Sedimentary Environment Map of Long Island Sound

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title: Sedimentary Environment Map of Long Island Sound
Abstract:
Long Island Sound is one of the largest estuaries along the Atlantic coast of the United States. It is a glacially produced, semi-enclosed, northeast-southwest-trending embayment, which is 150 km long and 30 km across at its widest point. Its mean water depth is approximately 24 m. The eastern end of the Sound opens to the Atlantic Ocean through several large passages between islands, whereas the western end is connected to New York Harbor through a narrow tidal strait. Long Island Sound abuts the New York-Connecticut metropolitan area and contains more than 8 million people within its watershed. A study of the modern sedimentary environments on the sea floor within the Long Island Sound estuarine system was undertaken as part of a larger research program by the U.S. Geological Survey (Coastal and Marine Geology Program) conducted in cooperation with the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Knowledge of the bottom sedimentary environments was needed to discern the long-term fate of wastes and contaminants that have been, or potentially will be, introduced into the system and to help understand the distribution of benthic biologic habitats.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Knebel, Harley, and Cross, VeeAnn, 20000505, Sedimentary Environment Map of Long Island Sound: Open-File Report 00-304, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Paskevich(ed.), Valerie, and Poppe(ed.), Larry, 2000, Georeferenced Sea-Floor Mapping and Bottom Photography in Long Island Sound: Open-File Report 00-304, U. S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 CD-ROM
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -73.668500
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -72.0789
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.3511
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 40.8276
  3. What does it look like?
    http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/of00-304/htmldocs/images/browse/sedenvav.gif (GIF)
    Thumbnail image showing the extent of the GIS layer of the sedimentary environments in LIS.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 1992
    Ending_Date: 2000
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
  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):
      • GT-polygon composed of chains (370)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      The map projection used is Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 18.
      Projection parameters:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -075.000000
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: +00.000000
      False_Easting: 500000.000000
      False_Northing: 0.000000
      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 20
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 20
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters
      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    sedenvav.dbf
    Shapefile Attribute Table (Source: ESRI)
    FID
    Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI) Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
    Shape
    Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI) Coordinates defining the features.
    AREA
    AREA of the polygon. The AREA attribute is carried over from the AREA attribute in Arc/Info. (Source: User Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:5664.137
    Maximum:773603392.000
    Units:square meters
    Resolution:.001
    PERIMETER
    PERIMETER of polygon. The PERIMETER attribute is carried over from the PERIMETER attribute in Arc/Info. (Source: User Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:280.052
    Maximum:799187.875
    Units:meters
    Resolution:.001
    SEDENVAI_
    This attribute is carried over from the Arc/Info parameter by the same name. This is an Arc/Info internal control parameter and has no applicable relevance to the use of the data. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2
    Maximum:371
    Units:integer
    Resolution:1
    SEDENVAI_I
    This attribute is carried over from the Arc/Info parameter by the same name. This is an Arc/Info internal control parameter and has no applicable relevance to the use of the data. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:370
    Units:integer
    Resolution:1
    SED_ENVIRO
    This attribute is a one word description of the sedimentary environment represented by that particular polygon. (Source: USGS) Character String

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Harley Knebel
    • VeeAnn Cross
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Harley J. Knebel
    retired
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)

Why was the data set created?

This GIS layer represents the researcher's interpretation of the regional distribution of sea-floor sedimentary environments in Long Island Sound. These data are intended for science researchers, students, policy makers, and the general public. The data can be used with geographic informationsystems (GIS) software to display geologic and oceanographic information.

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: 05-May-2000 (process 1 of 6)
    The original interpretation was hand-drawn on mylar based on sidescan-sonar data, seismic-reflection profiles, and sediment sample data collected in the study area. The extent of this orginal work only extended shoreward to the 10m contour interval. This interpretation was then digitized on a digitizing table. This line information was then transferred to Arc/Info where significant cleaning of the data was done. These arcs were then converted to polygons and the attribute information attached. Subsequently, data from the 10 m contour shoreward was incorporated into the original mylar interpretive map. These changes were then digitized and incorporated into the existing Arc/Info coverage. Again, significant cleaning of the arcs as well as assigning the attribute information was done in Arc/Info. The original projection of this work was UTM zone 18, NAD27. For this publication, these data were reprojected into UTM zone 18 NAD 83. This Arc coverage was exported in the e00 format and imported into ArcView. The new theme was then saved in the shapefile format. Person who carried out this activity:
    VeeAnn A. Cross
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 19-Oct-2004 (process 2 of 6)
    Dataset projected to geographic: ArcGIS > Toolbox: GEOGCS['GCS_North_American_1983',DATUM['D_North_American_1983',SPHEROID['GRS_1980',6378137.0,298.257222101]],PRIMEM['Greenwich',0.0],UNIT['Degree',0.0174532925199433]] Person who carried out this activity:
    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Information Specialist, GIS Coordinator
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov
    Data sources used in this process:
    • utm\sedenvav.dbf
    • utm\sedenvav.shp
    • utm\sedenvav.shx
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • sedenvav.dbf
    • sedenvav.shp
    • sedenvav.shx
    Date: 12-Apr-2016 (process 3 of 6)
    Edits to the metadata were made to fix any errors that MP v 2.9.32 flagged. This is necessary to enable the metadata to be successfully harvested for various data catalogs. In some cases, this meant adding text "Information unavailable" or "Information unavailable from original metadata" for those required fields that were left blank. Other minor edits were probably performed (title, publisher, publication place, etc.). The metadata date (but not the metadata creator) was edited to reflect the date of these changes. The metadata available from a harvester may supersede metadata bundled within a download file. Compare the metadata dates to determine which metadata file is most recent. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 20-Jul-2018 (process 4 of 6)
    USGS Thesaurus keywords added to the keyword section. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 18-Nov-2019 (process 5 of 6)
    Crossref DOI link was added as the first link in the metadata. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
    Date: 27-Jun-2023 (process 6 of 6)
    Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword (20200908). The original published file was in UTM and reprojected to geographic, with the metadata updated as well. That geographic dataset is no longer available. So the projection was reset to the original UTM projection and links to the geographic version of the data removed. The original metadata did not specify a datum for the UTM projected dataset, so it is assumed to be NAD83. Other elements such as title and point count were reset to the original values. Additional small edits were also made such as changing http to https, providing a generic email in the metadata contact along with adding contact instructions. etc. The metadata available from a harvester may supersede metadata bundled within a download file. Compare the metadata dates to determine which metadata file is most recent. (20230627) Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    The dataset is complete for the area of interest.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    All data were treated in a similar fashion, therefore internally consistent.

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 The U.S. Geological Survey must be referenced as the originator of the dataset in any future products or research derived from these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    Larry Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Downloadable Data: OFR 00-304 - sedenav
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Although this derived data set has been used by the USGS, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
    • Availability in digital form:
      Data format: Zip archive containing the six individual ArcView files (sedenvav.dbf, sedenvav.shp, sedenvav.shx, sedenvav.avl, sedenvav.sbn, sedenvav.sbx) comprising the sedimentary environment of Long Island Sound. in format SHP (version ArcView 3.2) ESRI polygon shapefile Size: 0.99
      Network links: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2000/of00-304/lisound/data/chap03/sedenvav.zip
      https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2000/of00-304/htmldocs/data.htm
      Media you can order: CD-ROM (Density 650 Mbytes) (format ISO 9600)
      Note: The user must have a system with a CD-ROM capable of reading an ISO-9660 standard CD-ROM disk. To browse the information contained on this disk, the user must also have a current version of WWW browser available.
    • Cost to order the data: None

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    The data are available in Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) 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 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: 27-Jun-2023
Metadata author:
VeeAnn A. Cross
U.S. Geological Survey
Marine Geologist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA
USA

(508) 548-8700 x2251 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
Contact_Instructions:
The metadata contact email address is a generic address in the event the person is no longer with the USGS.
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/open_file_report/ofr2000-304/sedenvav.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Tue Jun 27 12:21:17 2023