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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

NOAA/NOS and USCGS Seabed Descriptions from Hydrographic Surveys

browse graphicNOS sediment sampling locations in the database
The NOAA/NOS and USCGS Seabed Descriptions from Hydrographic Surveys database is a compilation of surficial sediment composition from multiple sources for over 200,000 seafloor sediment samples primarily around U.S. coastal areas. The descriptions were abstracted from unpublished data reports and Bottom Type "M" log sheets, and digitized from survey smooth sheets produced by the NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS) and its predecessor, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS). Prior to August 2001, many physical sediment samples were routinely sent to the Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History (NMNH) for archive with accompanying "M" log forms from which bottom type and other information were coded into the NMNH sediment database. In 2001, NMNH sent a copy of the database to NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (now part of the National Centers for Environmental Information) to be incorporated into the Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples database, and for distribution to data users needing access to the bottom type information in the files. With support from NOS, NGDC digitized several thousand additional bottom type observations from historic NOS Hydrographic Survey smooth sheets and added them to the database. NOS is coding thousands more bottom type observations for entry into the database from survey Data Reports, or DRs. In 2011, NOS began adding standardized digital bottom type descriptions to the database using the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) SF57 standard "NATSUR" (nature of surface) and "NATQUA" (nature of surface qualifier) coding scheme, transferring the data to NCEI in KML form for archive and upload to the geospatially-enabled database. Hydrographic Technical Directive (HTD)2011-6 contains the official new directive. Data are free for online search and download.
  • Cite as: National Ocean Service (2013): NOAA/NOS and USCGS Seabed Descriptions from Hydrographic Surveys. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5BG2KWG [date of access]
gov.noaa.ngdc.mgg.geology:G10163
Full Text · XML
Search Data
  • Map viewer (search)
    ArcGIS interactive map interface to view data locations and values, with links to survey products and information.
Download Data
  • Web forms interface (download)
    Text interface to subset, view data in table form, related hydrographic products, and/or download data in tab-delimited or KML form.
Distribution Formats
  • Text (Version: UTF-8)
    • File Specification: American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) text format.
  • KML (Version: 2.1)
    • File Specification: Keyhole Markup Language Uncompressed File
Ordering Instructions Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact Marine Geology Data Manager
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
geology.info@noaa.gov
Coverage Description Primarily nearshore continental shelf areas of the U.S. including Hawaii and Alaska
Time Period 1837-01-01 to 2013-11-21
Spatial Reference System urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG:4326
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: -175.34972
East: -64.43167
South: 14.27444
North: 72.609314
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
  • Metadata Landing Page
    How to cite this data set (doi:10.7289/V5BG2KWG), all access options, and complete documentation.
  • Documentation
    International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Web page for the IHO S-57 standards on which the NOS sediment characteristics descriptive attributes are based.
  • Originator's documentation
    Web page containing NOAA Office of the Coast Survey NOS Hydrographic Survey, Specifications and Deliverables (2014)
  • Originator's documentation
    PDF document containing historic NOS bottom type characteristics codes used in older, hand coded descriptions.
  • Originator's documentation
    Web page containing description of methodology used for NOS survey data digitized from smooth sheets by the National Marine Fisheries Service Alaska Fisheries Science Center (data source AFSC). Caution: Sample locations and descriptions digitized from smooth sheets are approximate values interpreted by the digitizer, not original data.
Associated Resources
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2013-11-21
  • revision: 2013-11-21
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status ongoing
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency Irregular - This dataset is updated as new files are received from ongoing NOS Hydrographic Surveys.
Supplemental Information
Historic data include survey id, sample number, latitude/longitude, original datum, and a brief description. Data for samples taken or coded after 2011, include the International Hydrographic Organization IHO S-57 descriptive attributes as described in the NOAA Office of the Coast Survey Specifications and Deliverables (see Appendix 10).
Purpose Seabed characteristics for hydrographic maps and charts
Use Limitations
  • Produced by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Not subject to copyright protection within the United States.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: National Ocean Service (2013): NOAA/NOS and USCGS Seabed Descriptions from Hydrographic Surveys. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5BG2KWG [date of access]
Cited Authors
  • Natiional Ocean Service
  • U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS)
Originators
  • Dan Neuman
    NOAA-National Ocean Service (NOS), Office of the Coast Survey
  • Jack Pierce
    National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Smithsonian Institution
  • Mark Zimmerman
    NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC)
Publishers
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Acknowledgments
  • Data Set Credits: Post-2011 bottom sample data are contributed digitally by NOS. Historic data were coded by Dan Neumann at NOS from survey reports. The Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) coded information for the majority of samples collected prior to 2001. Some data were digitized from historic smooth sheets by NGDC with support from NOS. Source AFSC indicates NOS survey data corrected by the National Marine Fisheries Service Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC). The database was compiled by the US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NOAA Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS), National Centers for Environmental Information.
Theme keywords Library of Congress Subject Headings
  • Scientific archives
  • Electronic records
  • Oceanography
  • Ocean bottom
  • Geology
  • Submarine geology
  • Marine sediments
SeaDataNet Common Vocabularies
  • Marine geology
USGS Science Topics
  • Sea-floor characteristics
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Marine Sediments
  • Earth Science > Paleoclimate > Ocean/Lake Records > Sediments
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Marine Sediments > Sediment Composition
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Marine Sediments > Sedimentary Textures
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Service Keywords
  • DATA ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION > GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS > WEB-BASED GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
  • DATA MANAGEMENT/DATA HANDLING > DATA SEARCH AND RETRIEVAL
  • DATA ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION > VISUALIZATION/IMAGE PROCESSING
Data Center keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Platform keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords
  • In Situ Ocean-based Platforms > Ships
Instrument keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments > Samplers > Grabbers/Traps/Collectors > Grab Samplers
Place keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
  • Vertical Location >Sea Floor
  • Ocean > Atlantic Ocean
  • Ocean > Pacific Ocean
Project keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Project Keywords
  • Unknown
  • ICSU-WDS > International Council for Science - World Data System
Use Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
  • Data are not to be used for navigation.
  • The locations and descriptions for some surveys in this dataset that were digitized from smooth sheets are not the original values entered shipboard, they are approximations and are interpretations of the digitizer.
  • While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
Access Constraints
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
  • Access to this dataset is unrestricted.
Other Constraints Cite as: National Ocean Service (2013): NOAA/NOS and USCGS Seabed Descriptions from Hydrographic Surveys. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5BG2KWG [date of access]
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Lineage Statement Lineage varies by contributor, see supplemental information.
Processing Environment Native Dataset Environment: ASCII text
Source Datasets
Lineage information for: repository
Processing Steps
  • 2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • In Situ/Laboratory Instruments
Platform
  • In Situ Ocean-based Platforms > SHIPS
Last Modified: 2020-04-21
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov