The report includes data on 150 grab samples which have been analyzed 

 for size distribution, carbonate content, organic carbon, and grain con- 

 stituents. Future work includes a study of the shallow-water environment 

 in the vicinity of Exuma Sound. 



Sonoprobe surveys have been made in Penobscot Bay, Maine, and between 

 Cape Charles and Cape Henry, Virginia. A report concerning the work in Maine 

 was published in April 1965. Results of other, less extensive, shallow-water 

 programs (both domestic and foreign) are unpublished, but much of these data 

 are unclassified and are available for study. 



An additional program of interest is the Nearshore Environmental 

 Prediction System Project. The intent is to predict unknown nearshore 

 oceanographic conditions, such as bottom materials, by inference from known 

 environmental conditions, which include the geomorphology , oceanography, 

 and climatology of the area in general. All available data are compiled 

 and examined with the aid of an IBM 7074 computer to find any relationships 

 which may exist. Preliminary results, however, are not promising. 



Finally, the Oceanographic Office has on file the results of the analy- 

 ses of over 38,000 bottom samples which have been collected around the world 

 by many different organizations. Of these, over 30,000 are surface samples 

 and about 8,000 are core samples. Approximately 60 percent of the total are 

 Continental Shelf samples. These data are used to compile bottom material 

 charts produced by the Oceanographic Office. Also, NAVOCEANO Technical 

 Report No. 150 presents charts illustrating the world-wide distribution of 

 data on file at the Naval Oceanographic Office. 



DISCUSSION 



Question: Does the Environmental Prediction Program attempt to analyze 

 the relationship between onshore geomorphology, bathymetry, and so on with 

 a computer? 



Answer: Yes, the Program utilizes coastal morphology and bathymetry in 

 searching for a relationship concerning nearshore bottom textural charac- 

 teristics. Additional inputs include the climatology and oceanographic 

 environment as it may effect sediment distribution. 



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