Geographic Context and Outside Links

To take full advantage of the Contaminated Sediments database, the information provided needs to be looked at in its geographic context. There are many external parameters which affect the concentrations of contaminants such as population in a given coastal area, land use, pollution point sources, and others. Viewing data in geographic context involves using a Geographic Information System (GIS), a system of computer hardware, software, and geographic data designed to support the manipulation, analysis, modeling, and display of spatially referenced data which can, in turn, be used for solving complex planning and management problems. Geographic analysis and mapping allows one to see, explore, and analyze these data by location to reveal hidden patterns, relationships, and trends that can’t be seen in spreadsheets or statistical packages.

Spatial and attribute information about features can be stored in two basic data "structures." The vast majority of the data sets use a vector (line) data structure, while other data sets, notably satellite imagery and elevation data, use raster (grid-based) data structures, like a picture on a TV screen. Raster data often represent phenomena that exhibit a gradual transition in character (e.g., rainfall or temperature).

Many collections of geographic data have already been made available on the web, some of which are listed below. Displays (indicated by ) of some of these data are also included. (Disclaimer)

Canada
Fisheries and Ocean Canada/Marine Contaminants Research
Atlantic Coastal Zone Information Steering Committee (ACZISC)

Maine
Directory of Gulf of Maine Geographic Data (by Maine GIS)
Maine Department of Marine Resources
Maine State Planning Office: Maine Coastal Program

Massachusetts
Directory and Links for State GIS Resources
Massachusetts GIS Digital orthophotos of Boston Harbor
Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

New Hampshire
New Hampshire Office of State Planning

Shorelines and Bathymetry
General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans Bathymetry Extractor
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/ National Oceanic Service (NOAA/NOS) Medium Resolution Coastline 1:70,000)

Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment
Gulf of Maine Information System
Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGOM)

Sources of Contamination
Locations of active and inactive CSO's and outfalls - Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)
Major Permitted Dischargers - United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Pollution Point Sources - NOAA/NOS

Sedimentary Environments
Boston Harbor and Cape Cod Sound
Gulf of Maine Coast
Surficial Sediments in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank

Marine Habitats
USEPA National Estuary Program
Stellwagen Bank Information System

Population
US POP80, USPOP90 - U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Water Resources
U.S. Census Bureau
Population: Distribution, Density and Growth

Land and Watershed Characterization
Annual Runoff - USGS, Water Resources
Major land uses - USGS, Water Resources
Streams
USEPA Region 1 Watersheds
Gulf of Maine Watersheds - NOAA/NOS
Rivers

Sources of Additional Information
Dartmouth Circulation Models for the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank
Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB)
European Geological Data Catalogue (Geixs)
European Directory of Marine Environmental Data (EDMED)
Geospatial Data Clearing House
Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic) Sample Inventory Database (SID)
Lamont-Doherty Deep-Sea Sample Repository
Land Use and Land Cover
NGDC Index to Marine Geological Samples
NOAA National Status and Trends Program
NOAA State of the Coast Reports - Sediment Toxicity
PANGAEA Network for Geological and Environmental Data
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Sea-Search
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England Division
U.S. Coast Guard, First District
USGS East Coast Sediment Texture Database
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region 1
USEPA - National Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy and Newsletter
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Coastal Program
Waterways Experiment Station (WES) Environmental Laboratory