In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within California’s State Waters. The program supports a large number of coastal-zone- and ocean-management issues, including the California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) (California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2008), which requires information about the distribution of ecosystems as part of the design and proposal process for the establishment of Marine Protected Areas. A focus of CSMP is to map California’s State Waters with consistent methods at a consistent scale. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed seafloor maps through collection, integration, interpretation, and visualization of swath sonar data (the undersea equivalent of satellite remote-sensing data in terrestrial mapping), acoustic backscatter, seafloor video, seafloor photography, high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, and bottom-sediment sampling data. The map products display seafloor morphology and character, identify potential marine benthic habitats, and illustrate both the surficial seafloor geology and shallow (to about 100 m) subsurface geology. It is emphasized that the more interpretive habitat and geology data rely on the integration of multiple, new high-resolution datasets and that mapping at small scales would not be possible without such data. This approach and CSMP planning is based in part on recommendations of the Marine Mapping Planning Workshop (Kvitek and others, 2006), attended by coastal and marine managers and scientists from around the state. That workshop established geographic priorities for a coastal mapping project and identified the need for coverage of “lands” from the shore strand line (defined as Mean Higher High Water; MHHW) out to the 3-nautical-mile (5.6-km) limit of California’s State Waters. Unfortunately, surveying the zone from MHHW out to 10-m water depth is not consistently possible using ship-based surveying methods, owing to sea state (for example, waves, wind, or currents), kelp coverage, and shallow rock outcrops. Accordingly, some of the data presented in this series commonly do not cover the zone from the shore out to 10-m depth. This data is part of a series of online U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) publications, each of which includes several map sheets, some explanatory text, and a descriptive pamphlet. Each map sheet is published as a PDF file. Geographic information system (GIS) files that contain both ESRI ArcGIS raster grids (for example, bathymetry, seafloor character) and geotiffs (for example, shaded relief) are also included for each publication. For those who do not own the full suite of ESRI GIS and mapping software, the data can be read using ESRI ArcReader, a free viewer that is available at http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcreader/index.html (last accessed September 20, 2013). The California Seafloor Mapping Program is a collaborative venture between numerous different federal and state agencies, academia, and the private sector. CSMP partners include the California Coastal Conservancy, the California Ocean Protection Council, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Geological Survey, California State University at Monterey Bay’s Seafloor Mapping Lab, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Center for Habitat Studies, Fugro Pelagos, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, including National Ocean Service–Office of Coast Surveys, National Marine Sanctuaries, and National Marine Fisheries Service), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. These web services for the Santa Barbara Channel map area includes data layers that are associated to GIS and map sheets available from the USGS CSMP web page at https://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/mapping/csmp/index.html. Each published CSMP map area includes a data catalog of geographic information system (GIS) files; map sheets that contain explanatory text; and an associated descriptive pamphlet. This web service represents the available data layers for this map area. Data was combined from different sonar surveys to generate a comprehensive high-resolution bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter coverage of the map area. These data reveal a range of physiographic including exposed bedrock outcrops, large fields of sand waves, as well as many human impacts on the seafloor. To validate geological and biological interpretations of the sonar data, the U.S. Geological Survey towed a camera sled over specific offshore locations, collecting both video and photographic imagery; these “ground-truth” surveying data are available from the CSMP Video and Photograph Portal at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7J1015K. The “seafloor character” data layer shows classifications of the seafloor on the basis of depth, slope, rugosity (ruggedness), and backscatter intensity and which is further informed by the ground-truth-survey imagery. The “potential habitats” polygons are delineated on the basis of substrate type, geomorphology, seafloor process, or other attributes that may provide a habitat for a specific species or assemblage of organisms. Representative seismic-reflection profile data from the map area is also include and provides information on the subsurface stratigraphy and structure of the map area. The distribution and thickness of young sediment (deposited over the past about 21,000 years, during the most recent sea-level rise) is interpreted on the basis of the seismic-reflection data. The geologic polygons merge onshore geologic mapping (compiled from existing maps by the California Geological Survey) and new offshore geologic mapping that is based on integration of high-resolution bathymetry and backscatter imagery seafloor-sediment and rock samplesdigital camera and video imagery, and high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles. The information provided by the map sheets, pamphlet, and data catalog has a broad range of applications. High-resolution bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, ground-truth-surveying imagery, and habitat mapping all contribute to habitat characterization and ecosystem-based management by providing essential data for delineation of marine protected areas and ecosystem restoration. Many of the maps provide high-resolution baselines that will be critical for monitoring environmental change associated with climate change, coastal development, or other forcings. High-resolution bathymetry is a critical component for modeling coastal flooding caused by storms and tsunamis, as well as inundation associated with longer term sea-level rise. Seismic-reflection and bathymetric data help characterize earthquake and tsunami sources, critical for natural-hazard assessments of coastal zones. Information on sediment distribution and thickness is essential to the understanding of local and regional sediment transport, as well as the development of regional sediment-management plans. In addition, siting of any new offshore infrastructure (for example, pipelines, cables, or renewable-energy facilities) will depend on high-resolution mapping. Finally, this mapping will both stimulate and enable new scientific research and also raise public awareness of, and education about, coastal environments and issues. Web services were created using an ArcGIS service definition file. The ArcGIS REST service and OGC WMS service include all Santa Barbara Channel map area data layers. Data layers are symbolized as shown on the associated map sheets.

description: This Data Release contains GIS data generated by USGS for use in a BOEM funded project to compare natural rockfish nursery habitat to habitat created by manmade structures in the eastern Santa Barbara Channel. The contours were created from published Data Elevation Models of Carignan and others (2009) and Dartnell and others (2012). Contours were generated using the ESRI Contour tool in spatial analyst. The contour interval is 10 meters. The contours were clipped to exclude areas outside the BOEM rockfish nurseries study area.; abstract: This Data Release contains GIS data generated by USGS for use in a BOEM funded project to compare natural rockfish nursery habitat to habitat created by manmade structures in the eastern Santa Barbara Channel. The contours were created from published Data Elevation Models of Carignan and others (2009) and Dartnell and others (2012). Contours were generated using the ESRI Contour tool in spatial analyst. The contour interval is 10 meters. The contours were clipped to exclude areas outside the BOEM rockfish nurseries study area.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the map showing the predicted distribution of tall sea pens in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, region. The raster data file is included in "TallSeaPens_SantaBarbaraChannel.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/SantaBarbaraChannel/data_catalog_SantaBarbaraChannel.html. Presence-absence data of benthic macro-invertebrates and associated habitat (that is, sediment type and depth) were collected using a towed camera sled in selected areas along the coast off southern California during a ground-truth observation cruise conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service for the California Seafloor Mapping Program. Benthic community structure was determined from 35 video towed-camera transects within California's State Waters 3-nautical-mile limit in the Santa Barbara Channel. These transects produced a total of 923 10-second observations from the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area (34.5 degrees N., 120.1 degrees W.) to the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity map area (34.1 degrees N., 119.2 degrees W.). Presence-absence data were collected for 29 benthic, structure-forming nonmobile taxa. Using this information, generalized linear models (GLMs) were developed to predict the probability of occurrence of five commonly observed taxa (cup corals, hydroids, short and tall sea pens, and brittle stars in the sediment) in five map areas within the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC). A sixth map area (Offshore of Carpinteria) was not modeled owing to insufficient data. The analysis demonstrates that the community structure for the five map areas can be divided into three statistically distinct groups: (1) the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity and the Offshore of Ventura map areas; (2) the Offshore of Santa Barbara and the Offshore of Coal Oil Point map areas; and (3) the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area. These three distinct groups are the main reason that the probability for each taxa can be so dramatically different within one predictive-distribution map area. The five most frequently observed benthic macro-invertebrate taxa were selected for these predictive-distribution grids. Presence-absence data for each selected invertebrate were fit to specific generalized linear models using geographic location, depth, and seafloor character as covariates. Data for the covariates were informed by the bathymetry, seafloor character, and other ground-truth data from the different map areas of the Santa Barbara Channel region that are part of the California State Waters Map Series DS 781. Observations based on depth were limited by the capability of the towed camera sled; as a result, no predictions were made below depths of 150 m (in other words, on the continental slope or in Hueneme Canyon). Cup corals and hydroids had high predicted probabilities of occurrence in areas of hard substrata, whereas short and tall sea pens were predicted to occur in parts of the SBC that had unconsolidated and mixed sediment. Our model predicted that brittle stars would occur throughout the entire SBC on various bottom types.

Bathymetry data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in July 2008 in the northern Santa Barbara Channel in southern California. Data were collected aboard the R/V Parke Snavely, during USGS Field Activity S-9-08-SC, using a bathymetric sidescan system.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the map showing the predicted distribution of short sea pens in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, region. The raster data file is included in "ShortSeaPens_SantaBarbaraChannel.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/SantaBarbaraChannel/data_catalog_SantaBarbaraChannel.html. Presence-absence data of benthic macro-invertebrates and associated habitat (that is, sediment type and depth) were collected using a towed camera sled in selected areas along the coast off southern California during a ground-truth observation cruise conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service for the California Seafloor Mapping Program. Benthic community structure was determined from 35 video towed-camera transects within California's State Waters 3-nautical-mile limit in the Santa Barbara Channel. These transects produced a total of 923 10-second observations from the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area (34.5 degrees N., 120.1 degrees W.) to the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity map area (34.1 degrees N., 119.2 degrees W.). Presence-absence data were collected for 29 benthic, structure-forming nonmobile taxa. Using this information, generalized linear models (GLMs) were developed to predict the probability of occurrence of five commonly observed taxa (cup corals, hydroids, short and tall sea pens, and brittle stars in the sediment) in five map areas within the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC). A sixth map area (Offshore of Carpinteria) was not modeled owing to insufficient data. The analysis demonstrates that the community structure for the five map areas can be divided into three statistically distinct groups: (1) the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity and the Offshore of Ventura map areas; (2) the Offshore of Santa Barbara and the Offshore of Coal Oil Point map areas; and (3) the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area. These three distinct groups are the main reason that the probability for each taxa can be so dramatically different within one predictive-distribution map area. The five most frequently observed benthic macro-invertebrate taxa were selected for these predictive-distribution grids. Presence-absence data for each selected invertebrate were fit to specific generalized linear models using geographic location, depth, and seafloor character as covariates. Data for the covariates were informed by the bathymetry, seafloor character, and other ground-truth data from the different map areas of the Santa Barbara Channel region that are part of the California State Waters Map Series DS 781. Observations based on depth were limited by the capability of the towed camera sled; as a result, no predictions were made below depths of 150 m (in other words, on the continental slope or in Hueneme Canyon). Cup corals and hydroids had high predicted probabilities of occurrence in areas of hard substrata, whereas short and tall sea pens were predicted to occur in parts of the SBC that had unconsolidated and mixed sediment. Our model predicted that brittle stars would occur throughout the entire SBC on various bottom types.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the map showing the predicted distribution of cup corals in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, region. The raster data file is included in "CupCorals_SantaBarbaraChannel.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/SantaBarbaraChannel/data_catalog_SantaBarbaraChannel.html. Presence-absence data of benthic macro-invertebrates and associated habitat (that is, sediment type and depth) were collected using a towed camera sled in selected areas along the coast off southern California during a ground-truth observation cruise conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service for the California Seafloor Mapping Program. Benthic community structure was determined from 35 video towed-camera transects within California's State Waters 3-nautical-mile limit in the Santa Barbara Channel. These transects produced a total of 923 10-second observations from the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area (34.5 degrees N., 120.1 degrees W.) to the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity map area (34.1 degrees N., 119.2 degrees W.). Presence-absence data were collected for 29 benthic, structure-forming nonmobile taxa. Using this information, generalized linear models (GLMs) were developed to predict the probability of occurrence of five commonly observed taxa (cup corals, hydroids, short and tall sea pens, and brittle stars in the sediment) in five map areas within the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC). A sixth map area (Offshore of Carpinteria) was not modeled owing to insufficient data. The analysis demonstrates that the community structure for the five map areas can be divided into three statistically distinct groups: (1) the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity and the Offshore of Ventura map areas; (2) the Offshore of Santa Barbara and the Offshore of Coal Oil Point map areas; and (3) the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area. These three distinct groups are the main reason that the probability for each taxa can be so dramatically different within one predictive-distribution map area. The five most frequently observed benthic macro-invertebrate taxa were selected for these predictive-distribution grids. Presence-absence data for each selected invertebrate were fit to specific generalized linear models using geographic location, depth, and seafloor character as covariates. Data for the covariates were informed by the bathymetry, seafloor character, and other ground-truth data from the different map areas of the Santa Barbara Channel region that are part of the California State Waters Map Series DS 781. Observations based on depth were limited by the capability of the towed camera sled; as a result, no predictions were made below depths of 150 m (in other words, on the continental slope or in Hueneme Canyon). Cup corals and hydroids had high predicted probabilities of occurrence in areas of hard substrata, whereas short and tall sea pens were predicted to occur in parts of the SBC that had unconsolidated and mixed sediment. Our model predicted that brittle stars would occur throughout the entire SBC on various bottom types.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the map showing the predicted distribution of brittle stars in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, region. The raster data file is included in "BrittleStars_SantaBarbaraChannel.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/SantaBarbaraChannel/data_catalog_SantaBarbaraChannel.html. Presence-absence data of benthic macro-invertebrates and associated habitat (that is, sediment type and depth) were collected using a towed camera sled in selected areas along the coast off southern California during a ground-truth observation cruise conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service for the California Seafloor Mapping Program. Benthic community structure was determined from 35 video towed-camera transects within California's State Waters 3-nautical-mile limit in the Santa Barbara Channel. These transects produced a total of 923 10-second observations from the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area (34.5 degrees N., 120.1 degrees W.) to the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity map area (34.1 degrees N., 119.2 degrees W.). Presence-absence data were collected for 29 benthic, structure-forming nonmobile taxa. Using this information, generalized linear models (GLMs) were developed to predict the probability of occurrence of five commonly observed taxa (cup corals, hydroids, short and tall sea pens, and brittle stars in the sediment) in five map areas within the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC). A sixth map area (Offshore of Carpinteria) was not modeled owing to insufficient data. The analysis demonstrates that the community structure for the five map areas can be divided into three statistically distinct groups: (1) the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity and the Offshore of Ventura map areas; (2) the Offshore of Santa Barbara and the Offshore of Coal Oil Point map areas; and (3) the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area. These three distinct groups are the main reason that the probability for each taxa can be so dramatically different within one predictive-distribution map area. The five most frequently observed benthic macro-invertebrate taxa were selected for these predictive-distribution grids. Presence-absence data for each selected invertebrate were fit to specific generalized linear models using geographic location, depth, and seafloor character as covariates. Data for the covariates were informed by the bathymetry, seafloor character, and other ground-truth data from the different map areas of the Santa Barbara Channel region that are part of the California State Waters Map Series DS 781. Observations based on depth were limited by the capability of the towed camera sled; as a result, no predictions were made below depths of 150 m (in other words, on the continental slope or in Hueneme Canyon). Cup corals and hydroids had high predicted probabilities of occurrence in areas of hard substrata, whereas short and tall sea pens were predicted to occur in parts of the SBC that had unconsolidated and mixed sediment. Our model predicted that brittle stars would occur throughout the entire SBC on various bottom types.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the depth-to-transition (the depth to the bedrock at the Last Glacial Maximum) map of the Santa Barbara Channel, California, region. The raster data file is included in "DepthToTransition_SantaBarbaraChannel.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/SantaBarbaraChannel/data_catalog_SantaBarbaraChannel.html. As part of the USGS's California Seafloor Mapping Project, a 50-m-resolution grid of depth to the transgressive surface of the Last Glacial Maximum within California State Waters between Refugio Beach and the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity map area was generated from seismic-reflection data collected in 2007 and 2008 (USGS activities Z-3-07-SC and S-7-08-SC), supplemented with outcrop and geologic structure data from DS 781. The resulting sediment-thickness grid was subtracted from regional bathymetry to determine the depth to the last glacial maximum transitional surface. The resulting grid covers an area of approximately 60 ...

The dataset contains fish surveys from deep natural reefs in the northern Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Southern California, mainly at reefs named Piggy Bank, Footprint (local names) and Anacapa Passage. Data collection began in 1995. Reefs are located at depths between 30 and 360 m (100 and 1,180 feet). Sampling was by the manned submersibles Delta and DualDeepworker and an unmanned Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). These sites included a wide range of such habitats as banks, ridges, and carbonate reefs, ranging in size from a few kilometers in length to less than a hectare in area. On these features, we focused on hard bottom macrohabitats, including kelp beds, boulder and cobble fields, and bedrock outcrops. Transects were not deliberately revisited; some reefs were surveyed as many as four times per year. All transects are 2 m wide; transect length varied (see data).

The dataset includes two tables: (1) the fish counts at Piggy Bank, Footprint, and Anacapa Passage; and (2), the habitat associated with each of the survey segments. Fishes were identified to lowest possible taxon (usually species), and verified against the WoRMs database (http://www.marinespecies.org/).

Current meter data were collected from fixed platforms from 18 January 1984 to 01 July 1984. Data were collected by Science Application, Inc. (SAI) as part of the Santa Barbara Channel project. Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard F015 Current Meter Components format. The F015 format contains time series measurements of ocean currents. These data are obtained from current meter moorings and represent the Eulerian method of current measurement, i.e., the meters are deployed at a fixed point and measure flow past a sensor. Position, bottom depth, sensor depth and meter characteristics are reported for each station. The data record includes values of east-west (u) and north-south (v) current vector components at specified date and time. Current direction is defined as the direction toward which the water is flowing with positive directions east and north. Data values may be subject to averaging or filtering and are typically reported at 10 - 15 minute time intervals. Water temperature, pressure and conductivity or salinity may also be reported. A text record is available for optional comments.

Current meter components data were collected from FIXED PLATFORMS from 22 February 1992 to 18 February 1993. Data were collected by Science Application, Inc. (SAI) in support of the Santa Barbara Channel Circulation Model and Field Program. Data were processed by NODC to the NODC standard F015 Current Meter Components format. The F015 format contains time series measurements of ocean currents. These data are obtained from current meter moorings and represent the Eulerian method of current measurement, i.e., the meters are deployed at a fixed point and measure flow past a sensor. Position, bottom depth, sensor depth and meter characteristics are reported for each station. The data record includes values of east-west (u) and north-south (v) current vector components at specified date and time. Current direction is defined as the direction toward which the water is flowing with positive directions east and north. Data values may be subject to averaging or filtering and are typically reported at 10 - 15 minute time intervals. Water temperature, pressure and conductivity or salinity may also be reported. A text record is available for optional comments.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the map showing the predicted distribution of hydroids in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, region. The raster data file is included in "Hydroids_SantaBarbaraChannel.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/SantaBarbaraChannel/data_catalog_SantaBarbaraChannel.html. Presence-absence data of benthic macro-invertebrates and associated habitat (that is, sediment type and depth) were collected using a towed camera sled in selected areas along the coast off southern California during a ground-truth observation cruise conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service for the California Seafloor Mapping Program. Benthic community structure was determined from 35 video towed-camera transects within California's State Waters 3-nautical-mile limit in the Santa Barbara Channel. These transects produced a total of 923 10-second observations from the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area (34.5 degrees N., 120.1 degrees W.) to the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity map area (34.1 degrees N., 119.2 degrees W.). Presence-absence data were collected for 29 benthic, structure-forming nonmobile taxa. Using this information, generalized linear models (GLMs) were developed to predict the probability of occurrence of five commonly observed taxa (cup corals, hydroids, short and tall sea pens, and brittle stars in the sediment) in five map areas within the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC). A sixth map area (Offshore of Carpinteria) was not modeled owing to insufficient data. The analysis demonstrates that the community structure for the five map areas can be divided into three statistically distinct groups: (1) the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity and the Offshore of Ventura map areas; (2) the Offshore of Santa Barbara and the Offshore of Coal Oil Point map areas; and (3) the Offshore of Refugio Beach map area. These three distinct groups are the main reason that the probability for each taxa can be so dramatically different within one predictive-distribution map area. The five most frequently observed benthic macro-invertebrate taxa were selected for these predictive-distribution grids. Presence-absence data for each selected invertebrate were fit to specific generalized linear models using geographic location, depth, and seafloor character as covariates. Data for the covariates were informed by the bathymetry, seafloor character, and other ground-truth data from the different map areas of the Santa Barbara Channel region that are part of the California State Waters Map Series DS 781. Observations based on depth were limited by the capability of the towed camera sled; as a result, no predictions were made below depths of 150 m (in other words, on the continental slope or in Hueneme Canyon). Cup corals and hydroids had high predicted probabilities of occurrence in areas of hard substrata, whereas short and tall sea pens were predicted to occur in parts of the SBC that had unconsolidated and mixed sediment. Our model predicted that brittle stars would occur throughout the entire SBC on various bottom types.

The Santa Barbara Channel study (SBC) is a closely articulated program involving both observational and computational techniques to obtain the best estimate of the physical oceanographic conditions in the Santa Barbara Channel. A comprehensive observational data set was acquired and a numerical simulation driven by the observational data was performed. The results yield detailed information on the Channel circulation and hydrography.

The funding agency was MMS (Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service); the contractors, Dyanlysis of Princeton and Science Applications International Corporation.

Regional Coverage

The CTD surveys were made within the Santa Barbara Channel and the Santa Maria Basin, primarily along cross-shelf transects. These transects were marked on either end by mooring locations. The moorings have four-letter names, in which the first two letters represent a nearby geographical landmark (eg. "GO" for the town of Goleta), and the last two letters indicate whether the mooring is inshore ("IN"), offshore ("OFF"), or in the middle ("MI"). The CTD transect names are taken from the first two letters of the appropriate moorings. See the table below for a list of CTD transects and the associated moorings.

Not all of the CTD casts were taken along these transects, particularly in the early days of the project. In addition, not all of the transects were occupied all of the time. The AN and SM transects were occupied most often. The transects in the Santa Maria Basin (AB, SA, and AR) were not occupied at all until later in the Study.

Data collection There are typically seven or eight casts per transect, with a spacing of about 3 to 5 km per cast. The casts go down to a maximum of about 500 m in the deepest part of the channel. Usually all of the transects in one particular cruise are traversed as close in time as possible, to preserve the synoptic nature of the dataset.

CTD Cast Data

CTD cast data available from this FTP site are organized by cruise and stored in CSA format. The cruise code is a four-digit number where the first two digits are year, and the last two digits are month. CSA format is an ASCII format in which the first five lines of the file contain the header information. Lines 1 through 3 contain the static variable names, units, and values; lines 4 and 5 contain the dynamic variable names and units. The rest of the file contains the dynamic variables in columns. The filenames use the following convention: the first four digits represent the cruise; the next letter distinguishes between the Neil Brown ("n") or the Ocean Sensors ("o") CTD instrument; and the last three digits represent the station number. For example, CTD cast #1 from Cruise 7 (cruise code 9408), taken with the Ocean Sensors CTD, would be called 9408o001.csa.

Towed CTD Data

The towed CTD data are also organized by cruise, and are in the "tow" subdirectories. These files are in CSA format, as described above, but the columns and variables contained in the files are different from the casts. The file naming conventions are also a bit different. The first four digits of the filename are again the cruise code, but the next set of letters represent the transect as discussed in the CTD introduction page. So a transect taken during cruise 9408 along the CA transect would be called 9408ca.csa. However, if the ship was steaming from one transect to another while the towed CTD data was being collected, that data filename will have four letters: two for the first transect, and two for the second. For example, a transect between the CA and AN lines would be called 9408caan.csa. Also, if data were taken on a particular transect more than once, it will have a sequence number (eg. 9408pa1.csa and 9408pa2.csa). As mentioned on the towed CTD info page, towed data are only available for cruises 9408, 9501, 9508, 9601, and 9603.

The Data Zoo

The Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, has developed an on-line database of physical oceanographic data organized by experiment, and referred to as the 'Data Zoo.' The animals in this 'zoo' are the individual data sets, one of which is described above. The zoo is funded by the Mineral Management Service, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

Proceed to the CTD FTP Directory: "http://ccs.ucsd.edu/zoo/sbcsmb/ctd/"

Link to the ScienceBase Item Summary page for the item described by this metadata record. Service Protocol: Link to the ScienceBase Item Summary page for the item described by this metadata record. Application Profile: Web Browser. Link Function: information

This part of DS 781 presents data for the transgressive contours for the Santa Barbara Channel, California, region. The vector file is included in "TransgressiveContours_SantaBarbaraChannel.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/SantaBarbaraChannel/data_catalog_SantaBarbaraChannel.html. As part of the USGS's California Seafloor Mapping Project, a 50-m-resolution grid of depth to the transgressive surface of the Last Glacial Maximum within California State Waters between Refugio Beach and the Hueneme Canyon and vicinity map area was generated from seismic-reflection data collected in 2007 and 2008 (USGS activities Z-3-07-SC and S-7-08-SC), supplemented with outcrop and geologic structure data from DS 781. The resulting sediment-thickness grid was subtracted from regional bathymetry to determine the depth to the last glacial maximum transitional surface. The resulting grid covers an area of approximately 600 sq km. Contours at 5-meter intervals were derived from this grid.

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the depth to transition (base) map of uppermost Pleistocene and Holocene sediments in the Santa Barbara Channel in California. As part of the USGS's California State Waters Mapping Project, a 20-m grid of depth to the transgressive surface of the last glacial maximum (LGM) was generated for the areas within the 3-nautical mile limit of the channel. The depth to base of the post-LGM unit was generated by adding sediment thickness data to water depths determined by multibeam bathymetry. The resulting grid covers an area of approximately 600 sq km. The depth to the transgressive surface of the LGM ranges between 12 and 190 meters. A map that shows these data is published in Scientific Investigations Map 3225, "California State Waters Map Series--Hueneme Canyon and Vicinity, California." This layer is part of USGS Data Series 781.

This report presents bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data collected in July 2008 in the northern Santa Barbara Channel, California, using a bathymetric sidescan system. The report also presents a summary of the mapping effort as well as Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata. This metadata file describes the bathymetry data.

For more information on the bathy surveys see http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/s/s808sc/html/s-8-08-sc.meta.html -sf.meta.html

This part of DS 781 presents data for the depth-to-transition map of the Bolinas to Pescadero, California, region. The raster data file is included in "DepthToTransition_BolinastoPescadero.zip," which is accessible from http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/BolinastoPescadero/data_catalog_SBolinastoPescadero.html. This depth-to-transition map of the Santa Barbara Channel is published in Scientific Investigations Map 3306, "California State Waters Map Series--Offshore San Gregorio, California" (see sheet 9). In addition, this depth-to-transition map will be published in five future California State Waters Map Series Open-File Reports of the region (namely, the Offshore of San Francisco, Offshore of Pacifica, Offshore of Half Moon Bay, Offshore of San Gregorio, and Offshore of Pigeon Point map areas). As part of the USGS's California State Waters Mapping Project, a 50-m grid of depth to the transgressive surface of the last glacial maximum was generated for the areas within the 3-nautical mile limit between Bolinas and Pescadero was generated from seismic-reflection data collected in 2010 (USGS activity (S-15-10-NC) and 2007 (F-2-07-NC) supplemented with outcrop and geologic structure as mapped by Watt and others (Sheet 8, Sheet 10). The resulting grid covers an area of approximately 550 sq km. The depth to the transgressive surface of the Last Glacial Maximum ranges between 4 and 78 meters.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the statutory mandate to collect hydrographic data in support of nautical chart compilation for safe navigation and to provide background data for engineers, scientific, and other commercial and industrial activities. Hydrographic survey data primarily consist of water depths, but may also include features (e.g. rocks, wrecks), navigation aids, shoreline identification, and bottom type information. NOAA is responsible for archiving and distributing the source data as described in this metadata record.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the statutory mandate to collect hydrographic data in support of nautical chart compilation for safe navigation and to provide background data for engineers, scientific, and other commercial and industrial activities. Hydrographic survey data primarily consist of water depths, but may also include features (e.g. rocks, wrecks), navigation aids, shoreline identification, and bottom type information. NOAA is responsible for archiving and distributing the source data as described in this metadata record.