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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Total Sediment Thickness for the World's Oceans and Marginal Seas, Version 3 (NCEI Accession 0305030)

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The Total Sediment Thickness database for the World's Oceans and Marginal Seas is a compilation of sediment-thickness data from previously published isopach maps, ocean drilling results from the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), and variety of seismic data.

The global 5‐arc‐minute total sediment thickness grid, GlobSed, incorporates data and several regional oceanic sediment thickness maps for:

- NE Atlantic (Funck et al., 2017; Hopper et al., 2014)
- Mediterranean (Molinari & Morelli, 2011)
- Arctic (Petrov et al., 2016)
- Weddell Sea (Huang et al., 2014)
- Ross Sea, Amundsen Sea, and Bellingshausen Sea sectors off West Antarctica (Lindeque et al., 2016; Wobbe et al., 2014).

This version also includes updates in the White Sea region based on the Russian Geological Research Institute (VSEGEI) map of Orlov and Fedorov (2001). GlobSed covers a larger area than NCEI’s previous global grids (Divins, 2003; Whittaker et al. 2013), and the new updates results in a 29.7% increase in estimated total oceanic sediment volume.

NCEI decommissioned Total Sediment Thickness for the World's Oceans and Marginal Seas, Version 3 in June 2025 with no further updates. Comments and questions may be sent to: ncei.info@noaa.gov.
  • Cite as: Straume, Eivind; Gaina, Carmen; Medvedev, S.; Hochmuth, Katharina; Gohl, Karsten; Whittaker, Joanne; Abdul Fattah, R.; Doornenbal, J. C.; Hopper, John R. (2025). Total Sediment Thickness for the World's Oceans and Marginal Seas, Version 3 (NCEI Accession 0305030). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/xs0z-z845. Accessed [date].
gov.noaa.nodc:0305030
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Distribution Formats
  • NETCDF
  • ASCII
  • PRJ
  • XML
Ordering Instructions Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
+1-301-713-3277
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 2007-01-01 to 2019-01-01
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: -180
East: 180
South: -90
North: 90
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
  • CEED Data Sets: GlobSed
  • Straume, E. O., Gaina, C., Medvedev, S., Hochmuth, K., Gohl, K., Whittaker, J. M., Abdul Fattah, R., Doornenbal, J. C., & Hopper, J. R. (2019). GlobSed: Updated Total Sediment Thickness in the World’s Oceans. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 20(4), 1756–1772. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018gc008115
  • Wobbe, F., Lindeque, A., & Gohl, K. (2014). Total sediment thickness grid of the Southern Pacific Ocean off West Antarctica, links to NetCDF files [Data set]. PANGAEA. https://doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.835589
  • Funck, T., Geissler, W. H., Kimbell, G. S., Gradmann, S., Erlendsson, Ö., McDermott, K., & Petersen, U. K. (2016). Moho and basement depth in the NE Atlantic Ocean based on seismic refraction data and receiver functions. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 447(1), 207–231. https://doi.org/10.1144/sp447.1
  • Huang, X., Gohl, K., & Jokat, W. (2014). Variability in Cenozoic sedimentation and paleo-water depths of the Weddell Sea basin related to pre-glacial and glacial conditions of Antarctica. Global and Planetary Change, 118, 25–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2014.03.010
  • Lindeque, A., Gohl, K., Wobbe, F., & Uenzelmann‐Neben, G. (2016). Preglacial to glacial sediment thickness grids for the Southern Pacific Margin of West Antarctica. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 17(10), 4276–4285. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gc006401
  • Molinari, I., & Morelli, A. (2011). EPcrust: a reference crustal model for the European Plate. Geophysical Journal International, 185(1), 352–364. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246x.2011.04940.x
  • Petrov, O., Morozov, A., Shokalsky, S., Kashubin, S., Artemieva, I. M., Sobolev, N., Petrov, E., Ernst, R. E., Sergeev, S., & Smelror, M. (2016). Crustal structure and tectonic model of the Arctic region. Earth-Science Reviews, 154, 29–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.11.013
  • Whittaker, J. M., Goncharov, A., Williams, S. E., Müller, R. D., & Leitchenkov, G. (2013). Global sediment thickness data set updated for the Australian‐Antarctic Southern Ocean. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 14(8), 3297–3305. https://doi.org/10.1002/ggge.20181
  • Wobbe, F., Lindeque, A., & Gohl, K. (2014). Anomalous South Pacific lithosphere dynamics derived from new total sediment thickness estimates off the West Antarctic margin. Global and Planetary Change, 123, 139–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2014.09.006
  • Divins, D., Total Sediment Thickness of the World's Oceans and Marginal Seas. Boulder, CO: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, 2003.
  • Hopper, J. R., Funck, T., Stoker, M. S., Árting, U., Peron-Pinvidic, G., Doornenbal, H., Gaina, C., & NAG-TEC Contributors. (2022). NAG-TEC ATLAS.pdf [Data set]. GEUS Dataverse. https://doi.org/10.22008/fk2/zzqrq1/r6c6iw
  • Orlov, V. P. and Fedorov, D. L. (2001). Hypsometric Map of the Crystalline Basement Surface in the Central and Northern East European Platform on a Scale 1: 2500000. (VSEGEI, St. Petersburg, 2001) [in Russian].
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2025-06-12
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Purpose To quantify the thickness of sediments in the world's oceans and marginal seas.
Use Limitations
  • accessLevel: Public
  • 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.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Straume, Eivind; Gaina, Carmen; Medvedev, S.; Hochmuth, Katharina; Gohl, Karsten; Whittaker, Joanne; Abdul Fattah, R.; Doornenbal, J. C.; Hopper, John R. (2025). Total Sediment Thickness for the World's Oceans and Marginal Seas, Version 3 (NCEI Accession 0305030). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/xs0z-z845. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors
Collaborators
Contributors
Resource Providers
Points of Contact
Publishers
Theme keywords NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS WMO_CategoryCode
  • oceanography
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords Provider Keywords
  • sediment thickness
Data Center keywords NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
Instrument keywords NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
Place keywords NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
Keywords NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER
Keywords Send2NCEI Submission Package ID
  • 0PPJWE
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Straume, Eivind; Gaina, Carmen; Medvedev, S.; Hochmuth, Katharina; Gohl, Karsten; Whittaker, Joanne; Abdul Fattah, R.; Doornenbal, J. C.; Hopper, John R. (2025). Total Sediment Thickness for the World's Oceans and Marginal Seas, Version 3 (NCEI Accession 0305030). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/xs0z-z845. Accessed [date].
Data License
Access 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.
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
Processing Steps
  • 2025-06-12T20:06:49Z - NCEI Accession 0305030 v1.1 was published.
Output Datasets
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • Parameter or Variable: sediment thickness (calculated); Units: meter; Observation Category: other; Sampling Instrument: seismic reflection profiler; Sampling and Analyzing Method: two-way travel time was converted to sediment thickness; Data Quality Method: Sediment thickness values represent an average over each 5-minte grid cell and are located at the center of each cell. The ASCII files contain the position of the center of each cell.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • seismic reflection profiler
Last Modified: 2025-11-13T13:10:26Z
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