Comma-delimited Text File of the Geoprobe Results Collected August, 2005 from the Nauset Marsh Area of Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Metadata also available as - [Outline] - [Parseable text]

Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Comma-delimited Text File of the Geoprobe Results Collected August, 2005 from the Nauset Marsh Area of Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Abstract:
In order to test hypotheses about groundwater flow under and into estuaries and the Atlantic Ocean, geophysical surveys, geophysical probing, submarine groundwater sampling, and sediment coring were conducted by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists at Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) from 2004 through 2006. Coastal resource managers at CCNS and elsewhere are concerned about nutrients that are entering coastal waters via submarine groundwater discharge, which are contributing to eutrophication and harmful algal blooms. The research carried out as part of the study described here was designed, in part, to help refine assumptions required by earlier versions of models about the nature of submarine groundwater flow and discharge at CCNS. This study was conducted in four phases, with a variety of field techniques and equipment employed in each phase. Phase 1 consisted of continuous resistivity profiling (CRP) surveys of the entire study area conducted in 2004. Phase 2 consisted of CRP ground-truthing via resistivity probe measurements and submarine groundwater sampling from hydraulically-drive piezometers using a barge in the Salt Pond/Nauset Marsh area in 2005. Phase 3 consisted of supplemental detailed CRP surveys in the Salt Pond/Nauset Marsh area in 2006. Finally, Phase 4 consisted of sediment coring and porewater extraction in the Salt Pond/Nauset Marsh area later in 2006 to supplement the 2005 sampling.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Bratton, John F. , 2008, Comma-delimited Text File of the Geoprobe Results Collected August, 2005 from the Nauset Marsh Area of Cape Cod, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2006-1169, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Cross, VeeAnn A. , Bratton, John F. , Crusius, John, Colman, John A. , and McCobb, Timothy D. , 2008, Submarine Hydrogeological Data from Cape Cod National Seashore: Open-File Report 2006-1169, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -69.971573
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -69.965783
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.835978
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.832088

  3. What does it look like?

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

    Beginning_Date: 22-Aug-2005
    Ending_Date: 23-Aug-2005
    Currentness_Reference: ground condition

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

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data

  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 (5)

    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 0.000000. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000000. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.000000.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    geoprobeloc_2005

    site
    Name assigned to the Geoprobe location. (Source: Chief scientist.)

    loc_id
    A unique id which combines the site information, and the sample number within that site. (Source: Chief scientist.)

    sed_desc
    A brief description of the sediment characteristics from which the measurement is taken. (Source: Chief scientist.)

    dep_ft
    Depth below the sediment water interface measured in feet. A negative value indicates a position in the water column above the sea floor. (Source: Measured value.)

    dep_m
    The dep_ft measurement converted to meters by multiplying 0.3048 to the measurement in feet. (Source: Measured value.)

    chart_alt
    The altitude (in feet) of the sample location calculated by approximating the altitude of the location from the NOAA chart, and combining that information with the dep_ft measurement. (Source: Scientist.)

    EC(mS_per_m)
    The average electrical conductance, measured in milli-Siemens per meter. (Source: Measured value.)

    comments
    Comments recorded by the scientist. (Source: Scientist.)

Who produced the data set?

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

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

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

    John F. Bratton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700 x2254 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    jbratton@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

To supply the Geoprobe measurement results in a format compatible with ArcGIS o be used as a relate table. A relate table is necessary when establishing a one-to-many relationship. In this case, the one-to many relationship is between geoprobeloc_2005.shp and the Geoprobe measurement results contained in geoprobe_results.csv.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

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

    Date: 2005 (process 1 of 3)
    The electrical conductance was measured using a Geoprobe SC200 at several locations, and at numerous depths within a single location, in the Nauset Marsh area.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    John F. Bratton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700 x2254 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    jbratton@usgs.gov

    Date: 2005 (process 2 of 3)
    Multiple measurements were taken at each sample location and an average EC value (in milli-Siemens per meter) was recorded.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    John F. Bratton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700 x2254 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    jbratton@usgs.gov

    Date: 2007 (process 3 of 3)
    This information was transferred to an Excel spreadsheet. The column headers in the Excel spreadsheet were modified to be compatible with ArcGIS. In addition, the site attribute was extended to populate every row of the table with the appropriate value. This table was then exported as a comma-delimited text file.

    Person who carried out this activity:

    VeeAnn A. Cross
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov

    Data sources produced in this process:
    • geoprobe_results.csv

  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?

    This dataset is complete inasmuch as all the geoprobe data collected for this study is represented.

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

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

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

Access_Constraints: None.
Use_Constraints:
The U.S. Geological Survey must be referenced as the originator of the dataset in any future products or research derived from these data.

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

    John F. Bratton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

    (508) 548-8700 x2254 (voice)
    (508) 457-2310 (FAX)
    jbratton@usgs.gov

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

    Downloadable Data

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. 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. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

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

    These data are available as a generic ASCII formatted text file. The user must have a software program capable of reading the comma delimited data file.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 25-Feb-2008
Metadata author:
VeeAnn A. Cross
U.S. Geological Survey
Marine Geologist
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598

(508) 548-8700 x2251 (voice)
(508) 457-2310 (FAX)
vatnipp@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
Metadata extensions used:

Generated by mp version 2.8.6 on Tue Jul 08 11:20:50 2008