Submerged Marine Habitat Mapping at Cape Cod National Seashore a Post-Hurricane Sandy Study
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Submerged Marine Habitat Mapping at Cape Cod National Seashore A Post-Hurricane Sandy Study Natural Resource Report NPS/NCBN/NRR—2019/1877 ON THIS PAGE Raw sidescan sonar image taken from Wellfleet Harbor, Massachusetts showing many types of bedforms and bottom features indicating multiple directions of sediment transport. ON THE COVER Collage of field and spatial data from Cape Cod National Seashore 2014-2016. Submerged Marine Habitat Mapping at Cape Cod National Seashore A Post-Hurricane Sandy Study Natural Resource Report NPS/NCBN/NRR—2019/1877 Mark Borrelli1, Sophia E. Fox2, Emily J. Shumchenia3, Cristina G. Kennedy1, Bryan A. Oakley4, J. Bradford Hubeny5, Heath Love5 Theresa L. Smith1, Bryan Legare1, Agnes Mittermayr1, Graham S. Giese1 1Center for Coastal Studies Hiebert Marine Lab 5 Holway Avenue Provincetown, MA 02657 2Cape Cod National Seashore 99 Marconi Site Road, Wellfleet, MA 02667 3E&C Enviroscape, LLC 211 Chase Hill Rd Ashaway, RI 02804 4Eastern Connecticut State University Department of Environmental Earth Science, Willimantic, CT, 06226 5Salem State University Department of Geological Sciences Salem, MA, 01970 March 2019 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service. The series supports the advancement of science, informed decision-making, and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series also provides a forum for presenting more lengthy results that may not be accepted by publications with page limitations. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received formal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data, and whose background and expertise put them on par technically and scientifically with the authors of the information. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available in digital format from the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Inventory & Monitoring Network website and the Natural Resource Publications Management website. If you have difficulty accessing information in this publication, particularly if using assistive technology, please email [email protected]. This report is, in part, the amalgamation of several reports including Shumchenia (2016), Oakley (2016), and Hubeny and Love (2016) and text and figures are taken from those reports verbatim without accreditation in each instance as those authors are also co-authors of this report. Other text and figures and analysis included herein were developed by the other co-authors for this report. Please cite this publication as: Borrelli, M., S. E. Fox, E. J. Shumchenia, C. G. Kennedy, B. A. Oakley, J. B. Hubeny, H. Love, T. L. Smith, B. Legare, A. Mittermayr, and G. S. Giese. 2019. Submerged marine habitat mapping at Cape Cod National Seashore: A post-hurricane Sandy study. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCBN/NRR— 2019/1877. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 609/150695, March 2019 ii Contents Page Figures.................................................................................................................................................... v Tables .................................................................................................................................................... xi Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................xiii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................ xv 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Study Area ................................................................................................................................ 2 1.1.1 Cape Cod National Seashore ............................................................................................ 3 1.2 Submerged Habitat Maps ......................................................................................................... 6 2. Methods .............................................................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Vessel-based Acoustic Surveys ................................................................................................ 9 2.2 Benthic Sampling ................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.1 Field Work ...................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.2 Invertebrate Sampling Processing .................................................................................. 13 2.2.3 Sediment Sample Processing and Analysis .................................................................... 14 2.3 Seismic Reflection Profiling................................................................................................... 16 2.4 Sediment Core Sampling ........................................................................................................ 18 2.5 Submerged Marine Habitat Mapping Framework .................................................................. 20 2.5.1 Physical Characteristics .................................................................................................. 20 2.5.2 Biological Characteristics ............................................................................................... 23 3. Results .............................................................................................................................................. 27 3.1 Vessel-Based Acoustic Surveys ............................................................................................. 27 3.2 Benthic Sampling ................................................................................................................... 27 3.3 Seismic Reflection Profiling................................................................................................... 28 3.3.1 Seismic Facies Identified ................................................................................................ 29 3.4 Sediment Core Sampling ........................................................................................................ 37 3.4.1 Sediment Accumulation ................................................................................................. 39 iii Contents (continued) Page 3.4.2 Sediment Stratigraphy .................................................................................................... 41 3.4.3 Chemical Stratigraphy .................................................................................................... 42 3.5 Submerged Marine Habitat Mapping ..................................................................................... 45 3.5.1 Physical Characteristics .................................................................................................. 45 3.5.2 Biological Characteristics ............................................................................................... 62 3.5.3 Preliminary Biotopes ...................................................................................................... 74 3.5.4 Biotopes for Cape Cod National Seashore ..................................................................... 83 4.5.5 Geoform Indicator Species ............................................................................................. 85 4. Discussion ........................................................................................................................................ 89 4.1 Vessel-based Acoustic Surveys .............................................................................................. 89 4.2 Sub-bottom Seismic Reflection Profiling ............................................................................... 94 4.2.1 Gaseous Sediment .......................................................................................................... 94 4.2.2 Thickness of Surface Habitats ........................................................................................ 96 4.3 Sediment Core Sampling .......................................................................................................