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  • Physiographic Zones of the Sea Floor from Nahant to Northern Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts (NAH_CCB_Pzones polygon shapefile, Geographic WGS 84)

    Metadata Updated: November 12, 2020

    These data are qualitatively derived interpretive polygon shapefiles and selected source raster data defining surficial geology, sediment type and distribution, and physiographic zones of the sea floor from Nahant to Northern Cape Cod Bay. Much of the geophysical data used to create the interpretive layers were collected under a cooperative agreement among the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Coastal and Marine Geology Program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Initiated in 2003, the primary objective of this program is to develop regional geologic framework information for the management of coastal and marine resources. Accurate data and maps of seafloor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine resources, and assessing environmental changes because of natural or human effects. The project is focused on the inshore waters of coastal Massachusetts. Data collected during the mapping cooperative involving the USGS have been released in a series of USGS Open-File Reports (http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/). The interpretations released in this study are for an area extending from the southern tip of Nahant to Northern Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts. A combination of geophysical and sample data including high resolution bathymetry and lidar, acoustic-backscatter intensity, seismic-reflection profiles, bottom photographs, and sediment samples are used to create the data interpretations. Most of the nearshore geophysical and sample data (including the bottom photographs) were collected during several cruises between 2000 and 2008. More information about the cruises and the data collected can be found at the Geologic Mapping of the Seafloor Offshore of Massachusetts Web page: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/.

    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, 2013 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update notPlanned

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from DOI Open Data

    Graphic Preview

    Image of the physiographic zone shapefile for the Massachusetts inner continental shelf from Nahant to Northern Cape Cod Bay

    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, 2013 (publication)
    Responsible Party U.S. Geological Survey (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid
    Access Constraints 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. Additionally, there are limitations associated with qualitative seafloor interpretations. Because of the scale of the source geophysical data and the spacing of samples, not all changes in sea floor texture are captured. The data were mapped between 1:8,000 and 1:25,000, but the recommended scale for application of these data is 1:25,000. Features below 5,000 m2 or less than 50 m wide were not digitized due to positional uncertainty, lack of sample information, and the often ephemeral nature of small-scale sea floor features. Not all digitized sea floor features contained sample information, so often the physiographic zone is characterized by the nearest similar feature that contains a sample. Conversely, sometimes a digitized feature contained multiple samples and not all of the samples within the feature were in agreement. In these cases the dominant sample texture was chosen to represent the primary sediment type for the polygon. Samples from rocky areas often only consist of bottom photographs, because large particle size often prevents the recovery of a sediment sample. Bottom photo classification can be subjective, such that determining the sediment type that is greater than 50% of the view frame is estimated by the interpreter and may differ among interpreters. Bottom photo transects often reveal changes in the sea floor over distances of less than 100 m and these changes are often not observable in acoustic data. Heterogeneous sea floor texture can change very quickly, and many small-scale changes will not be detectable or mappable at a scale of 1:25,000. The boundaries of polygons are often inferred based on sediment samples, and even boundaries that are traced based on amplitude changes in geophysical data are subject to migration. Polygon boundaries should be considered an approximation of the location of a change in physiographic zone., Access Constraints: None
    Bbox East Long -70.154738
    Bbox North Lat 42.459855
    Bbox South Lat 41.932502
    Bbox West Long -71.051972
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update notPlanned
    Graphic Preview Description Image of the physiographic zone shapefile for the Massachusetts inner continental shelf from Nahant to Northern Cape Cod Bay
    Graphic Preview File https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1157/GIS_catalog/PhysiographicZones/pzones_browse.png
    Graphic Preview Type PNG
    Licence 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 U.S. Geological Survey 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 1994-01-01
    Temporal Extent End 2008-05-07

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