1. Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources
2. Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
3. U.S. Geological Survey Sea Floor Stress and Sediment Mobility Database

Map showing the Gulf of Maine, Middle Atlantic Bight, South Atlantic Bight, and Gulf of Mexico regions for which bottom stress and sediment mobility have been estimated.

U.S. Geological Survey Sea Floor Stress and Sediment Mobility Database

The U.S. Geological Survey Sea Floor Stress and Sediment Mobility Database contains estimates of wave-current bottom stress and sediment mobility for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coast continental shelf regions. This USGS database provides information to address issues in coastal and offshore areas where the degree and/or frequency of sediment mobility are important, such as characterization of sea floor ecosystems and evaluation of areas prior to development.

The estimates contained in the database are designed to spatially and seasonally resolve the general characteristics of wave-current bottom shear stress over the U.S. continental shelf, and to estimate sea floor mobility by comparing the modeled stress to critical shear stress thresholds for initiation of sediment movement at sites where grain size data are available. All stress values are given in Pascals (Pa). The methodology for creating the estimates of bottom stress and sediment mobility contained in this database may be found in Dalyander and others (2012).

The database is organized by region. Select the region of interest from the table to access files showing previews of results, metadata, and sea floor stress and mobility statistics in Arc polygon and point shapefile format. Statistics will be added to this website as they are completed (see Database Update History).

References Cited:

Dalyander, P. S., Butman, B., Sherwood, C.R., Signell, R.P., Wilkin, J.L., 2012, Characterizing wave- and current- induced bottom shear stress—U.S. middle Atlantic continental shelf: Continental Shelf Research (52), p.73-86. Online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2012.10.012.

Dalyander, P. S., Butman, B., Sherwood, C.R., and Signell, R.P., 2012, Documentation of the U.S. Geological Survey Sea Floor Stress and Sediment Mobility Database: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2012-1137, at https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20121137. 

Poppe, L.J., Williams, S.J., and Paskevich, V.F., 2005. U.S. Geological Survey east-coast sediment analysis—Procedures, database, and GIS data: Woods Hole, MA: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1001, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20051001.

Soulsby, Richard, 1997. Dynamics of marine sands—A manual for practical applications: London, Thomas Telford Publications

Please use the following citation when referencing these datasets:

Dalyander, P.S., Butman, B., Sherwood, C.R., and Signell, R.P., 2012, U.S. Geological Survey sea floor stress and sediment mobility database: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P999PY84.

Regions	Preview
Gulf of Maine The Gulf of Maine region is the semi-enclosed basin separated from the Atlantic Ocean to the south by Georges Bank, and extends from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia.
Middle Atlantic Bight The Middle Atlantic Bight region extends from Nantucket Shoals off southern New England southward to Cape Lookout off North Carolina.
South Atlantic Bight The South Atlantic Bight region extends from the coast of North Carolina southward to the Florida Keys
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico region extends from the southeast coast of Texas eastward to the Florida Keys
Database Update History Appendix: Critical Stress Calculation