This project will couple the use of three acoustical devices to identify and map the benthic
habitat and sub-benthic stratigraphy of the nearshore area of the western portion of Delaware
Bay.  The principal investigator (CONTRACTOR) will perform chirp sonar profiling to provide
information on bottom and sub-bottom sediment thicknesses and continuity, and this data will be
integrated with DNREC provided RoxAnn acoustical data and ground-truth information from
sediment grab samples to develop comprehensive maps of sedimentary/benthic environments
within the Delaware Bay nearshore.  The areas surveyed will be the completion of the areas not
covered in the 2003 and 2004 field seasons from offshore of Lewes to Port Mahon and in a new
area between Port Mahon and New Castle with distances of from 3 ft. MLW out to 1 to 1.5
nautical miles off the coast. The principal investigator (CONTRACTOR) will also assist in the
collection and post-processing of multibeam bathymetric data to be collected in the nearshore
zone of Delaware Bay at target sites to be determined by DNREC.

Delaware Bay Benthic and Sub-Bottom Mapping for Coastal Resource
Management  - 2 pgs. - *.pdf document

Summary Report: Benthic and Sub-Benthic Mapping of Delaware’s Coastal Areas
for Natural Resource Management – Pilot Study - 51 pgs. - *.pdf document

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