Partnership in Coastal Zone Management. J. Taussik & J.

Mitchell (eds)
1996, Samara Publishing Limited, Cardigan, ISBN 1 873692 09 9

Use of Multibeam Bathymetry to Determine Seabed

Impacts at the Argentia Naval Base, Newfoundland

J. Shawa, D.R. Parrotta & J. Hughes-Clarkeb

a Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic),Be4ford Institute

of Oceanography,

Box 1006, Dartmouth B2Y 4A2, Nova Scotia, Canada

b Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering, University

of New Brunswick,

Fredericton E3B 5A3, New Brunswick, Canada

Abstract: A geological framework for investigations offshore from a former military base at
Argentia, Newfoundland was established using multibeam bathymetry. In the inner harbour,
bathymetric data were collected using a boom-mounted sweep system. In the outer harbour
and in offshore areas, data were obtained using a Simrad EM-1 000 system. The seabed was
also mapped using digital sidescan sonar systems, and high and low resolution sub-bottom
profilers. Targets identified from sidescan sonar and multibeam bathymetry data were
investigated by ROV and divers. Shaded relief bathymetry images of the harbour reveal natural
features such as a submerged (mid-Holocene) spit, wave cut platforms, and deep muddy
basins. Evidence of large-scale human impacts included dredged areas and an underwater
slide triggered by spoil dumping. Sidescan sonar data provided information on sediment
distribution, small-scale human disturbance of the sea bed, and the presence of debris. Areas
of naturally-occurring boulder gravel were mapped, in which it was difficult to distinguish
anthropogenic targets. Muddy areas were found to be extensively furrowed by anchor
dragging. Digital multibeam bathymetry is becoming the Geological Survey of Canada's
primary marine geology mapping tool for reconnaissance surveys. For interpreting geology
and identifying small targets the data should be used in conjunction with data provided by
sub-bottom profilers and sidescan-sonar systems.
Key words: multibeam, Argentia, dredging, Newfoundland

Introduction
The Argentia Peninsula (Figure 1), located in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, was
the site of a number of thriving communities early in this century (Houlihan,
1992), but as a result of the Lend-Lease Deal of 1940 the United States leased the
peninsula and surrounding areas from the United Kingdom for use as a naval air
station, and the civilian population was resettled. For the remainder of the war
Argentia functioned as a centre for military operations, including convoy escort,
anti-submarine air patrols, and weather patrols (Houlihan, 1992; Cardoulis, 1990).
On 10 August 1941 the Ship Harbour anchorage was the site of the historic
Atlantic Charter meeting between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister
Churchill (Morton, 1944).

Partnership in Coastal Zone Management

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Placentia
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Figure 1

Map showing the Argentia Peninsula in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland,

showing areas used as anchorages: Argentia Harbour, Placentia Sound and
Ship Harbour

The Argentia Peninsula was the site of runways, aircraft parking areas, seaplane
slipways, aircraft hangers, fuel tanks, ammunition stores, and many other facilities.
Installations built at the coast included a fleet dock, ship repair wharf, floating dry
dock, and various small piers. The coastal waters encompassed by the base- Argentia
Harbour, Placentia Sound, and Ship Harbour - were used as anchorages for ships
and seaplanes. Argentia Harbour and Placentia Sound were protected by a submarine net. The peninsular part of the base was closed in the 1970s, leaving a small
area in military control until1995, when it too was closed. The port of Argentia is
still active however, and is a summer terminus for the ferry to Nova Scotia.

Objectives
Between 1940 and 1995 the seafloor was modified by a range ofactivities,including
dredging, spoil dumping, and cable-laying, and materials were deposited in a
deep-water about 400 m) dump site about 25 km west of Argentia. Recently various
Canadian government agencies have been attempting to assess the scale and impact
of these activities. The principal aims of marine geological surveys were:
500

Bay, Newfoundland,
r, Placentia Sound and

arking areas, seaplane

many other facilities.
air wharf, floating dry
by the base - Argentia
s anchorages for ships
>rotected by a subma1970s, leaving a small
'he port of Argentia is
to Nova Scotia.

of activities, including
were deposited in a
mtia. Recently various
ss the scale and impact
urveys were:

Multi beam Bathymetry to Determine Seabed Impacts

a)

to understand the marine geology of the harbour, deep-water dump site, and
the connecting corridor;

b) to determine the nature of impacts to the sea floor, particularly the location
of anthropogenic materials. In this paper we report on one aspect of these
efforts, namely the use of multibeam data.

Physical setting
Offshore, bedrock is overlain by Quaternary sediments described by Fader et al.
(1982): till, glacial-marine mud, and postglacial mud. The sediments are thickest
in basins, and bedrock is exposed in shallower areas. In coastal areas, relative sea
level dropped to about -17 m in the early Holocene, partly exposing moraines.
The resulting erosional terraces were submerged by subsequent sea-level rise,
resulting in platforms in Ship Harbour, Argentia Harbour, Placentia Sound, and
north of the Argentia Peninsula at depths of 15 to 18 m. Tidal ranges are 1.6 m
for mean tides and 2.5 m for large tides (Canadian Hydrographic Service, 1989).
The largest significant wave height for one year at the entrance to Placentia Bay
is 8 m (Neu, 1982)

Methods
A geological framework was established using multibeam bathymetry. In Argentia
Harbour bathymetric data were collected with a Navitronics sweep bathymetry
system consisting of a boom-mounted array of vertical incidence transducers.
Twelve transducers, at a 1.2 m separation, were deployed from a 9. 5 m hydrographic
survey launch owned and operated by Public Works and Government Services
Canada. A daily coverage rate of about 1 km2 can be achieved with this equipment.
In Placentia Sound, Ship Harbour, and in offshore areas bathymetry and backscatter data were obtained using a Simrad EM-1000 multibeam system. The system
was deployed from the Canadian Hydrographic Service vessel Frederick G. Creed,
a small water area twin-hull (SWATH) vessel, which surveys at speeds of25 km/h.
The EM-1 000 uses a multi-element transducer to provide up to 60 determinations
of water depth and backscatter per ping in a swath of up to 7.4 times the water
depth (in shallow water). The combination of high survey speed and wide swath
coverage allowed about 110 km2 to be surveyed in five days. Cell size (area resolved
on the sea floor) varied according to water depth, and ranged upwards from about
2m; vertical datum was accurate to within about 1% of water depth and horizontal
positioning to within 2-5 m. Survey lines were spaced to provide overlapping
coverage of the survey area.
The bathymetry data were processed to remove the effects of tides and vessel
motion, integrated with navigation to produce a geographically referenced data
set, and imported into the Geographic Resources Analysis Support System
(GRASS) developed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Bathymetry
data were then combined with various maps and aerial photographs of the area.
Shaded relief images created from digital bathymetry provided detailed information on sea-floor morphology. Sidescan sonar data and various types of sub-bottom
profiler data were collected during the surveys, and use was made of data
previously collected (Shaw et al., 1989).

501

Partnership in Coastal Zone Management

Corridor to the deep-water dump site

The deep-water dump site and the corridor to Argentia are shown in the
multibeam bathymetry collected by the SWATH vessel (Figure 2). Directly north
of the the Argentia Peninsula the sea floor is a gravelly, seaward-deepening platform
(A) with mean depths of25 m. The corridor that extends west to the deep-water
dump site crosses several deep channels: Eastern Channel, which is more than
250 m deep (B) and Central Channel, more than 150 m (C). These contain
glacial-marine mud overlain by postglacial mud. The corridor also crosses shoals
off Red Island that are only 12 m deep in places. The backscatter data show that
much of the irregular bottom around Red Island is highly reflective (D), and is
either bedrock, or till with a boulder-gravel veneer.
The deep-water dump site, located immediately southwest of Merasheen Island,
is a saddle-shaped basin with a maximum depth of 425 m, and with steep (25)
bedrock sidewalls. The smooth bottom in the centre of the dumpsite (E) has low
reflectivity on the backscatter images, and is interpreted as postglacial mud.
However, an area with slightly darker tone on Figure 2 (F) is interpreted as
glacial-marine mud; the backscatter data show higher reflectivity here, due to the
presence of a thin surficial gravel lag. Targets were located on the muddy bottom
in the dump site using sidescan sonar, and were investigated using an ROV.
Argentia Harbour, Ship Harbour, and Placentia Sound
The coast of Argentia Harbour (Figure 1) was the location of wharves, docks,
piers, seaplane slipways, and other facilities. Placentia Sound and Ship Harbour
were used as anchorages, and Ship Harbour was site of an ammunition handling
berth. Various kinds of debris were deposited on the sea floor, which has also been
intensely turbated by anchor dragging. Figures 1 and 2 show that the sea floor in
these areas includes a series ofbasins, namely inner Ship Harbour (maximum depth
48 m), outer Ship Harbour (44 m), inner Argentia Harbour (30 m), outer Argentia
Harbour (58 m), inner Placentia Sound (44 m), middle Placentia Sound (98 m),
outer Placentia Sound (48 m). These basins contain soft, Holocene mud. Where
the mud is more than about 5 m thick the acoustic stratigraphy is masked by
shallow gas. The areas between the basins are flat-topped terraces that formed
during the mid-Holocene sea-level lowstand (-17 m). Their surfaces consist of
bouldery gravel.
Figure 3 is an oblique 3-D view towards the southwest (illuminated from bottom
right) showing the shoal that extends into Argentia Harbour. Part of this shoal (A)
consists of glacial deposits, probably eroded somewhat during the sea-level
lowstand. The sea floor on this platform is littered with large boulders that are
difficult to distinguish from anthropogenic targets on sidescan sonograms. Superimposed on the glacial deposits is a submerged mid-Holocene spit stretching from
B to D. The spit is composed of wave-transported pebble-cobble gravel, and targets
identified on sidescan sonar records were assumed to be anthropogenic.
According to old hydrographic charts, the former spit was dredged and swept to
just below 4 fathoms (7.3 m). The escarpment (B) which marks the northern limit
of dredging is 4.5 m high. (For scale, the escarpment is 500 min length). In the
dredged area (C) the sea floor is imprinted by scalloped troughs oriented about
350, with depths averaging 0.7 m and widths of about 10 m. The undredged,
502

Multibeam Bathymetry to Determine Seabed Impacts

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Partnership in Coastal Zone Management

Figure 3

Oblique 3-D view, illuminated from the bottom right, looking southwest
towards the head of Argentia Harbour

A terrace at A is believed to be composed of glacial sediments; its surface consists of

boulder gravel and patches of muddy sand. Superimposed on the terrace is a
submerged, mid-Holocene gravel spit stretching from B to D. The spit was dredged;
the landward limit of dredging is marked by the 4.5 m high escarpment at B (for
scale, this escarpment is 500 m long). In the dredged area (C), which has a mean
depth 8 m, the sea floor is predominantly fine to medium gravel. The undredged,
trailing end of the former spit is shown at D. The water depth in the left of the image
increases to almost 50 m. Sidescan sonar data suggest that dredge spoil was dumped
on the south side of harbour (extreme left). The spoils probably triggered a slump (E)
that descended into the basin

trailing end of the former spit is shown at D. The water depth in the left of the
image increases to almost 50 m. Sidescan sonar data suggest that dredged spoil was
dumped on the south side of harbour (extreme left). The dumping probably
triggered a slump that descended into the deepest part of the basin (E) forming a
mound that is 4 m high. The soft Holocene muds in these deeper parts of the
harbour, and in shallow areas close to the wharves, was a good background against
which anthropogenic debris could be imaged on sidescan sonograms.
Further evidence of dredging is evident in Figure 4, which shows part ofPlacentia
Sound (right) and Argentia Harbour (left). This vertical view of the multibeam
data has been shaded from the upper left. The shoal area at B was dredged and
swept to a depth of 6 fathoms (11 m) according to old hydrographic charts. The
northeast-southwest imprint of dredging is clearly seen on the multibeam data.
The terrace at B is highly reflective on sidescan sonograms and multibeam

504

Multibeam Bathymetry to Determine Seabed Impacts

ht, looking southwest

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sed on the terrace is a
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Figure 4

Vertical view of multibeam imagery from Placentia Sound, illuminated from

the northwest (upper left)

A large dredged area (A) has northeast-southwest lineations. The surface of the
terrace (B) is at the level of the postglacial sea-level lowstand (-17 m), and is strewn
with gravel and boulders. To the southeast of the terrace the sea floor drops steeply
into a deep muddy basin with a maximum water depths of 98 m. The most striking
feature in this basin is an area of small mounds (C) that is believed to consist of spoil
from the dredged area

backscatter images; its surface is a veneer ofboulder gravel. Against this background
it was difficult to discriminate between the boulders and small anthropogenic
targets. The terrace drops off steeply to a deep (98 m) muddy basin. The most
striking feature of the basin is an area of irregular mounds (C) that is interpreted
as dredge spoil (presumably removed from A).
Only a few aspects of the Argentia multibeam data have been described here.
Other notable features in the harbour include the large rectangular hole that marks
the site of the former floating dry dock, and aligned mounds on the sea floor along
the position of the former submarine nets. The backscatter data show the
distribution of sediment types, and provide an important interpretative tool,
especially when used in conjunction with sidescan-sonar data (which has higher
resolution).

505

Partnership in Coastal Zone Management

Discussion

Hopefully these examples show that multibeam data are useful for understanding
marine geology. Nevertheless, multibeam does not render more conventional
remote sensing tools redundant. Sub-bottom profilers remain essential for mapping the thicknesses of the various surficial sediment units, and sidescan-sonar
systems are vital for resolving bottom types and for identifying small and medium
targets of human origin. For example, the multibeam system revealed extensive
areas of apparently smooth sea floor in Argentia Harbour. Sidescan-sonar data
showed that the sea floor, consisting of soft silty mud, was not smooth, but was
heavily imprinted with intersecting anchor-drag furrows. The presence offurrows
is important, because it indicates a mechanism whereby debris can be repeatedly
buried and uncovered by vessels arriving at the wharves. (New multibeam systems
such as the Simrad EM-3000 system, presently on trial in Halifax Harbour, Nova
Scotia, are capable of resolving anchor furrows). The multibeam data collected in
Argentia showed other areas that appeared smooth. Although the associated
backscatter data showed that the sea floor was reflective (i.e. gravelly), sidescan
sonograms showed that the gravel actually contained boulders (which are difficult
to distinguish from small anthropogenic targets). In summary, digital multibeam
bathymetry is fast becoming the Geological Survey of Canada's primary marine
geology mapping tool, but interpretation of geology and identification of small
targets requires use of more traditional techniques such as sub-bottom profiling
and sidescan-sonar surveys.
References
Cardoulis, J.N. 1990. A Friendly Invasion: the American Military in Newfoundland,
1940-1990. Breakwater, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. 224 pp.
Canadian Hydrographic Service. 1989. Chart 4841, Cape St. Mary's to Argentia.
Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Fader, G.B., King, L.H. &Josenhans, H.W. 1982. Sutficialgeology ofthe Laurentian Channel
and the western Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Paper 81-22, Geological Survey of
Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 37 pp.
Houlihan, E. 1992. Uprooted! The Argentia Story. Creative Publishers, St. John's,
Newfoundland, Canada. 81 pp.
Morton, H.V. 1944 Atlantic Charter Meeting. Methuen and Company, London, UK. 160 pp.
Neu, H.J.A. 1982. 11-year deep-water wave climate of Canadian Atlantic waters.
Canadian Technical Report of Hydrography and .Ocean Sciences No.13. Department of
Fisheries and Oceans, Ottawa, Canada. 41 pp.
Shaw, J., Johnston, L. & Wile, B. 1989. Navicula Operations in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland.
Open File Report 2029, Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
70 pp.

506