Oct 14 2010
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has granted $35.7 million contract to the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (CCOM) of the University of New Hampshire for the execution of ocean-mapping operation.
The $7.15 million contract for each year will continue upto five years and will facilitate the Joint Hydrographic Center for carrying out the research on ocean-mapping by employing sensing devices for achieving high-precision. The mapping process will be executed in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Alaska, Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Northern Marianas and in the Bering Sea. The centre has also started an ocean-mapping curriculum encompassing masters as well as doctorate degrees with a post-graduate certificate in the specific field.
The centre will be performing mid-water mapping using sonar technology in the future, for monitoring the navigation interruptions such as the presence of fish and gas bubbles in the water column.
UNH acquired financial support from the Congress in 2003 for the ocean-mapping project to enhance the inspection of the 200-nautical-mile limit Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the United States containing oil, mineral, gas and fisheries stock found underneath the sea floor.
Source: http://www.ccom.unh.edu