Providing post- Sandy updates
Ships, barges, ferries, and recreational boats in the busy New York Harbor will be able to navigate more safely thanks to an updated version of the harbor’s nautical chart recently issued by NOAA that includes data gathered in the navigational response to the damage caused by Sandy in October 2012.
The latest edition of Chart 12334 – New York Harbor includes new depth measurements and shoreline depictions.
The new chart edition is the result of combined efforts of several federal agencies. Following up on its survey response immediately after the storm, NOAA began acquiring more post-Sandy hydrographic data in April. A Coast Survey navigation response team, equipped with high-tech surveying equipment, searched for underwater storm debris and mapped the depths surrounding Liberty Island and Ellis Island.
The surveys helped the National Park Service, which was working to reopen the Statue of Liberty in time for Independence Day. The NOAA team also surveyed nearby shipping channels and the Port Authority’s Global Terminal to provide more up-to-date navigational information for maritime commerce. In all, the team surveyed more than 110 linear nautical miles, through 119 hours, collecting over 578 million depth measurements. Data acquired by surveyors with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also contributed significantly to the new edition.
The new chart edition also has updated shoreline depictions, acquired by aerial photography from NOAA National Geodetic Survey’s Remote Sensing Division.
Source: NOAA
