| Hudson River multibeam sonar surveys were conduced between New York City, NY and Hudson, NY in 1998 to 2003 and in 2005 as part of the Hudson River Benthic Mapping Project 1998 to 2003 and NOAA's Office of Exploration 2005. Data from these surveys were compared and used to identify areas where morphological river bed change occurred. The comparison of surveys identified sand wave migration rates ranging from 1-7 m/year in both the northern and southern sections of the river and produced examples of human induced change such as anchor drags and dredge spoils. These findings suggest that there have been changes in water depth, and that more frequently surveys should be done to identify patterns of change, highest resolution techniques should be employed to limit future errors, and additional tidal measurements would help increase vertical accuracy in the 2005 data set. In particular, techniques such as RTK GPS navigation systems would also increase survey accuracy. |
