NOAA completes hydrographic surveys following Hurricane Barry

By Lt. j.g. Michelle Levano

Seven tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean have been named Barry, with the first storm making landfall in 1983. In 2019, Hurricane Barry reached Category 1 status on July 13, becoming the first hurricane of the 2019 season. 

On July 11, Office of Coast Survey’s Gulf Coast Navigation Manager, Tim Osborn, received requests from U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and local ports for resources to confirm navigational depths in Louisiana waters. Once a navigation manager receives requests for hydrographic surveys, Coast Survey formulates logistics to complete these requests. In the case of Hurricane Barry, Coast Survey’s navigation response team (NRT)- Stennis mobilized to respond to Port Fourchon, Louisiana’s southernmost port. Port Fourchon supports significant petroleum industry traffic coming in from the Gulf of Mexico, furnishing about 18% of the U.S. oil supply

Located at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., NRT-Stennis’ Joshua Bergeron and Lt. j.g. Collin Walker prepared the boat, survey equipment, and vehicles as soon as Barry reached the Gulf of Mexico on July 10. Conveniently located in coastal areas around  the United States, NRT’s are able to quickly respond to navigation threats. 

Aerial view of Port Fourchon in 2016.
Aerial view of Port Fourchon in 2016. Imagery of the port following Hurrican Barry is now available. Credit: Greater Lafourche Port Commission

By the time the system developed from a tropical storm to a hurricane, members of Coast Survey’s Navigation Response Branch traveled to Gulfport, Miss., to support survey operations. The team included Michael Bloom from NRT-New London, Lt. j.g. Patrick Lawler from Bay Hydro II, and Lt. j.g. Michelle Levano from NRT-Seattle. From there, the team deployed along with NRT-Stennis’ 34-foot survey boat to Port Fourchon. Managing storm surge and localized flooding, the team began surveying on July 15.

Michael Bloom drives while Lt. j.g. Patrick Lawler monitors survey acquisition. Joshua Bergeron reviews side scan data collected from the previous day looking for potential dangers to navigation.
Michael Bloom drives while Lt. j.g. Patrick Lawler monitors survey acquisition. Joshua Bergeron reviews side scan data collected from the previous day looking for potential dangers to navigation. Credit: Lt. j.g. Michelle Levano
Lt. j.g. Patrick Lawler and Lt. j.g. Michelle Levano remove the side scan sonar from the water.
Lt. j.g. Patrick Lawler and Lt. j.g. Michelle Levano remove the side scan sonar from the water following a day of collection. Credit: Michael Bloom
Port Fourchon.
As Lousianan’s southern most port, Port Fourchon has significant maritime traffic to support the petroleum industry offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: Lt. j.g. Michelle Levano

As potential dangers to navigation were identified, investigated, and dismissed, the team then shifted their efforts to data collection to charting specifications, utilizing NRT-Stennis’ side scan and multibeam systems onboard. Due to freshwater inflow, tidal storm surge, and tides, the team collected a great deal of sound speed casts. Sound speed casts measure the speed of sound through the water, enabling the equipment and team to know the depth of water to verify their system measurements.

Michael Bloom completes a conductivity, temperature, and depth cast
Michael Bloom completes a conductivity, temperature, and depth cast to determine the speed of sound through the water. Photo Credit: Lt. j.g. Michelle Levano
Lt. j.g. Patrick Lawler waits to take a cast off of survey vessel.
Lt. j.g. Patrick Lawler waits to take a cast until larger traffic clears in order to get an accurate measurement. Credit: Lt. j.g. Michelle Levano

On July 19, after 100 linear nautical miles of survey, the team packed up and headed to Gulfport to fly back to their respective homeports. NRT-Stennis will process and submit the data to update Port Fourchon nautical charts.

Overview of the multibeam data collected in Port Fourchon by NRT-Stennis from July 15 - July 18, 2019.
Overview of the multibeam data collected in Port Fourchon by NRT-Stennis from July 15 – July 18, 2019.

NRT-Stennis and its augmenters thank Tim Osborn and David Breach of Port Fourchon for mooring and fuel support during the team’s operations.

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