AFSC/RACE/GAP/ZIMMERMANN: Bathymetry: western Gulf of Alaska Grid
Data Set (DS) | Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:56631 | Updated: May 30, 2023 | Published / External
Summary
Short Citation
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 2025: AFSC/RACE/GAP/ZIMMERMANN: Bathymetry: western Gulf of Alaska Grid, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/56631.
Full Citation Examples
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9100409
AbstractWe defined the bathymetry of Shelikof Strait and the western Gulf of Alaska (WGOA) from the edges of the land masses down to about 7,000 m deep in the Aleutian Trench. We made this map by combining soundings from historical National Ocean Service (NOS) smooth sheets (2.7 million soundings); shallow multibeam and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data sets from the NOS and others (subsampled to 2.6 million soundings); and deep multibeam (subsampled to 3.3 million soundings), single-beam, and underway files from fisheries research cruises (9.1 million soundings). The legacy smooth sheet data, some over a century old, was the best descriptor of much of the shallower and inshore areas, but it was superseded by the newer multibeam and LIDAR, where available. Much of the offshore area was only described by non-hydrographic single-beam and underway files. We carefully combined these disparate data sets in an attempt to preserve seafloor features for research purposes. We also attempted to minimize bathymetric data errors so that they would not create artificial seafloor features that might impact such analyses. The main result of the bathymetry compilation is that we observe abundant features related to glaciation of the shelf of Alaska during the Last Glacial Maximum including abundant end moraines, some lateral moraines, glacial scour marks, eskers, iceberg keel marks, and two types of pock marks. We developed an integrated onshore-offshore geomorphic map of the region that includes glacial flow directions, glacial moraines, and iceberg keel marks to better define the extent of late Quaternary glaciations.
Distribution Information
These data are not to be used for navigation.
Controlled Theme Keywords
elevation, imageryBaseMapsEarthCover, oceans
Child Items
No Child Items for this record.
Contact Information
Metadata Contact
Nancy Roberson
nancy.roberson@noaa.gov
Extents
-160° W,
-152° E,
59° N,
53° S
Item Identification
| Title: | AFSC/RACE/GAP/ZIMMERMANN: Bathymetry: western Gulf of Alaska Grid |
|---|---|
| Status: | Completed |
| Creation Date: | 2019 |
| Publication Date: | 2019 |
| Abstract: |
We defined the bathymetry of Shelikof Strait and the western Gulf of Alaska (WGOA) from the edges of the land masses down to about 7,000 m deep in the Aleutian Trench. We made this map by combining soundings from historical National Ocean Service (NOS) smooth sheets (2.7 million soundings); shallow multibeam and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data sets from the NOS and others (subsampled to 2.6 million soundings); and deep multibeam (subsampled to 3.3 million soundings), single-beam, and underway files from fisheries research cruises (9.1 million soundings). The legacy smooth sheet data, some over a century old, was the best descriptor of much of the shallower and inshore areas, but it was superseded by the newer multibeam and LIDAR, where available. Much of the offshore area was only described by non-hydrographic single-beam and underway files. We carefully combined these disparate data sets in an attempt to preserve seafloor features for research purposes. We also attempted to minimize bathymetric data errors so that they would not create artificial seafloor features that might impact such analyses. The main result of the bathymetry compilation is that we observe abundant features related to glaciation of the shelf of Alaska during the Last Glacial Maximum including abundant end moraines, some lateral moraines, glacial scour marks, eskers, iceberg keel marks, and two types of pock marks. We developed an integrated onshore-offshore geomorphic map of the region that includes glacial flow directions, glacial moraines, and iceberg keel marks to better define the extent of late Quaternary glaciations. |
| Purpose: |
The purpose for creating this data set was to provide the best available bathymetry of the western Gulf of Alaska for geospatial analysis. |
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier): | https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9100409 |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| ISO 19115 Topic Category |
elevation
|
| ISO 19115 Topic Category |
imageryBaseMapsEarthCover
|
| ISO 19115 Topic Category |
oceans
|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | Alaska |
| None | bathymetry |
| None | grid |
| None | Gulf of Alaska |
| None | North Pacific Ocean |
Physical Location
| Organization: | Alaska Fisheries Science Center |
|---|---|
| City: | Seattle |
| State/Province: | WA |
| Country: | USA |
| Location Description: |
\\AKC0SS-n086\AKC_PubliC\Dropbox\Zimm\wGOA\WGOA_bathy.zip |
Data Set Information
| Data Set Scope Code: | Data Set |
|---|---|
| Data Set Type: | digital point data |
| Maintenance Frequency: | None Planned |
| Data Presentation Form: | Map (digital) |
| Data Set Credit: | These features were digitized by Mark Zimmermann and Megan Prescott. Funding for much of the work was provided by NOAA's Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), Habitat and Ecological Processes Research (HEPR) through the Alaska NMFS Regional Office. B. McMahon, G. Nelson (retired) and especially C. Barry (Pacific Hydrographic Branch of the NOS) provided assistance with interpreting smooth sheets, bathymetric sounding files, and descriptive reports. D. Doyle and J. Benson provided valuable datum and GIS advice, respectively. D. Fischman, G. Glover, J.A. Bunn, J. Campagnoli, M. Frydrych, and M. Cole from the National Geophysical Data Center helped with accessing smooth sheets on the NGDC web site. |
Support Roles
Data Steward
| Date Effective From: | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Zimmermann, Mark |
| Email Address: | mark.zimmermann@noaa.gov |
Distributor
| Date Effective From: | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Zimmermann, Mark |
| Email Address: | mark.zimmermann@noaa.gov |
Metadata Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Roberson, Nancy |
| Address: |
7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115 USA |
| Email Address: | nancy.roberson@noaa.gov |
Extents
| Currentness Reference: | Publication Date |
|---|
Extent Group 1
Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
| W° Bound: | -160 | |
|---|---|---|
| E° Bound: | -152 | |
| N° Bound: | 59 | |
| S° Bound: | 53 |
Spatial Information
Spatial Representation
Representations Used
| Grid: | Yes |
|---|---|
| TIN: | No |
Grid Representation 1
| Dimension Count: | 1 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cell Geometry: | Point | ||||||
| Transformation Parameters Available?: | No | ||||||
Axis Dimension 1 |
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Axis Dimension 2 |
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Access Information
| Security Class: | Unclassified |
|---|---|
| Data Use Constraints: |
These data are not to be used for navigation. |
Distribution Information
Distribution 1
| Download URL: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/9/10/409/s1 |
|---|---|
| Distributor: |
Data Management
| Have Resources for Management of these Data Been Identified?: | Yes |
|---|---|
| Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: | Unknown |
| Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: | Yes |
| Is Access to the Data Limited Based on an Approved Waiver?: | No |
| Actual or Planned Long-Term Data Archive Location: | To Be Determined |
Lineage
Process Steps
Process Step 1
| Description: |
While various bathymetry data have been downloaded previously from NGDC, compiled, and used for a variety of projects, our effort differed in that we compared and corrected the digital bathymetry by studying the original analog source documents - digital versions of the original survey maps, called smooth sheets. The edited smooth sheet bathymetry points, along with the digitized shoreline points, features with elevations, and superseding multibeam data set points, were processed into a solid surface of variably-sized triangles (Triangular Irregular Network or TIN) which utilized the points as corners of the triangles. The TIN was then converted by area-weighted (nearest neighbor) interpolation into a solid surface of 100 m squares (GRID). |
|---|---|
| Process Contact: | Zimmermann, Mark |
| Email Address: | mark.zimmermann@noaa.gov |
Catalog Details
| Catalog Item ID: | 56631 |
|---|---|
| GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:56631 |
| Metadata Record Created By: | Nancy Roberson |
| Metadata Record Created: | 2019-06-06 14:17+0000 |
| Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
| Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2023-05-30 18:09+0000 |
| Metadata Record Published: | 2022-05-18 |
| Owner Org: | AFSC |
| Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
| Do Not Publish?: | N |
| Metadata Last Review Date: | 2022-05-18 |
| Metadata Review Frequency: | 3 Years |
| Metadata Next Review Date: | 2025-05-18 |