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H11044_OUTLINE - Outline of the sidescan sonar mosaic completed during NOAA survey H11044

Metadata also available as: OUTLINE | TEXT

Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
H11044_OUTLINE - Outline of the sidescan sonar mosaic completed during NOAA survey H11044
Abstract:
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, has produced detailed geologic maps of the sea floor in Long Island Sound, a major East Coast estuary surrounded by the most densely populated region of the United States. These studies have built upon cooperative research with the State of Connecticut that was initiated in 1982. The current phase of this research program is directed toward studies of sea-floor sediment distribution, processes that control sediment distribution, near shore environmental concerns, and the relation of benthic community structures to the sea-floor geology.

Anthropogenic wastes, toxic chemicals, and changes in land-use patterns resulting from residential, commercial, and recreational development have stressed the environment of the Sound, causing degradation and potential loss of benthic habitats (Koppelman and others, 1976; Long Island Sound Study, 1994). Detailed maps of the sea floor are needed to help evaluate the extent of adverse impacts and to help manage resources wisely in the future. Therefore, in a continuing effort to better understand Long Island Sound, we have constructed and interpreted sidescan sonar mosaics (complete-coverage acoustic images of the sea floor) within specific areas of special interest. The mosaic presented herein covers almost 300 km square area of the sea floor in west-central Long Island Sound off Milford, Connecticut.

The mosaics and their interpretations (represented in part by this data layer) serve many purposes, including: (1) defining the geological variability of the sea floor, which is one of the primary controls of benthic habitat diversity; (2) improving our understanding of the processes that control the distribution and transport of bottom sediments and the distribution of benthic habitats and associated infaunal community structures; and (3) providing a detailed framework for future research, monitoring, and management activities. The sidescan sonar mosaics also serve as base maps for subsequent sedimentological, geochemical, and biological observations, because precise information on environmental setting is important for selection of sampling sites and for accurate interpretation of point measurements.

  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Paskevich, Valerie, 2005, H11044_OUTLINE - Outline of the sidescan sonar mosaic completed during NOAA survey H11044: Open-File Report 2005-1018, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    McMullen, K.Y., Poppe, L.J., Paskevich, V.F., Doran, E.F., Moser, M.S., Christman, E.B., and Beaver, A.L., 2005, Surficial Geology of the Sea Floor in West-Central Long Island Sound as shown by Sidescan Sonar Imagery: Open-File Report 2005-1018, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 DVD-ROM

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -73.131256
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -72.936531
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.242020
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.023193

  3. What does it look like?

    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1018/data/basemaps/boundaries/surveys/h11044_outline-thumb.gif> (GIF)
    Thumbnail image showing the extent and coverage of the NOAA H11044 sidescan sonar mosaic.
    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1018/data/basemaps/boundaries/surveys/h11044_outline.gif> (GIF)
    Thumbnail image showing the extent and coverage of the NOAA H11044 sidescan sonar mosaic.

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

    Calendar_Date: 2001
    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):

      • G-polygon (1)

    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 0.000000. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000000. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS84.
      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?

    h11044_outline
    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.

    CRUISE_ID
    NOAA Cruise id (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)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    L.J. Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2314 (voice)
    (508) 457-2281 (FAX)
    lpoppe@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This GIS overlay is a component of the Milford / West-Central Survey, Long Island Sound, ArcGIS database and represents an interpretation of the sidescan sonar mosaic for the study area. The interpretation can be used as an overlay for the mosaic image and shows the distribution of surficial sediments in the study area such as gravel, sand, silty sand, etc. This layer can be used in conjunction with layers: h11044sedenv.shp, h11044int.shp, and images h11044_e_geo.tif and h11044_geo_wgs84.tif

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    h11044_geo.tif (source 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2005, h11044_geo.tif: Open-File Report 2005-1018, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: DVD-ROM
    Source_Contribution: The extent of the mosaic was traced to create the outline.

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

    Date: Jul-2005 (process 1 of 1)
    The extent of the NOAA H11044 sidescan sonar mosaic was traced to create the outline of the survey area. The polyline file was converted to a polygon and saved. The shapefile was modified to add the attribute cruise_id.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Valerie Paskevich
    U.S. Geological Survey
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
    USA

    (508) 548-8700 x2281 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vpaskevich@usgs.gov

    Data sources used in this process:
    • h11044_geo.tif

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • h11044_outline.shp
    • h11044_outline.dbf
    • h11044_outline.shx

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

    McMullen, K.Y., Poppe, L.J., DiGiacomo-Cohen, M.L., Moser, M.S., and Christman, E.B., 2005, Surficial Geology of the Sea Floor in West-Central Long Island Sound as shown by Sidescan Sonar Imagery: Northeastern Geology and Environmental Sciences v. 27, no. 1, p. 60-70, Allen Press, Lawrence, Kansas.

    Poppe, Larry, Paskevich, Valerie, LTJG Marc S. Moser, NOAA, DiGiacomo-Cohen, Mary, and CDR Emily Christman, NOAA, 200409, Sidescan Sonar Imagery and Surficial Geologic Interpretation of the Sea Floor off Branford, Connecticut: Open-File Report 2004-1003, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 CD-ROM
    Poppe, Larry, Paskevich, Valerie, Lewis, Ralph S. , and DiGiacomo-Cohen, Mary L. , 20020930, Geological Framework Data from Long Island Sound, 1981-1990: A Digital Data Release: Open-File Report 02-002, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 1 DVD-ROM

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 observations, including topology?

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 are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Long Island Sound Resource Center as the originators of this dataset.

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

    Larry Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543
    USA

    508-548-8700 (voice)
    lpoppe@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?

    Although this data set has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey (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?

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

    These 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 the 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: 01-Aug-2005
Metadata author:
L.J. Poppe
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
USA

508-548-8700 x2314 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
lpoppe@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:

Generated by mp version 2.8.6 on Mon Aug 01 10:26:28 2005