A coordinated study of physical, bio-optical, and sedimentary processes and acoustic transmission was conducted on the New England shelf about 110 km south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from September 1995 to August 1997. The experiment utilized several different observing platforms enabling measurements over space scales from centimeters in the vertical to tens of kilometers in the horizontal and timescales from minutes to the annual cycle. The present report provides information concerning previous work in the region and objectives, sampling methods, locations, and timelines for the experiment. Many of the results focus on the understanding of interrelationships and couplings among physical, bio-optical, sedimentary, and acoustical properties and processes. Two hurricanes passed near the study site, enabling novel research concerning the effects of intense atmospheric forcing. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union