In fall 2023, I began pursuing a Certificate in Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping / NOAA Joint Hydrographic Center (CCOM/JHC). I was inspired by the geophysical survey work that SouthCoast Wind had done while I was on the project, so I decided to go back to school to further pursue this field.
At CCOM/JHC, I studied the fundamentals of hydrographic surveying. The curriculum included courses in mapping techniques, geodesy, mathematics, physical oceanography, geological oceanography, and seamanship and marine weather. The yearlong program culminated in a hydrographic field course (Summer Hydro), in which my classmates and I designed and executed a survey of the seafloor at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbor utilizing a multibeam echosounder (Teledyne SeaBat T51-R), moving vessel profiler (AML MVP-30), and bathymetric sidescan sonar (EdgeTech 6205).
In addition to the bathymetric data collected during the Hydrographic Field Course, we also collected grab samples and video samples to cross-check our backscatter data in the survey area shown above.
