The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2024 hydrographic survey season is ramping up and will be in full swing before too long. For the past few months, NOAA hydrographic survey ships, navigation response teams, and contractors have been diligently preparing for the upcoming field season. The ships and survey vessels collect bathymetric data to support nautical charting, modeling, and research, but also collect other environmental data to support a variety of ecosystem sciences. NOAA considers hydrographic survey requests from stakeholders such as marine pilots, local port authorities, the Coast Guard, and the boating community, and also considers other hydrographic and NOAA science priorities in determining where to survey and when. Visit our “living” ArcGIS StoryMap to find out more about our mapping projects and if a hydrographic vessel will be in your area this year!
Atlantic Coast
Gulf of Maine – Deep-sea corals in the Gulf of Maine provide important three-dimensional structure for deep-water bottom communities and are identified as biodiversity hotspots and habitat for certain commercially important fish and shellfish species. The majority of the Gulf of Maine seafloor is yet to be mapped in high-resolution, severely limiting informed and effective resource planning and management. For these reasons, NOAA will collect high-resolution bathymetry and backscatter data in the Gulf. Mapping in this region of the Gulf is a priority because there are known but unprotected coral habitats. These mapping surveys are necessary for NOAA to create coral species distribution models, guiding subsequent research including high probability targets for visual seafloor surveys, precisely locating and characterizing deep-sea coral habitats.
Boston to Gloucester – The waters in and around the Ports of Boston and Gloucester in northern Massachusetts Bay are some of the most heavily used in the US by commercial and recreational boating traffic. The prior survey data in much of the planned survey area is over 20 years old, with several areas having data from the 1940s. The survey area contains an extensive coastline with numerous wrecks and poorly documented hazards. The area also has been heavily trafficked by humans for almost 400 years resulting in extensive changes to the seafloor. This survey will address this by collecting modern high resolution bathymetry for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products, improving the safety of maritime traffic and commerce.
Narragansett Bay – The US Navy requested a survey of Coddington Cove pier for observed chart discrepancies. The data of this survey will help with safety of vessels docking at the pier. There is also a request from the local pilots to have a modern survey of the approach to the Port of Davisville, Rhode Island. This survey is critical for under keel clearance.
Long Island Sound – High resolution bathymetry and backscatter data will be acquired in central Long Island Sound to help with the identification of existing geologic and benthic characteristics for hazard and habitat mapping. The data will support management decisions regarding the effects of potential energy infrastructure projects and will support habitat identification, resource management, and navigation of these important waterways. Data from this project will provide modern hydrographic survey data for this area and will be used to update local charting products.
South Long Island – This project area is heavily trafficked by recreational and commercial vessels including deeper draft post-Panamax ships calling on the Ports of New York and New Jersey. This project will focus on acquisition of high-resolution bathymetric and backscatter data, superseding 1930s and 1970s data. The survey will provide modern bathymetric data for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products and will improve maritime safety for vessels transiting to and from ports in the New York City area as well as vessels transiting the Atlantic Coast.
Chesapeake Bay, Tangier Sound – The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America and heavily trafficked by commercial and recreational vessels as tourism, fishing, and marine commerce are economically vital for the region. This project will cover a total of 230 square nautical miles in Tangier Sound, Maryland and will provide bathymetric data to support hydrodynamic modeling at NOAA’s National Water Center. The project will also contribute to underwater archaeological exploration and investigation efforts in the project area. Most of the prior data in the project area spans from the 1880s to 1970s. The bathymetric data vintage, coupled with numerous storms and hurricanes having potentially changed the seabed over the last century, raises a need to survey the area. The data from this project will provide modern hydrography for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products, improving the safety of maritime traffic and commerce.
Chesapeake Bay, Thimble Shoals – The US Army Corps of Engineers is widening and deepening Thimble Shoals Channel near Norfolk, Virginia. Due to the widening of the channel, the auxiliary channel will be pushed out farther. The US Coast Guard and pilots requested a new survey to verify safe waters following establishment of the new channel.
Elizabeth River – In 2026, a fleet of over 55 ships from 20 nations will come together to celebrate our Nation’s 250th anniversary in Norfolk, Virginia for the Sail250 event. The Elizabeth River project will provide contemporary data to update NOAA’s nautical charting products and services ahead of this event.
Approaches to Wilmington – The region around Wilmington, North Carolina experiences high vessel traffic transiting the eastern seaboard of the US as well as traffic to and from the Port of Wilmington. Numerous historic storms and hurricanes have impacted this region, potentially changing the seafloor from the last surveys in the 1940s and 1960s. This project will identify hazards and changes to the seafloor, provide critical data for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products, and improve maritime safety.
Approaches to Charleston – The Port of Charleston, South Carolina is a vital economic resource for the Southeast, a top ten US container port, and contains the deepest harbor on the east coast. The region around the port experiences high vessel traffic including container cargo, fishing, and passenger vessels. Little modern hydrography in this area exists, with charted data from the 1970s, 1940s, and prior. This project will provide critical data for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products to increase maritime safety in the region.
Approaches to Savannah – The area encompassing the approaches to Savannah, Georgia is one of the most heavily trafficked areas of the US Atlantic Coast, and includes the Ports of Savannah and Charleston. Given the scale and size of the traffic transiting these waters and the shallow depths of the area, the existing hydrography, collected mostly in the 1970’s and 1990’s, is outdated and needs to be updated to modern standards. This survey will collect modern high resolution bathymetry for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products improving the safety of maritime traffic and commerce.
St. Catherine Sound and St. Andrew Sound – There are reports of vessel groundings on an uncharted shoal in the approaches to St. Catherine Sound, Georgia. This area is highly changeable and in need of a contemporary hydrographic survey to update NOAA’s nautical charting products. NOAA received several requests for hydrographic surveys in St. Andrew Sound, Georgia and vicinity. The area has significant traffic from small boats, tugs, and barges, and there are several reports of small-craft groundings in the area and a contemporary survey is needed to update the nautical charts.
Florida Keys and Snake River at Windley Key – The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and National Marine Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center requested support to assist with hydrographic surveys to fill critical gaps in bathymetric coverage supporting expansion of habitat maps and dive surveys of fishery resources. Additional stakeholders for this request include the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Furthermore, NOAA identified unverified chart features that could be potential navigational hazards in the region. The waterway for Snake River is in need of a contemporary hydrographic survey to update NOAA’s nautical charting products.
Pacific Coast
Southern and Central Puget Sound – NOAA Ship Rainier survey launches and navigation response team will operate around central and southern Puget Sound to conduct an extensive hydrographic survey in support of nautical charting. This area supports a significant amount of maritime traffic including large cargo and passenger vessels, and recreational fishing vessels. The project encompasses areas of cultural significance to several indigenous groups. The central part of the project area, bordering Whidbey Island, was last surveyed in the 1960s. The southern part of the project area was last surveyed in 1930-1939. A modern bathymetric survey in this area will identify hazards and changes to the seafloor, provide critical data for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products, and improve maritime safety. The project area includes the Port of Olympia, which is the southernmost deepwater port on Puget Sound. The port handles large vessels to accommodate shipments of logs, wind energy equipment, and other cargo. The survey results will be used to update the nautical chart and will also support environmental studies in the area.
Port Gamble – US Coast Guard Waterways Management requested a modern bathymetric survey in Port Gamble Bay, Washington due to reports of significant changes in bathymetry. Also, new sediment caps were placed in the bay and the new survey will confirm the depths of these caps.
Columbia River – The Columbia River survey was requested by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and the Yakama Nation to investigate areas of sediment build-up in the Columbia River and tributary waters in zone 6 of the Columbia River Basin. Zone 6 is a 147-mile stretch of the Columbia River from the Bonneville to McNary Dams and an exclusive treaty Indian commercial fishing area. The information will be used to identify fish habitats, monitor shoaling and sedimentation, and model water flow from tributary rivers. This area is also in need of new hydrographic surveys to update the nautical chart.
Gulf of Mexico
Approaches to Calcasieu – The waters offshore of Calcasieu Channel, Louisiana are identified as an area in critical need of updated hydrographic data by NOAA and the Lake Charles Pilots Association. The region is expected to see an expansion in marine commerce due in part to an increase in liquid natural gas distribution, as well as offshore wind-energy development. Since 2020, the Louisiana coast has been impacted by six hurricanes and two named tropical storms, several of which caused serious damage to the Ports of Lake Charles and Calcasieu. Many parts of the coverage area have not been charted since the 1930s. This survey will provide contemporary data to update NOAA’s nautical charting products and services, improving the safety of maritime traffic and services available to the Port of Lake Charles by reducing the current risk that is present due to outdated hydrography.
Tampa Bay – Hookers Point is in East Bay in the northeast part of Tampa Bay, Florida. It is part of the Port of Tampa Bay and used by many sea going barges and vessels. The pilots have requested a hydrographic survey in an area called “Dead Man’s Zone”. This area is surrounded by US Army Corps of Engineers federally maintained channels but has not been surveyed in some time.
Mississippi Sound – The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Mississippi Sound, between Cat Island and St. Joe Pass needs a modern hydrographic survey to update the nautical charts in the area. Hurricanes and tropical storms significantly impact these coastal areas and this area was recently affected by storms that potentially changed the seafloor. As a transportation corridor, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway sees thousands of tow boats and barges in transit through the area annually. Most of these vessels carry hazardous materials and motor fuels bound for Mississippi, Alabama, and north Florida.
Bolivar Roads Anchorage Area – Houston Pilots requested a contemporary hydrographic survey for updated bathymetry in Bolivar Roads anchorage areas. There are features in the anchorage areas that are still plotted and the pilots would like verification or disapproval of the features. The US Coast Guard would also like baseline data for future planning in the area.
Corpus Christie – There are requests for contemporary hydrographic data to update the nautical chart along the channel and update known discrepancies that are charted. The survey will also help establish critical under keel clearance and find an alternate safe route for vessel traffic.
Great Lakes
Approaches to Chicago – This project is located in southern Lake Michigan, northeast of Chicago, Illinois extending to Michigan City, Indiana. Much of this 481 square nautical mile survey area has not been surveyed since the late 1940’s, forcing many throughout the Lake Michigan community to predict the hazards and depths associated with the area near shore, including tug and barge operators as well as recreational boaters. Conducting a modern hydrographic survey in this area will provide critical data for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products and services to increase maritime safety near the Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois shoreline.
Eastern Lake Ontario – The data from this project will help support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s habitat mapping program. It will also provide modern bathymetry for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products, improving the safety of maritime traffic and commerce as well as supporting the Lakebed 2030 global mapping initiative.
Duluth and Two Harbors – The Port of Duluth is located at the westernmost tip of Lake Superior. Duluth provides significant economic and social value to this region. The US Army Corps of Engineers surveys and maintains the navigable waterways inside the breakwater, but the area just outside the breakwater also has significant vessel traffic and accurate updated charts are required. Two Harbors, Minnesota supports the shipment of taconite by vessel and is also an area in need of updated bathymetric data. The data from this project will help support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s habitat mapping program. It will also be used to update NOAA’s products, the nautical chart and hydro health model in this area.
Approaches to Fairport Harbor – The US Coast Guard is reporting a number of vessels grounding just past the breakwaters due to shoaling at Fairport Harbor, Ohio. The data from this survey will be used to update the nautical chart.
Alaska
Approaches to Revillagigedo – This project is a continuation of previous years’ work to provide modern bathymetric data in the region of the Revillagigedo Channel, Clarence Strait, and Dixon Entrance in southeast Alaska. These waterways are critical to the economic success of local coastal communities as they are actively used for fishing and are the primary means for transporting goods and the tourism economy throughout the region. Southeast Alaska is navigationally complex and home to communities that are inaccessible by land, relying instead on the sea as their primary means of travel. The region is heavily trafficked by large cruise ships and other tourism vessels, commercial and recreational fishing vessels, is a part of the Alaska Marine Highway System, and is home to the Metlakatla Indian Community on Annette Island. A quarter of the project area was last surveyed in the 1970s, while the remainder of the area was previously surveyed in the 1880s and 1920s. Conducting a modern hydrographic survey in this area will identify the hazards and changes to the seafloor and provide critical data for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products to improve maritime safety.
Southeast of Kodiak Island – This project, in partnership with the US Geological Survey, is being conducted in support of the Seascape Alaska regional mapping campaign. NOAA Ship Fairweather will collect high resolution multibeam echo sounder, backscatter, and water column data to map the seafloor in support of marine geohazards studies and to update NOAA’s nautical charting products. These data will also be used by NOAA Fisheries to support the delineation of trawlable and untrawlable areas.
Northeast Coast of Kodiak Island – The coastal waters around the northeastern end of the Kodiak Archipelago are identified as an area with a high need for modern hydrography. The area is utilized by commercial and recreational fishing, and is transited by the Alaska Marine Highway System bringing commerce that is critical to the City of Kodiak and the US Coast Guard Base Kodiak. In spite of being an area with numerous bays, islands, islets, reefs and pinnacles, this coastal area from Shuyak Island to Izhut Bay has not been surveyed since the 1930s. This modern hydrographic survey will provide critical data to update NOAA’s nautical charting products, identify hazards, and improve maritime safety.
St. Matthew Island – Stakeholders in the region have requested updated nautical charting products noting that the area is frequently used by cruise ships nearing the island for viewing the extensive bird population and that the island is a lee from storms in the Bering Sea. The nautical chart of the region contains some 1950s data, but large portions of the nautical chart lack data and the region has never been adequately mapped. The poor quality of bathymetry presents a high risk of grounding. This project will provide modern bathymetry data for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products, improving maritime safety.
Kotzebue Sound – This project will provide modern bathymetric data within Kotzebue Sound, which was last surveyed between 2011 and 2015, however a majority of the area has not been surveyed to modern standards. The area experiences significant vessel traffic, particularly near the approaches to Kotzebue and Deering. The survey will focus on collecting data in the highly trafficked corridors, as well as for vessel lightering areas identified by the Western Alaska Tanker Lightering Best Practices Committee. These areas are used for ship-to-ship transfers of oil products, including fuel, which is of key importance to local residents. Conducting a modern hydrographic survey in this area will identify hazards and changes to the seafloor, provide critical data for updating NOAA’s nautical charting products, and improve maritime safety. Survey data from this project is intended to supersede all prior survey data in the common area.
Arctic Port Access Route Study – According to the 2022 Arctic Report Card, the Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the globe, with recent sea-ice extent well below the long-term average. The US Coast Guard is tasked with developing a Port Access Route Study along the Alaskan Arctic coast due to declining sea ice and the likelihood of a dramatic increase in vessel traffic. Surveying this route is essential to ensure the underlying bathymetry is safe for vessel passage. Once surveyed, this route will be presented for approval to the International Maritime Organization and charted as applicable. A NOAA hydrographic survey is crucial for this approval process in order to ensure the underlying bathymetry is safe for recommended vessel passage.
NOAA’s four hydrographic survey ships – Thomas Jefferson, Ferdinand R. Hassler, Rainier, and Fairweather – are operated and maintained by the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, with hydrographic survey projects managed by the Office of Coast Survey. The navigation response teams are operated and managed by the Office of Coast Survey.