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  • 4-m Grid of the Combined Multibeam Bathymetry Generated from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Surveys H11922, H11995, H11996, H12009, H12010, H12011, H12015, H12023, H12033, H12137, H12139, H12296, H12298, and H12299 Offshore in Rhode Island and Block Island Sounds (RICOMB_4MGEO, Geographic, WGS 84)

    Metadata Updated: November 12, 2020

    Detailed bathymetric maps of the sea floor in Block Island and Rhode Island Sounds are of great interest to the New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts research and management communities because of this area's ecological, recreational, and commercial importance. Geologically interpreted digital terrain models (DTMs) from individual surveys provide important benthic environmental information, yet many applications require a geographically broader perspective. For example, individual surveys are of limited use for the planning and construction of cross-sound infrastructure, such as cables and pipelines, or for the testing of regional circulation models. To address this need, we integrated 14 contiguous multibeam bathymetric DTMs, produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during charting operations, into one dataset that covers much of Block Island Sound and extends eastward across Rhode Island Sound. The new dataset, which covers over 1255 square kilometers, is adjusted to mean lower low water, is gridded to 4-meter resolution, and is provided in UTM Zone 19 NAD 83 and geographic WGS 84 projections. This resolution is adequate for sea-floor feature and process interpretation but is small enough to be queried and manipulated with standard Geographic Information System programs and to allow for future growth. Natural features visible in the grid include boulder lag deposits of winnowed Pleistocene strata, sand-wave fields, and scour depressions that reflect the strength of the oscillating and asymmetric tidal currents and scour by storm-induced waves. Bedform asymmetry allows interpretations of net sediment transport. Together the merged data reveal a larger, more continuous perspective of bathymetric topography than previously available, providing a fundamental framework for research and resource management activities off the Rhode Island coast.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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    Dates

    Metadata Date November 25, 2019
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date November 12, 2020
    Reference Date(s) January 1, 2014 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update notPlanned

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from DOI Open Data

    Graphic Preview

    Thumbnail image showing the combined 4-m gridded multibeam bathymetry collected during NOAA surveys H11922, H11995, H11996, H12009, H12010, H12011, H12015, H12023, H12033, H12137, H12139, H12296, H12298, and H12299 offshore in Rhode Island and Block Island Sounds in geographic, WGS 84 coordinates.

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date November 25, 2019
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date November 12, 2020
    Reference Date(s) January 1, 2014 (publication)
    Responsible Party U.S. Geological Survey (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid
    Access Constraints Use Constraints: Data are not to be used for navigation purposes. Public domain data are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as the originators of this information., Access Constraints: None
    Bbox East Long -70.839675
    Bbox North Lat 41.403616
    Bbox South Lat 41.096701
    Bbox West Long -72.126425
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update notPlanned
    Graphic Preview Description Thumbnail image showing the combined 4-m gridded multibeam bathymetry collected during NOAA surveys H11922, H11995, H11996, H12009, H12010, H12011, H12015, H12023, H12033, H12137, H12139, H12296, H12298, and H12299 offshore in Rhode Island and Block Island Sounds in geographic, WGS 84 coordinates.
    Graphic Preview File http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2014/1012/data/bathy/grids/geo/ricomb_4mgeo.gif
    Graphic Preview Type GIF
    Licence Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 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 or NOAA 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.
    Metadata Language
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2008-07-16
    Temporal Extent End 2011-11-16

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