A better understanding of sediment dynamics in coastal areas can be attained by mapping the surface sediment distribution and subsurface stratigraphy of the lower shoreface and inner-continental shelf. In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began a program to produce geologic maps of the sea floor throughout the New York Bight Apex using high-resolution sidescan-sonar, subbottom profiling, and sediment sampling techniques. The goals of the investigation are to investigate the role that inner-shelf morphology and geologic framework play in the evolution of the coastal region.