Benthic Habitats and Surficial Geology of Apalachicola Bay, Florida 2006 Geodatabase

These data were collected under a cooperative mapping program between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management (NOAA\OCM), and the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). The primary objectives of this program were to collect marine geophysical data to develop a suite of seafloor maps to better define the extent of oyster habitats, the overall seafloor geology of the bay and provide updated information for management of this resource. In addition to their value for management of the bay's oyster resources, the maps also provide a geologic framework for scientific research and the public.

High-resolution bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic profile data were collected over 230 square kilometers of the floor of the bay. The study focused on the Apalachicola Bay and Western St. George Sound portions of the estuary in mostly in depths > 2.0 meters.

Original contact information:

Contact Org: NOAA Office for Coastal Management

Phone: 843-740-1202

Email: coastal.info@noaa.gov

This shapefile provides a high-resolution interpretation of the surficial geology of Apalachicola Bay, and western part of St. George Sound, Florida. The interpretation is based on the sidescan sonar imagery, the bathymetry, available sediment sample information, and seafloor observations. The initial surficial geologic interpretations have been translated by the Office for Coastal Management into the Florida System for Classifying Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME). No sediment classes were lost during this process.

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This file geodatabase contains three feature layers corresponding to the CMECS 2012 Geoform, Substrate, and Biotic components. These layers were converted from an earlier version classified according to the System for Classifying Habitats in Estuarine and Marine Environments (SCHEME) using the CMECS Crosswalk Tool. Each feature layer has its own metadata record describing the attributes, and data development methods associated with it.

NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.

Data can be downloaded via the World Wide Web (WWW);

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