This USGS Data Release represents geospatial and tabular data for the Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment Project. The data release was produced in compliance with the new 'open data' requirements as way to make the scientific products associated with USGS research efforts and publications available to the public. The dataset consists of 2 separate items: 1. Vulnerability assessment data for habitat and species based on expert opinion (Tabular datasets) 2. Vulnerability assessment values for species across subregions in study area (Vector GIS dataset)

The study area included the coasts of all five U.S. states along the northern Gulf of Mexico (i.e., Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas). We contacted federal, state, and university-affiliated scientists working with SET-MH data within this area to obtain the geographic coordinates and the installation year for each SET-MH station. Please note that while our inventory is extensive and includes most SET-MH stations in the region, our inventory is not fully exhaustive; in other words, it is possible that some stations in the region are not contained within this inventory. The SET-MH stations in our dataset include original SET, deep rod SET (RSET), and shallow RSET benchmarks.

The goal of this project is to quantify, at the National scale, the relative susceptibility of the Nation's coast to sea-level rise through the use of a coastal vulnerability index (CVI). This initial classification is based upon the variables geomorphology, regional coastal slope, tide range, wave height, relative sea-level rise and shoreline erosion and accretion rates. The combination of these variables and the association of these variables to each other furnish a broad overview of regions where physical changes are likely to occur due to sea-level rise.

These Oyster data were gathered and utilized during the Response and Assessment phases of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. These data are for the American or Eastern oysters and oyster reefs found in the Gulf. It includes discrete samples, field observations, field photographs and related files originating from the Oysters Technical Working Group (TWG). The data were compiled by the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) and Trustees in the Data Integration, Visualization, Exploration, and Reporting (DIVER) data warehouse prior to being archived by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The collection of files include environmental data used to determine the extent and magnitude of injury to the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These data were used as part of the Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (PDARP) developed through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) conducted as a result of the April 20, 2010 explosion and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 40 miles (60 km) southeast off the Louisiana coast, that led to a major oil spill in the region.

These Oyster data were gathered and utilized during the Response and Assessment phases of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. These data are for the American or Eastern oysters and oyster reefs found in the Gulf. It includes discrete samples, field observations, field photographs and related files originating from the Oysters Technical Working Group (TWG). The data were compiled by the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) and Trustees in the Data Integration, Visualization, Exploration, and Reporting (DIVER) data warehouse prior to being archived by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The collection of files include environmental data used to determine the extent and magnitude of injury to the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These data were used as part of the Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (PDARP) developed through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) conducted as a result of the April 20, 2010 explosion and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 40 miles (60 km) southeast off the Louisiana coast, that led to a major oil spill in the region.

The goal of this project is to provide a preliminary overview, at a National scale, the relative susceptibility of the Nation's coast to sea-level rise through the use of a coastal vulnerability index (CVI). This initial classification is based upon the variables geomorphology, regional coastal slope, tide range, wave height, relative sea-level rise and shoreline erosion and accretion rates. The combination of these variables and the association of these variables to each other furnish a broad overview of regions where physical changes are likely to occur due to sea-level rise.

This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for threatened and endangered reptiles/amphibians for the Florida Panhandle. Vector points in this data set represent threatened and endangered reptile/amphibians. Species specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information are stored in relational data tables (described below) designed to be used in conjunction with this spatial data layer. This data set comprises a portion of the ESI data for the Florida Panhandle. ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil. The ESI data include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources. See also the REPTILES (Reptile Polygons) data layer, part of the larger Florida Panhandle ESI database, for additional reptile information.