The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), through its Seafloor and Habitat Mapping Program, collects data and develops maps showing the distribution and diversity of seafloor habitats. This page provides links to other seafloor mapping programs in the Northeast.
Links and Descriptions
- Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping Joint Hydrographic Center - This formal cooperative partnership between the University of New Hampshire and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses sonar (from vessels or autonomous underwater vehicles) and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to characterize the seafloor.
- Geologic Mapping of the Seafloor Offshore of Massachusetts - This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) website provides a map of areas in Massachusetts that have been mapped using sonar. This site also describes the CZM/USGS collaborative efforts beginning in 2003 and serves the data and reports from those projects.
- Geologic Mapping Offshore of Rhode Island - USGS, in cooperation with NOAA, has created maps showing seafloor geology and sedimentary environments offshore of Rhode Island.
- Maine Coastal Mapping Initiative (MCMI) - Created by the Maine Coastal Program in 2012, MCMI is acquiring critical data about the seafloor and oceanic environment, including bathymetry (seafloor depth), sediment information, fauna type and abundance, and water column information.
- Northeast Ocean Data - This website provides access to interactive maps, data, tools, and information on human and natural dimensions of the ocean areas of the Northeast United States. It builds on existing efforts in the region and provides additional capacity for both state- and regional-level ocean planning.
- The Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment - This website hosted by The Nature Conservancy includes interactive maps that depict the relationship between seafloor sediment, sediment-dwelling organisms, and seafloor features in the northeastern United States and Canada. The site also provides data downloads.
- University of New Brunswick Ocean Mapping Group - This website provides a range of information on sonar mapping of seafloor geology in Canada and Maine.