HYDROGRAPHIC CHARACTERIZATION ALONG THE CHARLESTON TRANSECT OFF THE COAST OF CHARLESTON, SC, NOVEMBER 2006

Multibeam bathymetric mapping techniques require detailed water column density measurements to account for changing sound velocities. A conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) survey that included dissolved oxygen measurements was conducted in coordination with multibeam surveying along the Charleston Transect, off the coast of Charleston, SC, in November 2006, to characterize the shelf's water column physical and chemical properties. Salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen profiles were created at multiple stations across the continental shelf, ranging in water depths from 10 to 150 m. November 2006 data will complement seasonal and interannual data collected at the same locations during November 2003 and 2004, and May 2004 and 2005. These data are establishing a baseline of spatial and temporal hydrographic variations for the shelf region and are essential for examining potential and observed changes to this dynamic and important ecosystem.