RAFA07034_SEDIMENT.SHP: Surficial Sediment Data Collected During U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cruise R/V RAFAEL 07034 in the Vicinity of Woods Hole, Offshore Massachusetts

Metadata also available as Outline | Text

Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
RAFA07034_SEDIMENT.SHP: Surficial Sediment Data Collected During U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cruise R/V RAFAEL 07034 in the Vicinity of Woods Hole, Offshore Massachusetts
Abstract:
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (MA CZM), is producing detailed geologic maps of the coastal sea floor. Imagery, originally collected by NOAA for charting purposes, provides a fundamental framework for research and management activities along this part of the Massachusetts coastline, shows the composition and terrain of the seabed, and provides information on sediment transport and benthic habitat. Interpretive data layers were derived from multibeam echo-sounder and sidescan-sonar data collected in the vicinity of Woods Hole, a passage through the Elizabeth Islands, off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In November 2007, bottom photographs, seismic-reflection profiles, and surficial sediment data were acquired as part of a ground-truth reconaissance survey.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Poppe, Larry, 2008, RAFA07034_SEDIMENT.SHP: Surficial Sediment Data Collected During U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cruise R/V RAFAEL 07034 in the Vicinity of Woods Hole, Offshore Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2008-1004, 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.

    Poppe, L.J., McMullen, K.Y., Foster, D.S., Blackwood, D.S., Williams, S.J., Ackerman, S.D., Barnum, S.R., and Brennan, R.T., 2008, Sea-Floor Character and Sedimentary Processes in the Vicinity of Woods Hole, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2008-1004, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.679583
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.656333
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.526900
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.508250

  3. What does it look like?

    <http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1004/data/sediment/rafa07034_sediment.gif> (GIF)
    Thumbnail image showing the locations of sediment data collected during R/V RAFAEL cruise 07034 in the vicinity of Woods Hole, offshore Massachusetts.

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

    Calendar_Date: 14-Nov-2007
    Time_of_Day: 20071119
    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 (58)

    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 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?

    rafa07034_sediment
    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.

    LABNO
    Unique identifier consisting of two characters and three numerics assigned during lab analysis (Source: Scientist)

    Character String of width 5

    STATIONID
    Sample name assigned in the field (Source: Scientist)

    Character String of width 5

    PROJECTID
    Project under which the samples were taken (Source: Scientist)

    WOODS HOLE HARBOR

    CRUISEID
    Name or number of cruise during which the samples were collected (Source: Scientist)

    RAFA07034

    PRINCIPAL
    Name (initial and last name) of the principal investigator (Source: Scientist)

    MONTH
    Calendar month sample was collected (Source: USGS)

    DAY
    Day sample was collected (Source: USGS)

    YEAR
    Year sample was collected (Source: USGS)

    LATITUDE
    Latitude coordinate of sample location (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 41.50825
    Maximum: 41.5269
    Units: Decimal degrees
    Resolution: 0.000001

    LONGITUDE
    Longitude coordinate of sample location (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: -70.679583
    Maximum: -70.656333
    Units: Decimal degrees
    Resolution: 0.000001

    DEVICE
    Device used to collect sample (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    SMALL SEABOSS GRAB

    DEPTH_M
    Depth or sounding in meters. handwritten at time station was occupied. (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 3
    Maximum: 22
    Units: meters
    Resolution: 0.1

    T_DEPTH
    Top depth of the sample below sediment-water interface in centimeters (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Value Definition
    0  

    B_DEPTH
    Bottom depth of the sample below sediment-water interface in centimeters (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Value Definition
    2 Depth in sediment in cm

    WEIGHT
    Weight of dry sample in grams (Source: Scientist)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 2.0955
    Maximum: 417.38
    Units: grams
    Resolution: 0.0001

    ZGRAVEL
    Gravel content in percent dry weight (Source: Scientist)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 74.45
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    ZSAND
    Sand content in percent dry weight (Source: Scientist)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 9.48
    Maximum: 99.99
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    ZSILT
    Silt content in percent dry weight (Source: Scientist)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0.01
    Maximum: 74.7
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    ZCLAY
    Clay content in percent dry weight (Source: Scientist)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 17.75
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    SEDCLASS
    Sediment description based on a rigorous definition (Source: Scientist)

    Value Definition
    SAND Sediment whose main phase is <2 mm, but >0.062 mm
    SILTY SAND Sediment whose main phase is sand, but with significan silt
    GRAVEL Sediment whose main phase (usually >50%) is >2 mm
    GRAVELLY SAND Sediment whose main phase (usually <50%) is >2 mm, but with significant sand
    SANDY SILT Sediment whose main phase is silt (usually >50%), but with significant sand
    CLAYEY SILT Sediment whose main phase is silt (usually >50%), but with significant clay

    MEDIAN
    Middle point in the grain-size distribution in phi units (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: -3.34
    Maximum: 6.4
    Units: phi
    Resolution: 0.01

    MEAN
    Average value in the grain-size distribution in phi units (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: -2.35
    Maximum: 6.37
    Units: phi
    Resolution: 0.01

    STDEV
    Standard Deviation of the grain-size distribution in phi units (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0.32
    Maximum: 3.95
    Units: phi
    Resolution: 0.01

    SKEWNESS
    Deviation from symmetrical form of the grain-size distribution (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: -0.52
    Maximum: 3.04
    Resolution: 0.01

    KURTOSIS
    Degree of curvature near the mode of the grain-size distribution (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: -1.43
    Maximum: 62.34
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_11
    Weight percent of the sample in the 11 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 2.32
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_10
    Weight percent of the sample in the 10 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 5.41
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_9
    Weight percent of the sample in the 9 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 10.41
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_8
    Weight percent of the sample in the 8 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 17.54
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_7
    Weight percent of the sample in the 7 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 28.32
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_6
    Weight percent of the sample in the 6 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 25.08
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_5
    Weight percent of the sample in the 5 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0.01
    Maximum: 38.69
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_4
    Weight percent of the sample in the 4 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0.01
    Maximum: 28.24
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_3
    Weight percent of the sample in the 3 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 1.1
    Maximum: 58.51
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_2
    Weight percent of the sample in the 2 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 1.29
    Maximum: 81.16
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_1
    Weight percent of the sample in the 1 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 49.61
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHI_0
    Weight percent of the sample in the 0 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 29.35
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHIM1
    Weight percent of the sample in the -1 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 13.38
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHIM2
    Weight percent of the sample in the -2 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 13.19
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHIM3
    Weight percent of the sample in the -3 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 23.66
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHIM4
    Weight percent of the sample in the -4 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 100
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    PHIM5
    Weight percent of the sample in the -5 phi fraction (Source: USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database data dictionary)

    Range of values
    Minimum: 0
    Maximum: 34.81
    Units: percent
    Resolution: 0.01

    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    Textural data and visual descriptions produced from the samples and photography of the RAFA07034 cruise. Visual descriptions of sediment texture were used in areas where samples could not be collected (e.g., boulder fields. These stations can be differentiated by the presence of the nodata value '-9999' in many of the numeric analytical fields.

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?

    Larry 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

Why was the data set created?

This data set includes the locations, identifiers, grain-size data and(or) textural descriptions of surficial sediments collected at 58 stations on topographic and backscatter data of the sea floor in the vicinity of Woods Hole, offshore Massachusetts. The sediments were collected with a modified Van Veen grab (small SEABOSS) during USGS survey 07034, conducted November 14-19, 2007. This data set was acquired to ground-truth (verify) topography and backscatter intensity of the sea floor in Woods Hole. These acoustic data were collected with multibeam sea floor mapping systems during NOAA survey H11077, conducted during 2001.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    (source 1 of 1)

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

    Date: 2008 (process 1 of 2)
    Processing included the following steps: 1.) Thirty-seven samples were collected with a Van Veen grab sampler (Blackwood and Parolski, 2001) equipped with a still and video camera. Visual descriptions were used for rocky/bouldery stations at 21 additional stations where samples could not be collected. 2.) Samples were analyzed in the sediment laboratory at the USGS Woods Hole Science Center. Coarse fraction determined by sieve; fine fraction determined by Coulter Counter. See Poppe, Williams, and Paskevich (2005) for analytical specifics. 3.) An ESRI shapefile was created in ArcView 3.3 from an ASCII comma-delimited file created by the laboratory's software.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Larry 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

    Data sources used in this process:
    • rafa07034_sediment.txt

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • raf07034_sediment.shp
    • rafa07034_sediment.shx
    • raf07034_sediment.dbf

    Date: 2008 (process 2 of 2)
    ArcGIS 9.2 was used to define the projection of the ESRI shapefile and to create the .prj file.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    Larry Poppe
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02536
    USA

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

    Data sources used in this process:
    • raf07034_sediment.shp

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • raf07034_sediment.prj

  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, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Blackwood, D., and Parolski, K., 2001, Seabed observation and sampling system: Sea Technology v. 42, no. 2, p. 39-43.

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    All attributes were checked in a consistent manner

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Navigation was by differential GPS; positional accuracy to less than 10 m

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    All available grain-size data collected during the RV Rafael cruise 07034 are included in this data set.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    No additional checks for topological consistency were performed on this data.

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 (USGS) as the source of this information.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 3)

    Larry 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

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    This dataset has been approved for release and publication by the USGS. Although it has been subjected to rigorous review and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the data pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, it is released on condition that 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.

    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?

    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 importing data. A free data viewer, ArcExplorer, capable of displaying the data is available from ESRI at www.esri.com.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 2 of 3)

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

    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

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    This dataset has been approved for release and publication by the USGS. Although it has been subjected to rigorous review and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the data pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, it is released on condition that 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.

    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?

    These data are available in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format. The user must have software capable of reading or importing the Excel-formatted data file.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 3 of 3)

    U.S. Geological Survey
    c/o Larry Poppe
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    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

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    This dataset has been approved for release and publication by the USGS. Although it has been subjected to rigorous review and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the data pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, it is released on condition that 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.

    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?

    These data are available as a generic ASCII formatted data file. The user must have a software program capable of reading the comma-delimited data file.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 08-Apr-2008
Metadata author:
Larry 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 Tue Apr 08 10:03:08 2008