Offshore state lateral boundaries define part of the geographic extent of the submerged lands that a state holds and manages in the public trust. Well-defined boundaries help a state manage its natural resources and statutory obligations with a measured amount of certainty. However, state lateral boundaries, both on land and at sea, have not always been stable and well defined. The historic record often shows conflicting borders that have led to interstate disagreements, court cases, and in some instances lingering stalemates. These data show the approximate position of a states offshore lateral boundary based on official and unofficial sources. Some boundaries have been omitted when a sufficient data source could not be found.

The Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. Section 1301 et seq.) grants coastal states title to natural resources located within their coastal submerged lands and navigable waters out to three nautical miles from their coastlines (three marine leagues for Texas and Florida's Gulf of Mexico coastlines). The Submerged Lands Act defines "natural resources" to include oil, gas, and all other minerals, and fish, shrimp, oysters, clams, crabs, lobsters, sponges, kelp, and other marine animal and plant life," yet expressly excludes "water power, or the use of water for the production of power" 43 U.S.C. Section 1301(e). The term "coast line" is "the line of ordinary low water along that portion of the coast which is in direct contact with the open sea and the line marking the seaward limit of inland waters" (43 U.S.C. Section 1301(c)). Some boundary delineations are approximated, including areas in Hawaii, Alaska, and Washington State. The official delineation of the Submerged Lands Act in these locations has not yet been established by BOEM. Please reference BOEM's official Submerged Lands Act Boundary in these locations to determine where this boundary is approximated and where it is official. Source: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title43/pdf/USCODE-2011-title43-chap29.pdf Date enacted: May 22, 1953 Codification: 43 U.S.C. Sec. 1301 et seq. Authority: agencies of several U.S. coastal states

This dataset represents US states and equivalent territorial units which have at least one coastal border.

U.S. collision regulation boundaries delineate those waters upon which mariners shall comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (72 COLREGS) and those waters upon which mariners shall comply with the Inland Navigation Rules. The waters inland of these lines are subject to the Inland Navigation Rules Act of 1980. The waters outside these lines are subject to the International Navigation Rules of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGS). The Coast Guard has the legal authority to effect regulatory changes to COLREGS. Records in this database are derived from descriptions published in the Code of Federal Regulations Title 33, Part 80 and are for planning purposes only.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a network of 30 coastal sites designated to protect and study estuarine systems. Established through the Coastal Zone Management Act, the reserves represent a partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states. NOAA provides funding and national guidance, and each site is managed on a daily basis by a lead state agency or university with input from local partners.

This dataset summarizes 2015 Ocean Economy employment statistics for the U.S. coastal states by breaking down each ocean economic indicator per each ocean sector. The dataset also provides percent employment and percent GDP by sector. This percentage is a percent of the ocean sector compared to the total Ocean Economy for each state. This information was harvested from the Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) time-series data on the ocean and Great Lakes economy, derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. ENOW data measures four economic indicators: Establishments, Employment, Wages, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for six economic sectors that are dependent on the oceans and Great Lakes, including: Marine Construction, Living Resources, Offshore Mineral Extraction, Ship and Boat Building, Tourism and Recreation, and Marine Transportation.

A compilation of ocean water quality (temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen) data at ¼ degree spatial resolution for the entire United States Exclusive Economic Zone. The dataset is derived from the ESRI Ecological Marine Unit (EMU) dataset, which was assembled from non-supervised statistical clustering of over 52 million points from NOAA’s World Ocean Atlas (2013) WoA database, an authoritative 57 year archive of global water column data. This derived dataset is divided into three separate point shapefiles, each representing either temperature (degrees Celsius), salinity (practical salinity units), or dissolved oxygen (mg/L). Values represent a climatological average. Each shapefile is formatted such that a single point location (i.e., unique associated latitude and longitude) contains a unique column entry for a given depth interval. Depth intervals are variable from 5 m near the surface to 100 m in the deeper regions (> 2000 m) for a total of 102 depth levels. All disclaimers provided by the original dataset authors apply to this derived dataset. For detail on these disclaimers, please refer to the following reference: Sayre, R., J. Dangermond, D. Wright, S. Breyer, K. Butler, K. Van Graafeiland, M.J. Costello, P. Harris, K. Goodin, M. Kavanaugh, N. Cressie, J. Guinotte, Z. Basher, P. Halpin, M. Monaco, P. Aniello, C. Frye, D. Stephens, P. Valentine, J. Smith, R. Smith, D.P. VanSistine, J. Cress, H. Warner, C. Brown, J. Steffenson, D. Cribbs, B. Van Esch, D. Hopkins, G. Noll, S. Kopp, and C. Convis. 2017. A New Map of Global Ecological Marine Units – An Environmental Stratification Approach. Washington, DC: American Association of Geographers. 36 pages.

Ship wrecks and obstructions in the ocean have long been a hazard to navigation and construction, and a point of interest to archeologist, recreational divers, fisherman, educators and explorers. Locating hazardous wrecks and obstructions is part of the ongoing NOAA charting process. The exact position of many wrecks is difficult to determine because of changes in the environment, varied survey methods, and human error. Some wrecks are intentionally placed in the ocean to serve as artificial reefs or for disposal. Others pose a health and environmental threat from their cargo. Ownership and control over wrecks and obstructions is governed by a collection of state and federal regulations, the Abandoned Shipwreck Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. These data are a synthesis of two sources - the NOAA Office of Coast Survey's 2016 Automated Wreck and Obstruction Information System (AWOIS), and the NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC). Not included were those records that were clearly identified as natural features such as rocks, shoals, and trees. Features are recorded as either a wreck, wreck area, obstruction, or unknown.

These data depict a wave energy resource characterization for the US Exclusive Economic Zone. This climatology is based on a multi-resolution 32 year hindcast that used the WaveWatchIII and Simulating WAve Nearshore (SWAN) wave models. A collection of five variables are reported at the annual and monthly intervals. Statistics for each variable are provided as point and hexagon features.

Regulated Navigation Areas (RNA) as outlined in 33 CFR Part 165 are established to regulate vessels and their movement within a specific area. The District Commander can issue an RNA to control vessel traffic in a place determined to have hazardous conditions. RNAs usually prescribe what type or size of vessels may enter an area or in what manner they must navigate. RNAs differ from Safety and Security Zones in two respects. First, only District Commanders are authorized to establish RNAs while Coast Guard Captains of the Port may not. Second, Safety and Security Zones are typically transitory in nature, responsive to a temporary safety or security concern on the water. They are meant to control access to an area, but they could also be used to control access based on compliance with specified temporary operating conditions within the Safety or Security Zone necessary for the purpose of the zones creation. RNAs are usually created where a more permanent solution to a safety or environmental concern is required. They principally regulate the operation of vessels permitted inside the area, but may also establish control of access to an area if necessary.