Carolinas Coastal Change Processes Project data report for nearshore observations at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, February 2010

Metadata:


Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Brandy N.G. Armstrong
Originator: John C. Warner
Originator: George Voulgaris
Originator: Jeffrey H. List
Originator: E. Robert Thieler
Originator: Marinna A. Martini
Originator: Ellyn T. Montgomery
Originator: Jesse McNinch
Originator: Jeffrey Book
Originator: Kevin Haas
Publication_Date: 2013
Title:
Carolinas Coastal Change Processes Project data report for nearshore observations at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, February 2010
Edition: 1
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 2012-1219
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Online_Linkage: <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1219/>
Description:
Abstract:

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, is leading an effort to understand the regional sediment dynamics along the coastline of North and South Carolina. The Carolinas Coastal Change Processes (CCCP) Project examines the interactions between oceanographic forcing, geologic conditions, and the resulting changes to topography of the inner shelf, nearshore, and subaerial beach regions. This report provides an overview of an oceanographic field study conducted in February 2010 to investigate processes that control the dynamics of sediment transport at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

To investigate processes that control the dynamics of sediment transport at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, six field activities were conducted in the study area. A camera was mounted on the lighthouse and georeferenced targets were installed to capture images of the surf zone. These images were used to define estimates of along shore ocean current speed. A single high-frequency (48 MHz) Wellen radar (WERA) site was installed on the dunes to estimate wind, wave, and current conditions. Nearshore surveys were conducted to acquire subaqueous bathymetry and subaerial topography. Uranine dye was injected into the surf zone, aerial targets were installed and aerial photographs were taken to help visualize the circulation dynamics at Cape Point. Oceanographic instruments were deployed to collect wave and current data at 11 sites in the nearshore and at three offshore locations. Figure 1 identifies locations of the equipment for the nearshore (sites starting with “N”), offshore (sites starting with “O”), lighthouse, and WERA sites.

During this field study a benthic unattended generator (BUG) was deployed on the south side of the cape close to the nearshore sites by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to test the fuel cell’s ability to generate electrical power in situ. Data from this field study are available to support NRL’s analysis of the BUG data.

This data report presents background information on the impetus for understanding coastal change processes in the nearshore at Cape Hatteras, a description of the field program (including the oceanographic instrumentation used) to collect data, and the data-processing and archival techniques used. This report also provides access to all observational data related to the field study, available in digital form. The edited data are presented in time-series plots for rapid visualization of the dataset, and in data files that are in the Network Common Data Format (NetCDF).

Purpose:
An oceanographic field study conducted in February 2010 investigated processes that control nearshore flow and sediment transport dynamics at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. This report describes the project background, field program, instrumentation setup, and locations of the sensor deployments. The data collected, and supporting meteorological and streamflow observations, are presented as time-series plots for data visualization. Additionally, the data are available as part of this report. For more informatoin see <http://quashnet.er.usgs.gov/data/2010/10011/>.
 
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 201002
Ending_Date: 201003
Currentness_Reference: ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.5437
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.5039
North_Bounding_Coordinate: +35.2636
South_Bounding_Coordinate: +35.0147
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: General
Theme_Keyword: Oceanographic observations
Theme_Keyword: Current
Theme_Keyword: Temperature
Theme_Keyword: Velocity
Theme_Keyword: Pressure
Theme_Keyword: U.S. Geological Survey
Theme_Keyword: USGS
Theme_Keyword: Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Theme_Keyword: CMGP
Theme_Keyword: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Theme_Keyword: WHCMSC
Theme_Keyword: netCDF
Theme_Keyword: R/V Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo (LARC)
Theme_Keyword: 2010-011-FA
Theme_Keyword: Open File Report
Theme_Keyword: OFR
Theme_Keyword: Current Profiler
Theme_Keyword: Surface Wave Characteristics
Theme_Keyword: Surface Dye
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: oceans
Theme_Keyword: oceans and coastal
Theme_Keyword: geoscientificInformation
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: General
Place_Keyword: Diamond Shoals
Place_Keyword: Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Place_Keyword: Cape Hatteras
Place_Keyword: South Atlantic Bight
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: North America
Place_Keyword: Southeast
Place_Keyword: NC
Place_Keyword: North Carolina
Place_Keyword: Outer banks
Place_Keyword: Atlantic Ocean
Temporal:
Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Temporal_Keyword: 2010
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
Data presented within this publication are in the public domain. Please acknowledge the U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal Marine Geology Program as the source of this data.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: John C. Warner
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 384 Woods Hole Road
City: Woods Hole
State_or_Province: MA
Postal_Code: 02543-1598
Country: United States
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (508) 457-8700 x2237
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jcwarner@usgs.gov
Data_Set_Credit:
This research was funded by the Carolinas Coastal Change Project (<http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1156/>), a study supported by the USGS. This research was funded by the Carolinas Coastal Change Project (<http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/1219/>), a study supported by the USGS.

Many thanks to the National Park Service Outer Banks Group for their support and cooperation during the study. John Warner was the chief scientist. We thank the following personnel for their dedication and hard work during the deployment: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) divers Chuck Worley, Dann Blackwood, Sandy Baldwin, Michael Casso, B.J. Reynolds, and Jordan Sanford; photographer Don Bowers; USGS technician Jonathan Borden; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers LARC personnel Ray Townsend, Jason Pipes, and Mike Forte; Georgia Tech Savannah students Stephanie Smallegan, Adam Sapp, Thomas Gay, and Xiufeng Yang; University of South Carolina technicians and students Jeff Morin and Kumar Nirnimesh; and Virginia Institute of Marine Science student Kate Brodie. Ellyn Montgomery helped oversee and process the time-series data. Christine Sabens and Ellyn Montgomery helped prepare for deployment and recovery. Jonathan Borden helped during preparation and deployment of the physical oceanographic instrumentation. The reviewers provided useful reviews of this report. This research was funded by the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program. Mention of trade names does not imply U.S. Government endorsement of commercial products.

Native_Data_Set_Environment:
Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.1850
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: E.T. Montgomery
Originator: M.A. Martini
Originator: F.L. Lightsom
Originator: Bradford Butman
Publication_Date: 2008
Title:
Documentation of the U.S. Geological Survey Oceanographic Time-Series Measurement Database
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 2007-1194
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Online_Linkage: <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1194/>

Data_Quality_Information:
Logical_Consistency_Report: Data are logically consistent. See Process_Description.
Completeness_Report:
The data have been edited to remove outlying points and data recorded when the instruments were out of the water (before and after deployment). All offshore sites were collected in earth and converted to beam. Site O3 is missing some data in the middle of the record. This section of data could not be converted from earth to beam. Sites 7 and 10 could not be deployed due to the shallow depth of the sites selected, high winds and rough seas.
Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
The mooring deployment locations (latitude and longitude) were recorded based on the lighter amphibious resupply cargo'sonboard Real-Time Kinematic Global Positioning Satellite (RTK-GPS).
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy:
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
The ADCP sensors record water depth (meters) as mean sea level from a pressure sensor. The remaining sensor have height measure in meters above bottom as a function of instrument mount location on the tripod as measured prior to deployment.
Lineage:
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
FIELD PROGRAM
Instruments to measure water flow, sea level, temperature, and surface wave characteristics were deployed and recovered near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in February 2010.

The field program included deploying equipment at eleven sites in the nearshore surf zone and at three offshore locations. The nearshore sites consisted of 11 jetted pole mounts with instruments to measure ocean currents, water levels, wave heights, and wave directions. Seven of these instruments were Aquadopp (current profiler utilizing Doppeler technology) 1 Mhz profilers (N1, N2, N3, N6, N8, N11, and N12). Three sites (N4, N5, and N9) were Teledyne RD Instruments (T-RDI) 1200 Khz ADCPs. Site N13 consisted of an acoustic Doppler velocimeter-Triton (ADV) and an acoustic backscatter sensor (ABS). These instruments were deployed on stainless steel pipes that are 4.26 meters long. Each pipe was jetted into the sea floor to a depth of about 3 meters, leaving approximately 1.2 meters above the sediment interface. The instruments were mounted on a cantilever arm attached to the pipes approximately 40-60 cm above the bottom. The 3 offshore sites consisted of a trawl resistant bottom mount (TRBM) containing an Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) deployed in water depths of 8-10 meters. Sites were deployed and recovered on different days due to weather conditions. Additionally other data were collected from a dye study, a camera system located on the lighthouse, Wellen Radar (WERA) installed on the dunes, nearshore surveys and a benthic underwater generator.


The instruments were deployed and recovered aboard the lighter amphibious resupply cargo (LARC), a research vessel owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
Process_Date: 201002
Process_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Ellyn Montgomery
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 384 Woods Hole Road
City: Woods Hole
State_or_Province: MA
Postal_Code: 02543-1598
Country: United States
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 508-457-8700 x2356
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: emontgomery@usgs.gov
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
DATA PROCESSING

After recovery of the instruments, proprietary software from each specific instrument manufacturer was used to download sensor measurements from each instrument and decode those measurements to instrument-specific data formats. The data were then converted from instrument-specific formats and calibrated. Units were modified to scientific EPIC-standard units (http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/epic/ ), and the data were stored in network common data format (NetCDF). EPIC is a set of standards that allow researchers from different organizations to share oceanographic data without having to translate "foreign" data types into the local vernacular. NetCDF is a very general, self-documenting, machine-transportable data format created and supported by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) (http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/ ). After the conversion, the data were carefully checked for inconsistencies due to instrument malfunctions and biological fouling and then edited to remove these spurious points. Also, the beginning and end of each data series were truncated to remove data collected out-of-water. The data were carefully checked at each stage of processing. After final editing, the data are considered to be the "best basic version" and include all variables recorded at the basic sampling interval. Best basic versions of most data files in NetCDF format are included in this report (see the Digital Data Files page).

All data should be used and interpreted with care.
Process_Date: 2010

Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: John C. Warner
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 384 Woods Hole Road
City: Woods Hole
State_or_Province: MA
Postal_Code: 02543-1498
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (508) 457-8700 x2237
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jcwarner@usgs.gov
Resource_Description:
Downloadable Data available from links within the publication: <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1219/>.
Distribution_Liability:
Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials.
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: netCDF
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1219/>
Fees: None.
Technical_Prerequisites: The user must be capable of reading netCDF files.

Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20130318
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Brandy N.G. Armstrong
Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 384 Woods Hole Road
City: Woods Hole
State_or_Province: MA
Postal_Code: 02543-1598
Country: United States
Contact_Voice_Telephone: (508) 457-8700 x2256
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: barmstrong@usgs.gov
Hours_of_Service: 8 am - 4 pm
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
Metadata_Time_Convention: local time
 

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Revised Tue Dec 15 12:42:20 2015