Surficial Substrates in the Cuyahoga River, Ohio, 2021

Substrates in the Cuyahoga River, OH were mapped to assess the availability of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawning habitat and age-0 Lake Sturgeon habitat. Mapping was conducted with a recreational grade side-scan sonar unit from the river mouth at Lake Erie (river kilometer (rkm) 0) to near the confluence of the Little Cuyahoga River (rkm 71). Side-scan sonar images were georectified in a post-processing software and substrate patches were manually digitized and classified in a geographic information system (GIS). Ground-truthing data were collected following side-scan sonar surveys to determine the accuracy of patch classifications. Substrate composition at ground-truthing locations was determined through visual assessments when feasible and assessed with tactile feel when water depth or clarity prevented visual assessment. Substrate patch types classified from side-scan sonar imagery are provided as polygon shapefiles and ground-truthing observations are provided as point shapefiles.