Nearshore bathymetry data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, July August 2023

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Nearshore bathymetry data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, July August 2023
Abstract:
Bathymetric data were collected during surveys performed on the Elwha River delta, Washington in 2023 (USGS Field Activity Number 2023-645-FA). Bathymetric data were collected using personal watercraft (PWCs) and a kayak equipped with single-beam sonar systems and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers.
Supplemental_Information:
Additional information about the field activities from which these data were derived is available online at:
https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2023-645-FA
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Stevens, Andrew W., Gelfenbaum, Guy R., Warrick, Jonathan A., Miller, Ian M., and Weiner, Heather M., 20251206, Nearshore bathymetry data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, July August 2023: data release DOI:10.5066/P1BGEMN5, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Stevens, Andrew W., Gelfenbaum, Guy R., Warrick, Jonathan A., Miller, Ian M., and Weiner, Heather M., 2025, Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, July and August 2023: data release DOI:10.5066/P1BGEMN5, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested Citation: Stevens, A.W., Gelfenbaum, G.R., Warrick, J.A., Miller, I.M., and Weiner, H.M., 2025, Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, July and August 2023: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P1BGEMN5.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -123.5907295
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -123.4026515
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 48.1588787
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 48.1320552
  3. What does it look like?
    pwc_survey_equipment.jpg (PNG)
    Picture of personal watercraft equipped with survey equipment used during the mapping mission
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 30-Jul-2023
    Ending_Date: 02-Aug-2023
    Currentness_Reference:
    Ground condition at time data were collected
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: comma-delimited text
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (1105837)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.0000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.0000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS_1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222101.
      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Altitude_System_Definition:
      Altitude_Datum_Name: North American Vertical Datum of 1988
      Altitude_Resolution: 0.01
      Altitude_Distance_Units: meters
      Altitude_Encoding_Method:
      Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Attribute Table
    Table containing attribute information associated with the dataset (Source: Producer defined)
    datetime_utc
    The date and time of data collection in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2023-Jul-30 19:06:08.976
    Maximum:2023-Aug-02 23:41:37.157
    Units:date and time in yyyy-mmm-dd HH:MM:SS.FFF format
    longitude
    Longitude coordinate of data point relative to the North American Datum of 1983 (EPSG: 4269) (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-123.5907295
    Maximum:-123.4026515
    Units:Decimal degrees
    latitude
    Latitude coordinate of data point relative to the North American Datum of 1983 (EPSG: 4269) (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:48.1320552
    Maximum:48.1588787
    Units:Decimal degrees
    easting_m
    East coordinate of data point relative to the North American Datum of 1983, projected in the Washington State Plane North, meters, coordinate system (EPSG: 4269) (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:294850.89
    Maximum:308832.40
    Units:meters
    northing_m
    North coordinate of data point relative to the North American Datum of 1983, projected in the Washington State Plane South, meters, coordinate system (EPSG: 4269) (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:129313.48
    Maximum:132430.32
    Units:meters
    ortho_ht_m
    Height in meters relative to the NAVD88 vertical datum, computed assuming a static geoid value of -20.11 m which is based on the NGS Geoid09 offset at the location of the GNSS base station (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-20.27
    Maximum:1.69
    Units:meters
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview: The first line of the csv file is a header line.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: U.S. Geological Survey

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Andrew W. Stevens
    • Guy R. Gelfenbaum
    • Jonathan A. Warrick
    • Ian M. Miller
    • Heather M. Weiner
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-427-4747 (voice)
    pcmsc_data@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

Data were obtained to assess the coastal geomorphic response following the removal of two dams on the Elwha River. These data are intended for science researchers, students, policy makers, and the general public. These data can be used with geographic information systems or other software to identify topographic and shallow-water bathymetric features.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 02-Aug-2023 (process 1 of 3)
    Bathymetry data were collected between July 30 and August 2, 2023, using single-beam sonar systems and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) receivers mounted on personal watercraft (PWC) and a kayak. Depths from the echosounders were computed using sound velocity profiles measured using a CTD during the survey. Positioning of the survey vessels was determined at 10 Hz using survey-grade GNSS receivers. Output from the GNSS receivers and sonar systems were combined in real time by a computer running HYPACK hydrographic survey software. Navigation information was displayed on a video monitor, allowing vessel operators to navigate along planned survey lines.
    Date: 29-Jan-2024 (process 2 of 3)
    Survey-grade positions of the vessels were achieved with a single-base station and differential post-processing. Positioning data from the GNSS receivers were post-processed using Waypoint Grafnav to apply differential corrections from a GNSS base station with known horizontal and vertical coordinates relative to the North American Datum of 1983. Orthometric elevations relative to the NAVD88 vertical datum were computed assuming a static geoid value of -20.11 m which is based on the NGS Geoid09 offset at the location of the GNSS base station. Bathymetric data were merged with post-processed positioning data and spurious soundings were removed using a custom Graphical User Interface (GUI) programmed with the computer program MATLAB. The final point data are projected in cartesian coordinates using the Washington State Plane North, meters coordinate system.
    Date: 10-Jul-2025 (process 3 of 3)
    All available bathymetry data from the survey were compiled into a comma-delimited text file for distribution
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), 2008, IHO standards for hydrographic surveys (5th ed.).

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    No formal attribute accuracy tests were conducted.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    A series of benchmarks with known coordinates were established adjacent to the study area to provide geodetic control for the bathymetric surveys. The positions of the benchmarks were derived from a minimum of two static GNSS occupations. The equipment for the static occupations consisted of a dual frequency GNSS receiver, a fixed-height tripod, and antenna. The static observations were recorded internally in the receiver and the raw observations were processed using the National Geodetic Survey Online Positioning User Service (OPUS, https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/OPUS/). Estimated uncertainties in the horizontal position of the individual GNSS occupations were provided by OPUS and ranged between 0.006 m and 0.06 m with an average horizontal uncertainty of 0.02 m. The processed positions from each occupation were averaged to obtain the final reported position of the benchmark. All final positions of the survey vessels were determined using differential corrections from the base station receivers. Manufacturer reported accuracy for the differentially corrected horizontal positions for the GNSS rover trajectories is 0.8 cm + 0.5 ppm. Baselines from the GNSS base station were typically less than 5 km, suggesting a horizontal accuracy of survey-vessel positions to be 0.825 cm. The combined horizontal uncertainty from the base station coordinate solutions and rover trajectories is between 1.5 cm and 7 cm, with a mean horizontal uncertainty of 3 cm. Uncertainty in the horizontal positions associated with pitch and roll of the survey vessels is unknown.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    Uncertainty in the final elevations is derived from the combination of uncertainty in the GNSS positioning and bathymetric sounding measurements. Manufacturer reported accuracy for the differentially corrected vertical positions for the GNSS rover trajectories is 1.5 cm + 1 ppm. Baselines from the GNSS base station were typically less than 5 km, suggesting the vertical accuracy of survey vessel positions to be 2 cm relative to the base station coordinate. Combining the uncertainty in the elevation of the base station coordinates and rover positions yields a total uncertainty in the GNSS-derived survey-vessel positions of approximately 5 cm. Additional uncertainty in the final computed elevations data is related to unmeasured variability in the speed of sound used to compute depths from bathymetric soundings and, thus, are depth-dependent. Based on analysis of all available speed of sound measurements, we estimate uncertainties in the final depth soundings to be 0.6 percent of the water depth. The total vertical uncertainty is calculated using Equation 1: sigmat=sqrt(a^2+(bxd)^2), where sigmat is the total vertical uncertainty, a is the uncertainty of the GNSS vertical position, b is the depth-dependent uncertainty factor (0.006), and d is water depth (International Hydrographic Organization, 2008). Maximum water depths surveyed on this mapping mission are approximately 18 m yielding a maximum total vertical uncertainty of 12 cm. Uncertainty in the vertical positions associated with pitch and roll of the survey vessels is unknown.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints No access constraints
Use_Constraints USGS-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain from the U.S. Government and are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. These data are marked with a Creative Common CC0 1.0 Universal License. Please recognize and acknowledge the U.S. Geological Survey as the originator(s) of the dataset and in products derived from these data. This information is not intended for navigation purposes.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA
    USA

    831-427-4747 (voice)
    pcmsc_data@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Bathymetry data are available as a comma-delimited text file (ew23_bathy.csv), along with associated FGDC-compliant metadata.
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 06-Dec-2025
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
2885 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA

831-427-4747 (voice)
pcmsc_data@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/pcmsc/DataReleases/CMGDS_DR_tool/DR_P1BGEMN5/ew23_bathy_metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Thu Dec 11 12:26:37 2025