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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, H12299 Offshore in Rhode island and Block Island Sound (RICOMB_4MUTM, UTM Zone 19, NAD 83)

Metadata Updated: July 6, 2024

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

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. 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 Created Date June 1, 2023
Metadata Updated Date July 6, 2024

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI EDI

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date June 1, 2023
Metadata Updated Date July 6, 2024
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer
@Id http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/71d1a81b8ec39784c2a8d8eefa263db8
Identifier USGS:de35f884-8d56-425b-badb-402718a8b5cd
Data Last Modified 20211116
Category geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:12
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://datainventory.doi.gov/data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id d2eff2ea-5fa8-4d40-9317-cd33c7bcf1ab
Harvest Source Id 52bfcc16-6e15-478f-809a-b1bc76f1aeda
Harvest Source Title DOI EDI
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial -72.126425,41.096725,-70.839693,41.403608
Publisher Hierarchy White House > U.S. Department of the Interior > U.S. Geological Survey
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 60fc85dd4b0fda22386a29519ce1c1d94ef2e5b5ad3985f03f55839f266dc47e
Source Schema Version 1.1
Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": -72.126425, 41.096725, -72.126425, 41.403608, -70.839693, 41.403608, -70.839693, 41.096725, -72.126425, 41.096725}

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