pore pressures were measured, and microfabric was examined in finegrained, shallow-water sediment in Eckernförde Bay, Germany. In situ permeabilities were calculated from piezometer data. Pore-water pressure decay times in sediments 0.5–1.0 m subbottom are indicative of clayey materials. Shallower sediments, although of similar classical grain size as the deeper sediments, have quicker decay times typical of silty marine sediment. Pore pressure response is a function of the microfabric, porometry, and sediment permeability. Aggregates (composed of fine-grained material, biota, and extracellular polymers) produce large pores and complex microstructure, resulting in effective permeabilities characteristic of silts.     

Offshore sand sources for beach replenishment: Potential borrows on the continental shelf of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

Erosion of sandy beaches is a worldwide problem that elicits innovative geoengineer‐ing techniques to reduce adverse impacts of shoreline retreat. Beach replenishment has emerged as the “soft”; shore‐stabilization technique of choice for mitigating beach erosion. This method of shore protection involves the addition of sand to the littoral sediment budget for sacrificial purposes. Because inland sand sources are often uneconomical or impractical to use, and known nearshore sources are limited, finding adequate quantities of suitable sand on the inner continental shelf is often vital to beach replenishment projects. The technical studies of survey and materials analysis that identify and delineate usable sand sources are sometimes almost as expensive as small‐project dredging, pumping, and placing the sand on the beach as fill. Inadequate quantity or substandard quality of shelf sand, as well as often‐prohibitive overhead expenses, thus compel shoreline managers to seek suitable sand sources offshore.

In the study area off the central‐west coast of Florida, offshore potential borrow areas (PBAs) were identified on the basis of studies conducted in reconnoitory and detailed phases. Sophisticated state‐of‐the‐art equipment used in this investigation provided more detailed subbottom mapping information than is normally obtained with conventional seismic equipment. An example of sand exploration studies was incorporated in a 215‐km² survey of offshore areas by conducting bathymetric surveys and subbottom seismic profiling, collecting jet probes, grab samples, and vibrocores, and analyzing sediment grading in subsamples from vibrocores. These combined analyses indicated that at least 8.8 ×10⁶ m³ of sand is available in potential borrow areas from 7.0 to 12 km offshore in water depths of 8.0 to 11.5 m. In the PBAs, mean grain size of sand falls into the range 0.13–0.53 mm, sorting averages 0.65–1.31ø, and the overall silt content varies from 3.9–8.5%. High silt contents (13–19%) mapped in some areas make these sedimentary deposits unsuitable as fill for artificial beach renourishment.     

Overview of SAX99: environmental considerations

A 1-km² area located 2 km off the Florida Panhandle (30°22.6'N; 86°38.7'W) was selected as the site to conduct high-frequency acoustic seafloor penetration, sediment propagation, and bottom scattering experiments. Side scan, multibeam, and normal incidence chirp acoustic surveys as well as subsequent video surveys, diver observations, and vibra coring, indicate a uniform distribution of surficial and subbottom seafloor characteristics within the area. The site, in 18-19 m of water, is characterized by 1-2-m-thick fine-to-medium clean sand and meets the logistic and scientific requirements specified for the acoustic experiments. This paper provides a preliminary summary of the meteorological, oceanographic, and seafloor conditions found during the experiments and describes the important physical and biological processes that control the spatial distribution and temporal changes in these characteristics     

Geoacoustic inversion by matched-field processing combined with vertical reflection coefficients and vertical correlation

The wide-band source (WBS) signals measured in the Asian Seas International Acoustics Experiment (ASIAEX) in the East China Sea (ECS) were used to invert for geoacoustic parameters. Sound speed and density were inverted using the matched-field processing method combined with the vertical reflection coefficients and sea-bed attenuation coefficients were inverted from the vertical correlation data. For a half infinite liquid sea-bottom model, the inverted equivalent bottom sound speed is 1610/spl plusmn/12 m/s and the bottom density is 1.86 g/cm/sup 3/. The inverted attenuation coefficients are well described by a nonlinear relationship of the form /spl alpha//sub b/=0.28f/sup 1.58/ dB/m (f is in units of kilohertz) in the frequency range of 100-600 Hz.     

Submarine Sand Resources, Southeastern Virginia-Contributions from Year 9 and Year 10 of Virginia's Continental Margins Program

Virginia's year 9 and year 10 funds from the Continental Shelf Program were used to supplement other work funded by the Minerals Management Service in an ongoing Cooperative Agreement focused on the area offshore of southeastern Virginia. Year 9 and year 10 funds facilitated interpretation of subbottom profiles and the analysis of sediment samples from cores and grabs. On Virginia's sediment-starved continental shelf, deposits of material potentially suitable for use as beach nourishment or, perhaps, as construction aggregate occur in three stratigraphic settings, each with specific characteristics of morphology, grain-size gradients, likelihood of discovery, and physical ease of exploitation. All must be verified with a careful program of coring. Modern shoals generally are easier to identify, prove, and access than either filled channels or lenticular facies. Shoals usually are identifiable on nautical charts and characteristically have a definite lower boundarythat can be seen in subbottom profiles. In most cases, the base of the shoal coincides with the level of the surrounding sea floor. Filled channels are readily identifiable on subbottom profiles but may have a narrow, sinuous form and steep lateral gradients in sediment properties. Buried lenticular facies of good-quality sand usually are found only fortuitously. As the lateral and often vertical gradients in geotechnical properties usually are low, the lenticular facies can be mined with a lesser concern for the consequences of violating the deposit's limits than with the other two types of deposit. There are three types of filled paleochannels in the study area. (1) Relatively near-surface, generally small, roughly shore normal channels most likely mark the migration of tidal inlets across the shelf during the most recent transgression. (2) Small, relatively wide and relatively shallow generally shore parallel channels may be filled back-barrier or lagoonal channels. (3) Larger channels trending across the shelf probably result from riverine flow. The complexity of the seismostratigraphy of the Quaternary deposits on south eastern Virginia's inner continental shelf is a result of series of high-frequency (fifth-order, 10-20,000 y), low-amplitude (20-30 m) variations in sea level that occurred during the last highstand, roughly 80,000 to 130,000 BP. The evidence of the small oscillations in sea level is best seen in the regions that were between the shoreline and wave base, today's inner shelf; however, the very low rates of deposition on the shelf make it difficult to correlate specific reflectors or beds or, at times, to distinguish between fifth-and fourth-order changes. Results for the continuing studies already have been used in the determination to mine several hundred thousand cubic meters of sand from Sandbridge Shoal for use on a Navy-owned facility and in consideration of mining greater quantities of sand from Sandbridge and other shoals for use in local beach nourishment and hurricane protection efforts.     

Submarine Sand Resources,Southeastern Virginia-Contributions from Year 9 and Year 10 of Virginia's Continental Margins Program

Virginia's year 9 and year 10 funds from the Continental Shelf Program were used to supplement other work funded by the Minerals Management Service in an ongoing Cooperative Agreement focused on the area offshore of southeastern Virginia. Year 9 and year 10 funds facilitated interpretation of subbottom profiles and the analysis of sediment samples from cores and grabs. On Virginia's sediment-starved continental shelf, deposits of material potentially suitable for use as beach nourishment or, perhaps, as construction aggregate occur in three stratigraphic settings, each with specific characteristics of morphology, grain-size gradients, likelihood of discovery, and physical ease of exploitation. All must be verified with a careful program of coring. Modern shoals generally are easier to identify, prove, and access than either filled channels or lenticular facies. Shoals usually are identifiable on nautical charts and characteristically have a definite lower boundarythat can be seen in subbottom profiles. In most cases, the base of the shoal coincides with the level of the surrounding sea floor. Filled channels are readily identifiable on subbottom profiles but may have a narrow, sinuous form and steep lateral gradients in sediment properties. Buried lenticular facies of good-quality sand usually are found only fortuitously. As the lateral and often vertical gradients in geotechnical properties usually are low, the lenticular facies can be mined with a lesser concern for the consequences of violating the deposit's limits than with the other two types of deposit. There are three types of filled paleochannels in the study area. (1) Relatively near-surface, generally small, roughly shore normal channels most likely mark the migration of tidal inlets across the shelf during the most recent transgression. (2) Small, relatively wide and relatively shallow generally shore parallel channels may be filled back-barrier or lagoonal channels. (3) Larger channels trending across the shelf probably result from riverine flow. The complexity of the seismostratigraphy of the Quaternary deposits on south eastern Virginia's inner continental shelf is a result of series of high-frequency (fifth-order, 10-20,000 y), low-amplitude (20-30 m) variations in sea level that occurred during the last highstand, roughly 80,000 to 130,000 BP. The evidence of the small oscillations in sea level is best seen in the regions that were between the shoreline and wave base, today's inner shelf; however, the very low rates of deposition on the shelf make it difficult to correlate specific reflectors or beds or, at times, to distinguish between fifth-and fourth-order changes. Results for the continuing studies already have been used in the determination to mine several hundred thousand cubic meters of sand from Sandbridge Shoal for use on a Navy-owned facility and in consideration of mining greater quantities of sand from Sandbridge and other shoals for use in local beach nourishment and hurricane protection efforts.     

中国东部陆架表层沉积物粒度特征及其沉积环境浅析

对取自中国东部陆架海的209个表层沉积物样品进行了粒度分析及沉积物类型划分,探讨细颗粒沉积区分布格局与物源和环流体系的关系。结果表明,研究区底质类型主要有砂、粉砂质砂、泥质砂、砂质粉砂、砂质泥、粉砂和泥,个别站位含砾石。表层沉积物以粗颗粒砂质沉积为主,其主要分布在东海中北部、苏北浅滩、北黄海北部,其粒度特征主要为:平均粒径2～4Φ,分选差(分选系数>2),偏态极正偏(2～2.80),峰态很宽至宽(1.60～3.50);细颗粒泥质沉积主要分布在浙江沿岸至长江口外、苏北老黄河口外、南黄海中部、北黄海西南部及黄河口外的渤海海域,其粒度特征主要为:平均粒径6～7Φ,分选差至较差(分选系数1～2.5),偏态负偏(-1.50～-0.33)至近于对称(-0.33～+0.33),峰态很宽(>2.75)。从环流的流向与路径及邻近的河流物源角度,初步探讨了河流输入物质及环流体系对细颗粒沉积物沉积分布格局的影响,并初步推断了细颗粒沉积物的物源及基本输移路径。     

日照港西部海域海底地形与表层沉积特征

利用单波束测深仪和蚌式取样器进行了日照石臼港扩建码头西侧约50km~2海域1:2 000~1:10 000的水深地形测绘和底质分析工作。调查结果表明,日照港西部海域可分4个水深区,其地形和沉积特征如下:1)航道区,浅水航道区等深线平行于码头岸线,水深11m,经过疏浚已形成向南倾斜的四级阶梯地形,疏浚中心处水深24m。航道区底质以分选中等的砾砂为主;2)港池区,水深6 m,等深线与港池岸线平行,水深向南渐增,海底地形平坦,坡降比3‰。底质以分选较好的粉砂和砂质粉砂为主,近岸有少量分选较差的泥质砂质砾;3)涛雒-付疃河口区,水下三角洲地形明显,5m以浅等深线呈弧形向东南方向凸出,坡降比最大可达14.2‰,底质类型为分选极好的砂和粉砂质砂;4)浅海区,海底地形平坦,平均坡降比1.9‰,6~10m等深线呈NE-SW向平行向外海增大,近南扩码头端向东偏转,底质类型为分选好的砂质粉砂和粉砂,并呈平行于海岸线向深水区呈粗-细-粗的带状分布。底质类型分布与水深条件基本吻合,但深水区出现的底质粗化现象,分析认为可能与南扩码头的挑流作用有关,海底沉积物呈向南运移趋势。     

Sedimentology of the New Hampshire Inner Continental Shelf Based on Subbottom Seismics,Side-Scan Sonar,Bathymetry, and Bottom Samples

Typical of glaciated environments, the inner continental shelf of New Hampshire is composed of bedrock outcrops, remnants of glacial deposits (for example, drumlins), sand and gravel deposits, as well as muddier sediments farther offshore. A number of previous studies have defined the general trends of the New Hampshire inner shelf from the coarser deposits nearer the shore to the muddier outer basins. Most recently, a seismic survey (150 km of side-scan sonar and subbottom seismic profiles), as well as bottom sediment sampling (74 stations), has provided a detailed bottom map of the southern New Hampshire shelf area (landward of the 30-m contour). The surficial sediments within this area range from very fine sand to gravel. Bedrock outcrops are common. The seismic survey indicated several large sand deposits exceeding 6-8 m in thickness that occur relatively close to the coast. These sedimentary units, which are within 3 km of the shoreline, are composed of fine to medium sands. Examination of the general morphology and depositional setting indicates at least some of these features are probably relic ebb tidal delta shoals. However, a large eroding drumlin occurs between two of the sand bodies and may represent the source of these deposits. Additional work is needed to verify the origin of these sediment bodies.     

Characterization of North Atlantic right-whale (Eubalaena glacialis) sounds in the Bay of Fundy

Hydrophone recordings, made in the presence of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in the Bay of Fundy during the daytime in July 1999, are used to determine the characteristics of the recorded sounds. A spectrogram-based method was implemented to discriminate whale sounds from background noise and the time-frequency envelope of the primary harmonic in the spectrogram was used as the basis for sound characterization. Sounds were typically (82%, n=45) in the 300- to 600-Hz range with up- and downsweeping modulations. Lower (<200 Hz) and higher (>900 Hz) frequency sounds were relatively rare. Most sounds were frequency modulated, with 95% of the observed instantaneous relative frequency variation being within /spl plusmn/4.5% of the mean peak frequency. Harmonics were observed in 18% of the sounds. The average sound duration was 0.42 s/spl plusmn/0.26 SD. The sounds occurred at a rate of between 0.3 and 0.7 min/sup -1/. The time intervals between adjacent sounds (2-700 s) were not randomly distributed. The number of sounds occurring among different waiting times did not reflect a Poisson distribution and a clustering of sounds (2 to 5 cluster/sup -1/) was observed. The sound characteristics are compared to those documented elsewhere and as reported for the southern right whale.     

Carbonate Sediment Deposits on the Reef Front Around Oahu, Hawaii

Large sediment deposits on the reef front around Oahu are a possible resource for replenishing eroded beaches. High-resolution subbottom profiles clearly depict the deposits in three study areas: Kailua Bay off the windward coast, Makua to Kahe Point off the leeward coast, and Camp Erdman to Waimea off the north coast. Most of the sediment is in water depths between 20 and 100 m, resting on submerged shelves created during lowstands of sea level. The mapped deposits have a volume of about 4 × 10⁸ m³ in water depths less than 100 m, being thickest off the mouth of channels carved into the modern insular shelf, from which most of the sediment issues. Vibracore samples contain various amounts of sediment of similar size to the sand on Oahu beaches, with the most compatible prospects located off Makaha, Haleiwa, and Camp Erdman, and the least compatible ones located in Kailua Bay. Laboratory tests show a positive correlation of abrasion with Halimeda content: samples from Kailua Bay suffered high amounts of attrition, but others were comparable to tested beach samples. The common gray color of the offshore sediment, aesthetically undesirable for sand on popular tourist beaches, was diminished in the laboratory by soaking in heated hydrogen peroxide.     

Study on Sound-Speed Dispersion in A Sandy Sediment at Frequency Ranges of 0.5-3 kHz and 90-170 kHz

In order to study the properties of sound-speed dispersion in a sandy sediment, the sound speed was measured both at high frequency (90-170 kHz) and low frequency (0.5-3 kHz) in laboratory environments. At high frequency, a sampling measurement was conducted with boiled and uncooked sand samples collected from the bottom of a large water tank. The sound speed was directly obtained through transmission measurement using single source and single hydrophone. At low frequency, an in situ measurement was conducted in the water tank, where the sandy sediment had been homogeneously paved at the bottom for a long time. The sound speed was indirectly inverted according to the traveling time of signals received by three buried hydrophones in the sandy sediment and the geometry in experiment. The results show that the mean sound speed is approximate 1710-1713 m/s with a weak positive gradient in the sand sample after being boiled (as a method to eliminate bubbles as much as possible) at high frequency, which agrees well with the predictions of Biot theory, the effective density fluid model (EDFM) and Buckingham''s theory. However, the sound speed in the uncooked sandy sediment obviously decreases (about 80%) both at high frequency and low frequency due to plenty of bubbles in existence. And the sound-speed dispersion performs a weak negative gradient at high frequency. Finally, a water-unsaturated Biot model is presented for trying to explain the decrease of sound speed in the sandy sediment with plenty of bubbles.     

Sedimentary framework of the modern Huanghe (Yellow River) delta

The geometry, stratigraphy, and structure of recently deposited Huanghe (Yellow River) Delta sediments were examined by high resolution subbottom profiles and medium-penetration boomer profiles. The results indicate that the active (post-1976) subaqueous delta advances as a single thin localized lobe with a maximum thickness of only 15 m. Calculations of sediment volumes indicate that 90% or more of the sediment supplied by the Huanghe remains within 30 km of the mouth. Sediment on the delta platform near the mouth is fine sand; elsewhere silts and clays prevail.[/p]     

Surficial Sediments along the Inner Continental Shelf of Maine

Through 10 years of support from the Minerals Management Service Association of American State Geologists' Continental Margins Program we have mapped along the Maine coast, seaward to the 100 m isobath. In all, 1,773 bottom sample stations were occupied, 3,358 km of side-scan sonar and 5,011 km of seismic reflection profiles were gathered. On the basis of these data, a surficial sediment map was created for the Maine inner continental shelf during the Year 8 project, and cores and seismic data were collected to evaluate sand thickness during Years 9 and 10. Sand covers only 8 % of the Maine shelf, and is concentrated seaward of beaches off southern Maine in water depths less than 60 m. Sand occurs in three depositional settings: (1) in shoreface deposits connected dynamically to contemporary beaches; (2) in submerged deltas associated with lower sea-level positions; and (3) in submerged lowstand shoreline positions between 50 and 60 m. Seismic profiles over the shoreface off Saco Bay, Wells Embayment, and off the Kennebec River mouth each imaged a wedge-shaped acoustic unit which tapered off between 20 and 30 m. Cores determined that this was sand that was underlain by a variable but thin (commonly 1 m) deposit of estuarine muddy sand and a thick deposit of glacial-marine mud. Off Saco Bay, more than 55 million m3 of sand exists in the shoreface, compared with about 22 million m3 on the adjacent beach and dunes. Seaward of the Kennebec River, a large delta deposited between 13 ka and the present time holds more than 300 million m3 of sand and gravel. The best sorted sand is on the surface nearshore, with increasing amounts of gravel offshore and mud beneath the surficial sand sheet. Bedforms indicate that the surficial sand is moved by waves to at least 55 m depth. Seaward of the Penobscot River, no significant sand or gravel was encountered. Muddy estuarine sediments overlie muddy glacial-marine sediment throughout the area offshore area of this river. No satisfactory explanation is offered for lack of a sandy delta seaward of Maine's largest river. Lowstand-shoreline deposits were cored in many places in Saco Bay and off the Kennebec River mouth. Datable materials from cores indicated that the lowstand occurred around 10.5 ka off the Kennebec. Cores did not penetrate glacial-marine sediment in the lowstand deposits, and seismic profiles were ambiguous about the vertical extent of sand in these units. For these reasons, no total thickness of sand was determined from the lowstand deposits, but given the area of the surficial sand, the volume is probably in the hundreds of millions of cubic meters.     

Absolute positioning of an autonomous underwater vehicle using GPS and acoustic measurements

Kinematic global positioning system (GPS) positioning and underwater acoustic ranging can combine to locate an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with an accuracy of /spl plusmn/30cm (2-/spl sigma/) in the global International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 (ITRF2000). An array of three precision transponders, separated by approximately 700 m, was established on the seafloor in 300-m-deep waters off San Diego. Each transponder's horizontal position was determined with an accuracy of /spl plusmn/8 cm (2-/spl sigma/) by measuring two-way travel times with microsecond resolution between transponders and a shipboard transducer, positioned to /spl plusmn/10 cm (2-/spl sigma/) in ITRF2000 coordinates with GPS, as the ship circled each seafloor unit. Travel times measured from AUV to ship and from AUV to transponders to ship were differenced and combined with AUV depth from a pressure gauge to estimate ITRF2000 positions of the AUV to /spl plusmn/1 m (2-/spl sigma/). Simulations show that /spl plusmn/30 cm (2-/spl sigma/) absolute positioning of the AUV can be realized by replacing the time-difference approach with directly measured two-way travel times between AUV and seafloor transponders. Submeter absolute positioning of underwater vehicles in water depths up to several thousand meters is practical. The limiting factor is knowledge of near-surface sound speed which degrades the precision to which transponders can be located in the ITRF2000 frame.