Historical shoreline vectors for barrier islands and spits along the north coast of Alaska between Cape Beaufort and the U.S.-Canadian border, 1947 to 2019

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Historical shoreline vectors for barrier islands and spits along the north coast of Alaska between Cape Beaufort and the U.S.-Canadian border, 1947 to 2019
Abstract:
A suite of morphological metrics were derived from existing shoreline and elevation datasets for barrier islands and spits located along the north-slope coast of Alaska between Cape Beaufort and the U.S.-Canadian border. This dataset includes shoreline vectors, including data source and acquisition date, from five time periods: 1950s, 1980s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. The shoreline vectors were combined to produce polygons upon which the metrics were calculated.
Supplemental_Information:
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this Federal Geographic Data Committee-compliant metadata file is intended to document the data set in nonproprietary form, as well as in Esri format, this metadata file may include some Esri-specific terminology.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Hamilton, Anna I., Gibbs, Ann E., Erikson, Li H., and Engelstad, Anita C., 20210812, Historical shoreline vectors for barrier islands and spits along the north coast of Alaska between Cape Beaufort and the U.S.-Canadian border, 1947 to 2019: data release DOI:10.5066/P90EQ1H7, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Hamilton, Anna I., Gibbs, Ann E., Erikson, Li H., and Engelstad, Anita C., 2021, Historical shorelines and morphological metrics for barrier islands and spits along the north coast of Alaska between Cape Beaufort and the U.S.-Canadian border, 1947 to 2019: data release DOI:10.5066/P90EQ1H7, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -164.08213763
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -140.488285159
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 71.377564641
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 69.080489199
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 01-Jul-1947
    Ending_Date: 20-Jun-2019
    Currentness_Reference:
    dates of source data used
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Vector Digital Data Set (Polyline)
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • String (1645)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      The map projection used is NAD 1983 2011 Alaska Albers (ESRI Full Name: NAD_1983_2011_Alaska_Albers).
      Projection parameters:
      Standard_Parallel: 55.0
      Standard_Parallel: 65.0
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -154.0
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 50.0
      False_Easting: 0.0
      False_Northing: 0.0
      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.6096
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.6096
      Planar coordinates are specified in Meter
      The horizontal datum used is D_NAD_1983_2011.
      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.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Attribute Table
    Table containing attribute information associated with the data set. (Source: Producer defined)
    AcqDate
    Acquisition data of shoreline data source in format MM/DD/YYYY (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:07/01/1949
    Maximum:06/20/2019
    Units:day
    Resolution:1
    Uncy
    Uncertainty of shoreline position, in meters (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:30
    Units:meter
    Resolution:1
    Year
    Shoreline year (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1947
    Maximum:2019
    Units:year
    Resolution:1
    Era
    Analysis era (Source: Producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    1950sShoreline year 1947 or 1949
    1980sShoreline year 1978 to 1987
    2000sShoreline year 1997 to 2007
    2010sShoreline year 2009 to 2016
    2020sShoreline year 2016 to 2019
    Source
    Source of shoreline data (Source: Producer defined)
    ValueDefinition
    Gibbs and others (2017)Gibbs, A.E., Ohman, K.A., Coppersmith, R., and Richmond, B.M., 2017, A GIS compilation of updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the north coast of Alaska, U.S. Canadian Border to Icy Cape, U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F72Z13N1
    Snyder and Gibbs (2019)Snyder, A.G., and Gibbs, A.E., 2019, National assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the north coast of Alaska, Icy Cape to Cape Prince of Wales: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9H1S1PV
    NOAA CUSP (2020)NOAA Continuously Updated Shoreline Product; http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/NSDE/
    Barrier_ID
    Identification number of a single barrier island - randomly assigned (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:189
    BIChain_ID
    Barrier chain identification number (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:42
    Length
    Length of shoreline segment, in meters (Source: Producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:16.568748826
    Maximum:43114.1572736
    Units:meter
    Resolution:0.0000000001
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    The entity and attribute information provided here describes the tabular data associated with the data set. Please review the detailed descriptions that are provided (the individual attribute descriptions) for information on the values that appear as fields/table entries of the data set.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
    The entity and attribute information were generated by the individual and/or agency identified as the originator of the data set. Please review the rest of the metadata record for additional details and information.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Anna I. Hamilton
    • Ann E. Gibbs
    • Li H. Erikson
    • Anita C. Engelstad
  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
    USA

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

Why was the data set created?

These data accompany Hamilton and others (2021), a U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report summarizing historical morphological change to barrier islands and spits located along the north-slope coast of Alaska between Cape Beaufort and the U.S.-Canadian border. The purpose of the study is to improve upon the understanding of barrier formation, evolution, and stability in a permafrost setting. The results can be used to advance an understanding of barrier island dynamics and better predict future barrier evolution and prevalence along Alaska’s coast.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    Snyder and Gibbs (2019) (source 1 of 3)
    Snyder, Alexander G., and Gibbs, Ann E., 20191227, National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the north coast of Alaska, Icy Cape to Cape Prince of Wales: U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Digital and/or Hardcopy Resources
    Source_Contribution:
    Source information used in support of the development of the data set.
    Gibbs and others (2017) (source 2 of 3)
    Gibbs, Ann E., Ohman, Karin A., Coppersmith, Ryan, and Richmond, Bruce M., 20170918, A GIS compilation of updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the north coast of Alaska, U.S. Canadian Border to Icy Cape: U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Digital and/or Hardcopy Resources
    Source_Contribution:
    Source information used in support of the development of the data set.
    NOAA CUSP (2020) (source 3 of 3)
    U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Geodetic Survey (NGS), 20110809, NOAA Continually Updated Shoreline Product (CUSP): NOAA's Ocean Service, National Geodetic Survey (NGS), Silver Spring, Maryland.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Digital and/or Hardcopy Resources
    Source_Contribution:
    Source information used in support of the development of the data set.
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 2020 (process 1 of 1)
    Shoreline vectors for barriers and spits were from Gibbs and others (2017), Snyder and Gibbs, (2019), and NOAA CUSP (2020) and merged into a single shapefile. Spits and barrier beaches were closed at the transition point to the mainland. An Era attribute was assigned based on the time period and source of the original data. The barriers were subdivided into forty-two barrier chains based on location and continuity. Each barrier was assigned a unique Barrier_ID within each Era. Additional information about the shoreline data set can be found in Hamilton and others, 2021. Data sources used in this process:
    • Gibbs and others (2017)
    • Snyder and Gibbs (2019)
    • NOAA CUSP (2020)
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Gibbs, Ann E., and Richmond, Bruce M., 2015, National assessment of shoreline change--Historical shoreline change along the north coast of Alaska, U.S.-Canadian border to Icy Cape.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Gibbs, A.E., and Richmond, B.M., 2015, National assessment of shoreline change--Historical shoreline change along the north coast of Alaska, U.S.-Canadian border to Icy Cape: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015-1048, 96 p.
    Gibbs, Ann E., and Richmond, Bruce M., 2017, National assessment of shoreline change--Summary statistics for updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the north coast of Alaska, U.S.-Canadian border to Icy Cape.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Gibbs, A.E., and Richmond, B.M., 2017, National assessment of shoreline change--Summary statistics for updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the north coast of Alaska, U.S.-Canadian border to Icy Cape: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2017-1107, 21 p.
    Gibbs, Ann E., Snyder, Alexander G., and Richmond, Bruce M., 2019, National assessment of shoreline change--Historical shoreline change along the north coast of Alaska, Icy Cape to Cape Prince of Wales.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Gibbs, A.E., Snyder, A.G., and Richmond, B.M., 2019, National assessment of shoreline change--Historical shoreline change along the north coast of Alaska, Icy Cape to Cape Prince of Wales: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019-1146, 52 p.
    Hamilton, Anna I., Gibbs, Ann E., Erikson, Li H., and Engelstad, Anita C., 2021, Assessment of barrier island morphological change in northern Alaska.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Hamilton, A.I., Gibbs, A.E., Erikson, L.H., and Engelstad, A.C., 2021, Assessment of barrier island morphological change in northern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2021-1074.

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    The attributes in this dataset record positional and measurement uncertainties calculated during the process of extracting a land/water interface shoreline from the data as described in the process steps.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    A formal accuracy assessment of the horizontal positional information in the data set has not been conducted. The horizontal accuracy of shorelines compiled from 1947 to 2019 data varies with respect to the data source from which the shorelines were digitized and the time period. Please visit the 'Estimation of Shoreline Position Uncertainty' section in Gibbs and Richmond (2015), Gibbs and Richmond (2017) and Gibbs and others (2019) for a complete explanation of the measurement uncertainties associated with these shorelines.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    A formal accuracy assessment of the vertical positional information in the data set is not applicable.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    This shoreline file is complete and contains all shoreline segments used to calculate morphological metrics along sections of the specified Alaska coastal region where shoreline position data were available. These data adequately represented the shoreline position at the time of the survey. Remaining gaps in these data are a consequence of nonexisting data or existing data that did not meet quality assurance standards.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Adjacent shoreline segments do not overlap and are not necessarily continuous. Shorelines were quality checked for accuracy. Any slight offsets between adjacent segments due to georeferencing and digitizing error are accounted for in the uncertainty calculations included in Gibbs and others (2015), Gibbs and others (2017), and Gibbs and others (2019).

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: None
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. Please recognize and acknowledge the U.S. Geological Survey as the originator(s) of the dataset and in products derived from these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? These data are available in shapefile format contained in a single zip file, which also includes CSDGM 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?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    This zip file contains data available in Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) polyline shapefile format. The user must have ArcGIS or ArcView 3.0 or greater software to read and process the data file. In lieu of ArcView or ArcGIS, the user may utilize another GIS application package capable of importing the data. A free data viewer, ArcExplorer, capable of displaying the data is available from Esri at www.esri.com.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 12-Aug-2021
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/ScienceBase/DR_P90EQ1H7/BarrierShorelines1947to2019_metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.50 on Tue Sep 21 18:17:22 2021