CERCTM45: USACE ICONS Cores, Inner New York Bight

Frequently-anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How should this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
• How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?
  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

Title: CERCTM45: USACE ICONS Cores, Inner New York Bight

Abstract:

Approximately 445 miles of continuous seismic reflection profiles and 61 vibrating cores were obtained from the Inner New York Bight which encompasses about 250 square miles of the offshore from northern New Jersey and western Long Island. The major physiographic features include Sandy Hook and Rockaway Beach, both prograding barrier islands, Shrewsbury Rocks and the Hudson (submarine) Channel. Shrewsbury Rocks mark the demarcation between two distinct geomorphic provinces. The area north of Shrewsbury Rocks is underlain by Coastal Plain strata which have been deeply eroded by Pleistocene glacial processes and covered by sand and gravel outwash. South of Shrewsbury Rocks Coastal Plain strata have been evenly truncated and covered by a veneer of residual material. Three primary types of bedding have been observed on the seismic records. Coastal Plain strata exhibit a monoclinal regional southeast dip; steeply inclined crossbeds are restricted to an elongate basin east of Sandy Hook, considered to be of fluvial origin. The third type is Pleistocene - Holocene stratified fluvial sands and gravels which are regionally discontinuous and exhibit gentle seaward dip. Cores reveal that fine to medium sand is the predominant sediment type on the inner shelf. Isolated patches of coarse sand and rounded pea gravels are present off Long Island where fluvial materials are exposed. Coarse sediment off New Jersey is judged to be residual from sea floor outcrops of Coastal Plain strata. Very fine sand, silt and muds comprise the sea floor at the head of the Hudson Channel and along the body. Sand suitable for beach nourishment projects is found in abundance throughout the shallow shelf parts of the Inner New York Bight. Sea floor topography is fairly flat and sand occurs as blanket deposits. It is estimated that over 2 billion cubic yards of clean sand is available for retrieval by present dredging techniques. Comparison of bathymetric maps made from 1845 to 1970 has confirmed that significant parts of the natural Hudson Channel have been filled from ocean disposal of up to 1 billion cubic yards of assorted anthropogenic materials, resulting from early construction in New York City and channel dredging within the estuaries and bays.

1. How should this data set be cited?

   Reid, Jamey M. , 2005, CERCTM45: USACE ICONS Cores, Inner New York Bight:, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science, Woods Hole, MA.

   Online Links:

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -74.084170

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -73.583900

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 40.577290

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 40.273740

3. What does it look like?

   tm45.jpg (JPEG)

   Image map showing extent and distribution of data layer coverage

4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

   Calendar_Date: 1974

   Currentness_Reference: publication date

5. What is the general form of this data set?

   Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document

6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
   1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • Entity point (423)

   2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1927.
      The ellipsoid used is Clarke 1866.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378206.400000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/294.978698.
      

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   tm45.dbf

   Shapefile Attribute Table (Source: ESRI)

   FID

   Internal feature number. (Source: ESRI)

   Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

   Shape

   Feature geometry. (Source: ESRI)

   Coordinates defining the features.

   REF_NO_COR

   LATITUDE

   LONGITUDE

   AREA

   Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

   Sample identifiers, navigation core descriptions and grain size statistics from the USACOE ICONS program project in the Inner New York Bight. Some entries for top and bottom depths were originally reported as "top." In the digital files, "top" was changed and defined as 0 - 0.02 meters.

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • Jamey M. Reid

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

   Pleae review the cross reference information for the original data set credit to Williams and Duane (1974). Emma Mitchell and Jamey Reid for entering the data for the source report.

3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

   Jeff Williams
   U.S. Geological Survey
   Geologist
   384 Woods Hole Rd.
   Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
   

   (508) 548-8700 x2383 (voice)
   (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
   jwilliams@usgs.gov
   

The purpose of this data layer is to release a digital version of the coring data from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) Inner Continental Shelf (ICONS) program project of the Inner New York Bight.

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

   USACOE Technical Memorandum 45 (source 1 of 1)

   Williams, S. Jeffress , and Duance, David B. , 1974, Geomorphology and Sediments of the Inner New York Bight Continental Shelf: Technical Memorandum No. 45, USACOE Coastal Engineering Research Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.

   Type_of_Source_Media: paper

   Source_Contribution:

   Sample identifiers, navigation, core descriptions and grain size statistics were hand-entered from report TM 45 to create an Excel spreadsheet file.

2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

   Date: 28-Jun-2002 (process 1 of 2)

   The source information was entered into an Excel spreadsheet. Additional fields were added for project identification purposes. The table information was exported and saved as an ASCII text file.

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Jamey Reid
   U.S. Geological Survey
   IT Specialist (Data Management)
   384 Woods Hole Rd.
   Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
   

   (508) 548-8700 x2204 (voice)
   (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
   jreid@usgs.gov
   

   Data sources used in this process:

   • tm45.xls

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • tm45.txt

   Date: 28-Jun-2002 (process 2 of 2)

   Digital data were hand formatted into dbSEABED data entry structure, then filtered and data-mined through dbSEABED software (version: db9_MNEs.bas)

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Jamey Reid
   U.S. Geological Survey
   IT Specialist (Data Management)
   384 Woods Hole Rd.
   Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
   

   (508) 548-8700 x2204 (voice)
   (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
   jreid@usgs.gov
   

3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

   Williams, S. Jeffress , and Duane, David B. , 1974, Geomorphology and sediments of the inner New York Bight continental shelf: Technical Memorandum No. 45, USACOE Coastal Engineering Research Center, Fort Belvoir, VA.

1. How well have the observations been checked?

   All attributes were entered and checked by the compilers in a consistent manner.

2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

   Navigation was by LORAN C. Typical nonrepetitive accuracy for LORAN off New Jersey is about +/- 200 meters.

3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

   Tides are less than 2 meters.

4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

   Core locations and descriptions are provided for 61 cores and 4 grab samples with unique id files; grain size statistics are provided for 218 analyses.

5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

   No additional check for topological consistency were performed on this data set.

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None.

Use_Constraints: None

1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

   Jamey M. Reid
   U.S. Geological Survey
   IT Specialist (Data Management)
   384 Woods Hole Road
   Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598
   USA
   

   (508) 548-8700 x 2204 (voice)
   (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
   jreid@usgs.gov
   

2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

   National Assessment of Marine Sand and Gravel Resources: tm45.shp

3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

   Although this data set has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Trade, firm, or product names and other references to non-USGS products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty, express or implied, by the USGS, USDOI, or U.S. Government, as to their suitability, content, usefulness, functioning, completeness, or accuracy

4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	ArcView shapefile (version 3.2) ESRI point shapefile Size: 0.158

   • Cost to order the data: None.

5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

   The original data is available in ASCII text format

Dates:

Last modified: 03-May-2005
Last Reviewed: 03-May-2005

Metadata author:

Jamey Reid
U.S. Geological Survey
IT Specialist (Data Management)
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

(508) 548-8700 x2204 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
jreid@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:

FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

Metadata extensions used:

• <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>
• <http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html>