Collins, Clarence; Hathaway, Kent K; Birkemeier, William A; Forte, Michael F; Dickhudt, Patrick J; The FRF Data Team (2018): Topo-bathy surveys at the USACE Field Research Facility (FRF), 1981-2018 [dataset]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.894783,

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In: Collins, C et al. (2019): Nearshore Topographic and Bathymetric Surveys, Wave, and Wind Records from the USACE Field Research Facility in Duck NC from 1980 to 2018 [dataset publication series]. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.902954

This data include a unique series of repetitive surveys (1979-now) of shore-perpendicular profile lines surrounding the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, NC. The surveys typically include 28 lines which extend from 600 m south of the FRF research pier to 600 m north. Special surveys may extend the coverage further. Surveys are typically monthly and after major storms but may be done as frequently as daily during special experiments (DUCK82, DUCK85, SuperDuck '86, DELILAH '90, DUCK94, SandyDuck 1997, DUCK98 and MORPHOS 2008, etc.). Profile lines are spaced ~45 m apart and extend from the primary dune line to approximately 2 km offshore (-15 m isobath NAVD88). Profile lines are numbered according to their FRF coordinate longshore distance in meters. 4 lines (1097, 1006, 1 and -91) were surveyed biweekly until ~2007. During the experiments, surveys were conducted more frequently of an area located north of the pier and known as the "minigrid" where profile line spacing was ~25 m. Over time the survey techniques evolved; accuracy and data point coverage improved. The platforms used include: (1) A Sea Sled with a graduated mast which was pulled offshore by a boat and winched back to shore by means of a cable; (2) The Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy or CRAB, a 10-m tall motorized tripod which an operator drives from the beach through the surf zone to a depth of ~-9 m at ~1000m offshore. (3) A Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo V (LARC-V) vessel which is a 10-m long amphibious vessel capable of continuous data collection from the beach, through the surf zone and offshore. LARC-V surveys extend to a depth of ~-15 m at ~2000 m offshore. Survey instruments included a Motorola Miniranger, Automatic Survey Level, Zeiss Elta 2s Electronic Total Station, Geotronics Geodimeter 140T auto-tracking total station and most recently a Real-Time Kinematic Global Positioning System (RTK-GPS). Speed, accuracy and error sources depend on the survey system used.

These data are part of a series of surveys since October 1979 which document the evolving beach topography and bathymetry surrounding the USACE Field Research Facility (FRF) and which provide a measure of the beach's response to coastal processes, including storms. Survey data are complemented by a suite of continuous observations of local waves, winds, tides and currents. These data are unique in their temporal coverage and vertical accuracy and have been the subject of multiple technical papers.

For more information and technical details, please see the PDF embedded with the data files (or see further details reference).