Bottom sample analysis and locations in the vicinity of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (ESRI POINT SHAPEFILE, SAMPLES)

Frequently anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How might this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  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?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

What does this data set describe?

1. How might this data set be cited?
   U.S. Geological Survey, 2009, Bottom sample analysis and locations in the vicinity of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (ESRI POINT SHAPEFILE, SAMPLES): Open-File Report 2008-1288, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20081288
   • https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1288/html/gis.html
   • https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1288/GIS_catalog/Samples/samples.zip

   This is part of the following larger work.
   Denny, J.F., Danforth, W.W., Foster, D.S., and Sherwood, C.R., 2009, Geophysical Data Collected off the South Shore of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2008-1288, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1288/

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.573700
   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.532600
   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.349700
   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.326000
   

3. What does it look like?

   https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1288/GIS_catalog/Samples/samples_sm.jpg (JPEG)

   Thumbnail image of seafloor and beach sample data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperators at the MVCO in 2005 and 2007

4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

   Calendar_Date: 09-Sep-2005

   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):
      • Entity point (73)
   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 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257224.
      
7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   samples

   ESRI Point Shapefile (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.

   FRAME

   Indicates the instrument frame associated with the sample, or beach location. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Indicates the instrument frame associated with the sample, or beach location.

   FIELD_NO

   Original sample information recorded in the field. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Original sample information recorded in the field.

   LATITUDE

   Location of sample, WGS84 (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	41.326
   Maximum:	41.3497
   Units:	decimal degrees

   LONGITUDE

   Location of sample station, WGS84 (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	-70.5737
   Maximum:	70.5326
   Units:	decimal degrees

   DEPTH_M

   Depth at sample location read from the ship's fathometer (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	16
   Units:	meters

   DEVICE

   Sampling device (if reported) (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Sampling Device used. A 'Not Reported' is listed if the sampling device was not reported.

   T_DEPTH

   Sample depth in sediment (cm) used for analyses. If not specifically noted, the samples are from the sediment surface, nominally including the top 2 cm. -9999 to represent 'No Data' if sampling device was not reported. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	21
   Units:	centimeters

   B_DEPTH

   Sample depth in sediment (cm) used for analyses. If not specifically noted, the samples are from the sediment surface, nominally including the top 2 cm. -9999 value used to represent 'No Data' if sampling device was not reported. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	23
   Units:	centimeters

   MONTH_COLL

   Month sample was collected (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Formal codeset
   Codeset Name:	Month of the year
   Codeset Source:	USGS

   DAY_COLL

   Day sample was collected (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Formal codeset
   Codeset Name:	Day of the year
   Codeset Source:	USGS

   YEAR_COLL

   Year sample was collected (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Formal codeset
   Codeset Name:	Calendar Year
   Codeset Source:	USGS

   WEIGHT

   Dry mass (gm) of sample used in analysis (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	4.7116
   Maximum:	83.2817
   Units:	percent

   GRAVEL_PCT

   Percent Gravel in sample (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	12.36
   Units:	percent

   SAND_PCT

   Percent Sand in sample (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	85.12
   Maximum:	99.99
   Units:	percent

   SILT_PCT

   Percent silt in sample (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	2.86
   Units:	percent

   CLAY_PCT

   Percent clay in sample (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	1.74
   Units:	percent

   CLASSIFICA

   Descriptive size classification according Shepard (1954) ternary classification system, as modified by Schlee, 1973). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Value	Definition
   SAND	Sediment grain size < 2 mm and > 0.062 mm
   Gravelly Sediment	Grain Size > 2mm and < 64 mm

   MEDIAN

   median size of sample (phi) (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	-0.01
   Maximum:	3.22
   Units:	phi

   MEAN

   mean size of sample (phi) (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.1
   Maximum:	3.1
   Units:	phi

   STDEV

   Standard Deviation of sample (phi) (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.13
   Maximum:	1.64
   Units:	phi

   SKEWNESS

   Skewness of sample (unitless) (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	-14.78
   Maximum:	4.53
   Units:	unit less

   KURTOSIS

   Kurtosis of sample (unitless) (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	-1
   Maximum:	275.88
   Units:	unit less

   PHIm5

   Fraction of analyzed sample in negative 5 phi size class ( m indicates a minus sign). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	0
   Units:	phi

   PHIm4

   Fraction of analyzed sample in negative 4 phi size class ( m indicates a minus sign). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	0
   Units:	phi

   PHIm3

   Fraction of analyzed sample in negative 3 phi size class ( m indicates a minus sign). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	3.13
   Units:	phi

   PHIm2

   Fraction of analyzed sample in negative 2 phi size class ( m indicates a minus sign). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	4.2
   Units:	phi

   PHIm1

   Fraction of analyzed sample in negative 1 phi size class ( m indicates a minus sign). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	8.22
   Units:	phi

   PHI_0

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 0 phi size class. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.01
   Maximum:	44.05
   Units:	phi

   PHI_1

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 1 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.06
   Maximum:	82.44
   Units:	phi

   PHI_2

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 2 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.49
   Maximum:	89.55
   Units:	phi

   PHI_3

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 3 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.01
   Maximum:	77.08
   Units:	phi

   PHI_4

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 4 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.01
   Maximum:	63.34
   Units:	phi

   PHI_5

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 5 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	0.87
   Units:	phi

   PHI_6

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 6 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	0.65
   Units:	phi

   PHI_7

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 7 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	0.69
   Units:	phi

   PHI_8

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 8 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	0.86
   Units:	phi

   PHI_9

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 9 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	0.89
   Units:	phi

   PHI_10

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 10 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	0.6
   Units:	phi

   PHI_11

   Fraction of analyzed sample in 11 phi size class (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0
   Maximum:	0.25
   Units:	phi

   ANALYST

   USGS Sediment Analyst (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) USGS Sediment Analyst's Comments

   ANAL_COMM

   Analyst's Comments (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) USGS Sediment Analyst's Comments

   LITHOLOGY

   physical character of the sample (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) USGS Comments on physical character of sample

   COMMENTS

   Additional USGS Comments (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Additional USGS Comments

   Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

   Column A FRAME This indicates which instrument frame the sample is associated with, except for beach samples, indicated with a B. The key for the other samples is:
   First letter C or F indicates coarse or fine sediment patch, D indicates dividing line between coarse and fine at the USGS 11-m site. Two-digit number 08, 11, 12, 16 indicates nominal water depth (meters, relative to MLW).
   Next letter C or T (if present) indicates location of sample on crest or trough of a ripple.
   Final letter T or B (if present) indicates top or bottom of diver push core.
   Column B FIELD_NO
   This column contains the original sample information recorded in the field. In some cases, it includes a date and a sample number; in others, it provides more information on sample location. In the case of the beach samples, KB indicates Katama Beach. Sediment samples were collected on south-facing Katama Beach in Edgartown, MA on September 16, 2005. Samples were collected in three parallel transects, roughly 5m apart. Each transect started at the base of the dune and ran to the low-tide water level (12:50pm EDT), totaling 7 samples at 5m intervals, zero to 30 meters from the dune base. Samples at 0m are labeled dune then +5, +10, +15, etc. The second number identifies the transect, with transect 1 farthest west.

   Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:

   Definitions of the fields within the sediment sample shapefile were provided by Chris R. Sherwood, USGS.

Who produced the data set?

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • U.S. Geological Survey
2. Who also contributed to the data set?
   U.S. Geological Survey
3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
   Chris Sherwood

   U.S. Geological Survey

   Geologist

   384 Woods Hole Rd.

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   (508) 548-8700x2269 (voice)

   5084572310 (FAX)

   csherwood@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

How was the data set created?

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

   Information unavailable from original metadata (source 1 of 1)

   Information unavailable from original metadata - assumed USGS, unknown, Information unavailable from original metadata.

   Type_of_Source_Media: Information unavailable from original metadata
   Source_Contribution:

   In August, 2007 USGS deployed instrumented tripods at two locations within the geophysical survey area. Prior to tripod deployment, seafloor sediment samples were collected at the tripod locations, to define the boundary between coarse and fine sediment. The sample locations were dictated by the investigative needs of the OASIS (optical and acoustic sediments in situ) and DRI projects, and were not collected to ground-truth the 2007 geophysical survey area. In October, 2007 the tripods were recovered and additional sample locations were collected. Beach samples collected in 2005 are also included.
   All samples were processed for grain size in the WHSC sediment lab using sieve and coulter counter techniques (Poppe, and others, 2005). Beach samples (top 2 cm) were hand-sampled with a Teflon-coated scoop. Most other samples were obtained by SCUBA divers with short (~15 to 30-cm long x 4.5-cm diameter) push cores, but a few were collected with a modified Van Veen grab sampler and subsampled to obtain representative material from the top 2 cm. Samples were collected in September, 2005 and August and October, 2007. Only samples collected in August, 2007 are associated with a USGS, Woods Hole Science Center, Field Activity Number (07028).
   Sediment sizes are reported in phi units, which are defined as: size [phi] = -log2( size [mm] ).
   Beach samples were obtained by R. Horwitz. USGS diver samples were obtained by D. Blackwood and C. Worley. Samples were also provided by A. Hay (Dalhousie University) and P. Traykovski (WHOI). Sample analyses were performed by K. McMullen.

2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

   Date: 2009 (process 1 of 5)

   A Microsoft Excel 2004 spreadsheet containing sediment analysis and additional acquisition information was exported as a comma-delimited text file (*.csv). The comma-delimited text file was then imported to ArcGIS 9.2 using Tools - Add XY Data, creating an event theme referenced to the Geographic Coordinate System WGS84. The event theme was then exported as a point shapefile. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Jane F. Denny

   U.S. Geological Survey

   Geologist

   384 Woods Hole Road

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   USA

   508-548-8700 x 2311 (voice)

   508-457-2310 (FAX)

   jdenny@usgs.gov

   Date: 19-Oct-2017 (process 2 of 5)

   Edits to the metadata were made to fix any errors that MP v 2.9.36 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.). Reordered the links in the identification section so a landing page link is first. Attempted to modify http to https where appropriate. The source information was incomplete and had to be modified to meet the standard. The distribution format name was modified in an attempt to be more consistent with other metadata files of the same data format. 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 Road

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)

   508-457-2310 (FAX)

   vatnipp@usgs.gov

   Date: 20-Jul-2018 (process 3 of 5)

   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 4 of 5)

   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: 08-Sep-2020 (process 5 of 5)

   Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. 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?
   Poppe, L.J., Williams, S.J., and Paskevich, V.F., 2005, USGS East-Coast Sediment Analysis Procedures, Database, and GIS Data: Open-File Report 2005-1001, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1001/

   Schlee, J., 1973, Atlantic continental shelf and slope of the United States -- sediment texture of the northeastern part: Professional Paper 529-L, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Shepard, F.P., 1954, Nomenclature based on sand-silt-clay ratios: Journal Sedimentary Petrology: Journal of Sedimentary Petrology v. 24, p. 151-158, Society for Sedimentary Geology, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

   Sherwood, C.R., Butman, B., Rubin, D.M., Signell, R.P., and Warner, J.C., 2009, National Community Sediment-Transport Modeling Project: U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA.

   Online Links:

   • https://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/sediment-transport/

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?
   Navigation was provided by the R/V Connecticuts GPS system for samples collected in August and October 2007, (http://www.marinesciences.uconn.edu/MSTC/Vesselops/rv_specs.html). GPS (no Selective Availability) is considered to provide roughly 10 meters positional accuracy (http://www.navcen.uscg.gov).
   The location of beach samples was estimated from Google Earth images (2005).
3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
   Water depth of sample locations were recorded from the ship's echosounder to provide a general depth for each sample. Nominal depth (meters, relative to MLLW, probably accurate to +/- 1 m).
4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
   All sample data collected in September 2005, August and October, 2007 are included in this ESRI shapefile.
5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
   Onshore beach samples were collected within approximately 0.5 kilometers of the MVCO Meteorological Mast in September 2005. Seafloor samples were collected in the vicinity of the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) 12-meter node and ASIT in August and October 2007. Beach samples were collected by hand, seafloor samples were collected by SCUBA divers using short (30-cm) push cores or by Van Veen grab sampler. All samples were processed by the U.S. Geological Survey sediment laboratory.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
   
   Jane Denny

   U.S. Geological Survey

   Geologist

   384 Woods Hole Rd.

   Woods Hole, MA
   

   (508) 548-8700x2311 (voice)

   5084572310 (FAX)

   jdenny@usgs.gov
2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Downloadable Data
3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
   Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. 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.
   Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	WinZip (version 9.0) file containing ESRI point shapefile and metadata describing sample location and analysis in format Shapefile (version ArcGIS 9.2) Size: 1
     Network links:	https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1288/GIS_catalog/Samples/samples.zip

   • Cost to order the data: none

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) point 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: 18-Mar-2024

Metadata author:

Jane Denny

U.S. Geological Survey

Geologist

384 Woods Hole Rd.

Woods Hole, MA

(508) 548-8700x2311 (voice)

5084572310 (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 USGS. (updated on 20240318)

Metadata standard:

FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)