| Environmental Geochemistry and
Sediment Quality in Lake Pontchartrain |
Metadata for Sediment Database
Responsible Persons:
About the Data Content:
- data set title: Sediment Database for Lake Pontchartrain Basin,
Louisiana
- data content: Detailed chemical, station (source & documentation,
sample locations), and texture data
- data set description: The sediment data are provided as spreadsheet
(EXCELTM), dbms (ACCESSTM, and tab-delimited files on CD ROM and web site. The browser
format is the same for both mediums. These data are in the form of appendices at the end
of the report which provides extensive supporting data, interpretive diagrams, and
discussion. The data were obtained from a variety of sources: published reports, theses,
unpublished data from agencies and organizations in Louisiana, and federal agencies such
as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA, National
Standards and Trends benthic surveillance program, and U.S. Geological Survey
(publications and new field data).
- data purpose: The data are preliminary results of a project to develop
a comprehensive database of chemical and environmental information on sediments from Lake
Pontchartrain, Louisiana, and surrounding water bodies. The goal is to evaluate all data
for reliability and comparability, make them widely accessible to all users, and interpret
the data with respect to the environmental status of these important estuaries. It is part
of a larger five-year research program investigating the geological framework of Lake
Pontchartrain, LA (FY 1994-FY 1999), begun by S.J. Williams and currently under overall
leadership of J. Kindinger (USGS St. Petersburg, FL).
About the Data Collection:
- collection start date: Earliest significant data approximately 1963
- collection end date: 1998
- collection geogographic area: Mississippi Sound - Lake Borgne, Lake
Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Intracoastal Waterway
- approx. west bounding coordinate: 90d 45m W
- approx. east bounding coordinate: 89d 15m W
- approx. north bounding coordinate: 30d 25m N
- approx. south bounding coordinate: 29d 45m N
- project name: Pontchartrain Geochemistry
- ship name: G.K. Gilbert (for most new field data collected by USGS)
About Data Package:
- digital format: spreadsheets (xls), dbms (mdb) and tab-delimited text
- physical format: cd-rom
- physical location: Coastal and Marine Geology Center, Woods Hole MA;
coast-enviro.er.usgs.gov/
- data status: mixed
- access: public
- keywords: Bottom sediments, geochemistry, chemical database, Lake
Pontchartrain, Louisiana estuaries, contaminant metals, organic chemicals
- other comments: CD-ROM includes regional information and a curriculum
guide for environmental education, as well as the LANDVIEW Interagency database and
mapping system. The CD is designed to be distributed by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Foundation in 1000-2000 copies. See also metadata for individual GIS layers created from
the database and supporting information.
- data URL: http://coast-enviro.er.usgs.gov/pontgeochem/default.htm
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