CURRENT AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT STUDIES ON GEORGES BANK

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title: CURRENT AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT STUDIES ON GEORGES BANK
Abstract:
A collection of time-series oceanographic data was obtained from locations on Georges Bank and adjacent continental shelf between 1975 and 1984. Measurements available include current, temperature, pressure, light transmission (beam attenuation). The time series is not continuous at any specific location.
Supplemental_Information:
These data are stored as Network Common Data Format (NetCDF) files using conventions developed by NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) lab to be compatible with their Equatorial Pacific Information Collection (EPIC) convention.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Butman, Bradford, and Noble, Marlene, 2006, CURRENT AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT STUDIES ON GEORGES BANK: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    This summary page is the interface to files containing oceanographic measurements made during this experimental program.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -74.0
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -65.0
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 43.0
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 38.5
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 08-May-1975
    Ending_Date: 11-Nov-1984
    Currentness_Reference:
    Observations reflect conditions at the time the measurements were collected.
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
    2. What coordinate system is used to 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? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Butman, Bradford
    • Noble, Marlene
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Ellyn T. Montgomery
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Oceanographer
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x 2356 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    emontgomery@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

A series of studies to assess environmental hazards to petroleum development in the Georges Bank and New England Shelf region of the U.S. continental slope spanned 9 years. These long-term observations of currents and near-bottom processes show the frequency and duration of near-bottom sediment transport events along the U.S. East Coast continental margin.

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: unknown (process 1 of 4)
    Different data processing procedures are used for each instrument and are described in OFR2007-1194 (link in the cross references). All data were processed within a month of platform recovery, with the version of the software available at the time of processing.
    Date: 12-Jul-2016 (process 2 of 4)
    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.). Fixed the online link to a cross-reference. Removed an invalid link from network resource name. 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 3 of 4)
    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: 08-Sep-2020 (process 4 of 4)
    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?
    Montgomery, Ellyn T., Martini, Marinna A., Lightsom, Frances L., and Butman, Bradford, 2008, Documentation of the U.S. Geological Survey Oceanographic Time-Series Measurement Database: Open-File Report 2007-1194, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Unidata, 2008, NetCDF Project web pages: Unidata, University Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO.

    Online Links:

    Gallagher, James, 2008, Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol: OPeNDAP, Narragansett, RI.

    Online Links:

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?
    The accuracy of the positions associated with the measurements is to within 185-463 meters, based on Loran-C navigation. The original metadata had a link to Chapter III at www.navcen.uscg.gov/loran/handbook/h-book.htm. That link is no longer valid. Try http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=loranReference. The horizontal datum coordinate system of the data is geographic with an assumed horizontal datum of NAD27, based on the data collection dates.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    In this dataset, sensor depths are computed as water depth minus instrument height. The instrument heights on tripods are measured to 1 cm accuracy prior to deployment. The source or the water depth logged at the deployment location is not always documented, but typically it is based on the shipboard echosounder. Each water depth is a local measurement good to 1-5 meters, not adjusted to any datum. For moored instruments, the depths are only accurate to about 10% of the water depth, since mooring motions may cause substantial offsets during a deployment.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Files in the dataset have passed the QA/QC steps and thus are considered good. Sensors may fail mid-deployment, in which case the data for one sensor covers less time than another from the same deployment.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    This is time-series data, so topological consistency tests were not performed.

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 Public domain data from the U.S. Government are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the U.S. Geological Survey as the originator of the dataset.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Ellyn T. Montgomery
    DATA CENTER CONTACT
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2356 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    emontgomery@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  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?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    NetCDF viewing software or an OPeNDAP client is required to view the data files.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 07-Jul-2022
Metadata author:
Ellyn T. Montgomery
U.S. Geological Survey
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Woods Hole, MA
USA

508-548-8700 x2356 (voice)
whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
Contact_Instructions:
The metadata contact email address is a generic address in the event the metadata contact is no longer with the USGS or the email is otherwise invalid.
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/stellwagen/gb_exp2.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Thu Jul 14 11:37:40 2022