PODCAST: “All in the [Gallaudet] Family”
went to the Naval Academy, commissioned to become an oceanography officer in the US Navy. What was great about that career path in the Navy is you get exposed to ocean technologies from the very beginning. Even at the Naval Academy, we were using side-scan sonar to do surveys and collect data in the Chesapeake Bay.My first tour was going to graduate school at Scripps where I worked with multibeam sonar and satellite imagery. I went on a few cruises on a couple of Scripps ships, and then I immediately deployed to the Arabian Gulf and worked on a hydrographic survey ship, towing side-scan sonar and operating
USGS : New Topobathymetric Dataset for Potomac River
Teledyne Geospatial said the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, published a new topobathymetric lidar dataset for the Potomac River. The Potomac River flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The lidar survey was conducted for USGS’s 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), with stakeholders including the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS), National Geospatial Program (NGP), and Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC) programs, as well as the Interstate Commission on the Potomac
US Awards $6.7 Million for Sea Level Rise and Coastal Resilience Research
in Los Angeles County, California.(IRA-funded) George Mason University, The Nature Conservancy, Resources for the Future and Maryland Department of Natural Resources received nearly $500,000 to evaluate flood mitigation designs under future climate scenarios to inform restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay region.University of Texas at Arlington and University of Arkansas received nearly $500,000 to evaluate how different shoreline adaptation actions perform with sea level rise and storms in California.University of Rhode Island and Penn State University received over $360,000 to assess how nature-based
US Marine Economy Worth $432 Billion in 2021
statistics from the annual Marine Economy Satellite Account released by two Department of Commerce agencies —NOAA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The marine economy statistics include activities in the US ocean, coasts and major water bodies such as the Great Lakes, Puget Sound and Chesapeake Bay.From 2020 to 2021, the marine economy bounced back strongly from declines associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 7.4% growth in GDP and a 10.5% growth in sales. The growth in the marine economy outpaced U.S. economic growth, which had a 5.9% growth in GDP and 6.2% growth in sales.&ldquo
NOAA Taps Woolpert for Chesapeake Bay Watershed Study
Woolpert announced it has been selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to perform hydrographic surveying and collect bathymetric data for hydrodynamic modeling in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The $5.5 million award with a $1.4 million option, funded in part by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is being administered through NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey hydrographic services contract.This project will focus on 615 square nautical miles and include portions of the Potomac, Rappahannock, James, and York rivers, which in some areas have not been
Army Corps, Maryland DOT to Commence $4 Billion Chesapeake Bay Restoration Project
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) signed a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) for the $4 billion Mid-Chesapeake Bay ecosystem restoration project at MDOT Headquarters, August 23, 2022.The PPA – signed by Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District commander, and MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. – outlines the roles, responsibilities, and financial obligations for both partners for the restoration of both James and Barren islands in Dorchester County, beneficially re-using material dredged from the Port of
Brix Marine Building Research Vessel for Northrop Grumman
2019, to UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography (R/V Bob and Betty Beyster) and Orca Maritime, Inc. (R/V Benthic Cat), respectively.Northrop Grumman said they will utilize the vessel for testing commercial navigation systems, undersea and aviation programs, as well as assisting the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's replenishment of local oyster populations and other community outreach and educational projects.The 4416-CTC is powered by twin Volvo D11 510hp engines with Volvo IPS 650 propulsors and a dynamic positioning system (DPS) which automatically maintains heading and position and
How to Remove Abandoned ‘Ghost’ Fishing Gear from the Ocean
creates an endless negative cycle of self-baiting. Trapped animals die, attracting other scavengers, which meet the same fate. This can have negative impacts on commercial fish populations. For example, ghost gear caused approximately US$21.3 million in economic losses to the blue crab fishery in Chesapeake Bay, Md. Gear losses are often unrecorded or unobserved, which makes knowing specific causes of gear loss challenging.Research suggests that gear losses are the result of environmental conditions, gear conflicts among fishers and other industries, poor gear condition and inappropriate disposal at
ROV Helps Recovery Dive Teams Locate Dumped Car
; SeaOtter-2 ROV whenever mission accomplishment is of the utmost importance. Many of the local waterways are low visibility and the need to use an ROV is minimal. There are, however, several areas in which an ROV is absolutely the right tool for the job. Local retention ponds, a county reservoir, the Chesapeake Bay, and a very brackish river are all waterways that the team are able to operate the ROV in without hesitation. Lt. William T. McMichael recently shared one experience that highlighted the versatility of JW Fisher’s ROVs. “One operation we were called to was a submersed vehicle in a
February 2024
