This dataset uses rugosity measurements collected during the California Seafloor Mapping Project (CSMP) as a proxy to classify benthic habitat as either Hard or Soft. While originally developed for MPA planning and MLPA implementation, this dataset provides a comprehensive estimate of benthic habitat for California waters. Two versions of this data are available:Statewide mosaic raster of all data resampled at 10m (shown here). Vector format for visualization and analysis. Substrate classifications are binned into depth ranges and 1 degree latitude/longitude grids.

This part of DS 781 presents benthic biological observations of the California coast in support of the California Seafloor Mapping Project. A shapefile and corresponding comma-delimited text file are included in "Benthic_Biological_Interpretation.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/video_observations/data_catalog_video_observations.html.

These data were developed to support ecosystem-based management in the Humboldt Bay region. The focus of the mapping effort was on shallow water benthic habitats with particular concern for eelgrass meadows. The study area covers Arcata (North) Bay, Entrance Bay, South Bay, and the Eel River Delta in Humboldt County, California. Humboldt Bay is the largest estuary north of San Francisco Bay and represents a significant resource for the north coast region. Beginning in 2007, NOAA's Office for Coastal Management, in partnership with the California Sea Grant Program and other local organizations, initiated an ecosystem-based management project for the bay. A key component of this project was the establishment of subtidal habitat goals to guide long-term management and provide a framework for conservation efforts across the land-sea interface. The collection of imagery and subsequent delineation of benthic habitat were essential steps for developing and implementing ecosystem-based management in Humboldt Bay's subtidal zone. Collectively, these efforts establish an important and replicable data and information framework crucial for ecosystem-based coastal and marine conservation planning and implementation. The layers available within the data download include biotic, field_point_sample, geoform, and substrate. Partners: California Sea Grant, Humboldt State University, California State University, California Department of Fish and Game, California Coastal Conservancy, California Sea Grant, The Nature Conservancy, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Geological Survey

The dataset includes benthic infaunal abundance data derived from the EPA National Coastal Assessment and Southern California Coastal Water Research Program Bight ’03 studies west coast shelf assessment studies in 2003, that were combined to form a composite data matrix of 255 stations by 1470 taxa. NCA successfully sampled 146 stations from Cape Flattery, WA, to Pt. Conception, CA in the period June 1 - 26, 2003 (NOAA Cruise AR-03-01-NC), with data from one additional NCA station off Santa Catalina Island provided to the study by SCCWRP. Fifty stations each within Washington and Oregon and 47 stations from California were successfully sampled. An additional 110 stations, located within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (27) and throughout the Southern California Bight (83, Pt. Conception, CA to the Mexican border), were successfully sampled for some or all of the NCA parameters within the target depth range by participants in the Bight ’03 survey (Ranasinghe et al. 2007). Benthic macrofaunal samples were obtained from these 257 stations, but two stations (OR03-0010, CA03-4339) failed quality assurance checks, and the final total included benthic samples from 255 stations. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Henkel, S., and W. Nelson. Assessment of spatial patterns in benthic macrofauna of the U.S. west coast continental shelf. Journal of Biogeography. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, USA, 45(12): 2701-2717, (2018).

This data collection contains geospatial data from models predicting the spatial distributions of benthic macrofauna offshore of the continental U.S. West Coast to 1200 m depth. It includes raster datasets at 25 x 25 m spatial resolution depicting the mean of the predicted probability of occurrence and the coefficient of variation of the predicted probability of occurrence for 43 taxa of benthic macrofauna. The data collection also includes raster datasets at 25 x 25 m spatial resolution depicting each of the 66 spatial environmental predictor variables considered for fitting the models.

In 2006 and 2007 the NOAA Office for Coastal Management purchased services to process existing digital multi-spectral imagery (ADS-40) and create digital benthic habitat data from this imagery for selected Texas coastal bend bays. The Center worked cooperatively with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas A and M University Center for Coastal Studies to develop benthic habitat data, primarily Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) for several coastal bays. This data will support the state's recently adopted Seagrass Monitoring Program which calls for regional mapping of SAV for status and trends assessment. The Center, Texas A and M, and TPWD have coordinated on the requirements of this project. Original contact information: Contact Org: NOAA Office for Coastal Management Phone: 843-740-1202 Email: coastal.info@noaa.gov

The National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) updates and revises the management plans for each of its 13 sanctuaries. This process, which is open to the public, enables each site to revisit the reasons for sanctuary designation and assess whether they are meeting their goals, as well as to set new goals consistent with the mandates of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. Issues raised by the public during this process are evaluated and a determination is made as to whether they will be incorporated into the updated plan. Many of these issues focus on topics such as the implementation of marine zoning or sanctuary boundary adjustments, both of which require information on the distribution of resources within and around the sanctuary. Recognizing this, NMSP and NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) formalized an agreement to collaborate in the revision process by developing such information through a series of biogeographic assessments conducted in selected sanctuaries. The resulting products are then supplied to sanctuary managers and staff for use in the policy and decision making process. This collaborative effort began along the west coast of the U.S. with the Cordell Bank, Gulf of Farallones, and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries, and is herein centered on the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS).

This part of DS 781 presents data for the habitat map of the Offshore of Point Conception Map Area, California. The vector data file is included in "Habitat_OffshorePointConception.zip," which is accessible from https://doi.org/10.5066/F7QN64XQ. These data accompany the pamphlet and map sheets of Johnson, S.Y., Dartnell, P., Cochrane, G.R., Hartwell, S.R., Golden, N.E., Kvitek, R.G., and Davenport, C.W. (S.Y. Johnson and S.A. Cochran, eds.), 2018, California State Waters Map Series—Offshore of Point Conception, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1024, pamphlet 36 p., 9 sheets, scale 1:24,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181024. This map shows physical marine benthic habitats in the Offshore of Point Conception map area. Marine benthic habitats represent a particular type of water quality, substrate, geomorphology, seafloor process, or any other attribute that may provide a habitat for a specific species or an assemblage of organisms. Marine benthic habitats are classified using the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS), developed by representatives from a consortium of federal agencies. CMECS is the U.S. government standard for marine habitat characterization. The standard provides an ecologically relevant structure for biologic, geologic, chemical, and physical habitat attributes. This map illustrates the geoform and substrate components of the standard. This map was derived from geologic and geomorphic map units by translation of the unit description into the best-fit values of CMECS classes. The CMECS classes are documented at https://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/cmecs-folder/CMECS_Version_06-2012_FINAL.pdf.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the habitat map of the Offshore of Point Conception Map Area, California. The vector data file is included in "Habitat_OffshorePointConception.zip," which is accessible from https://doi.org/10.5066/F7QN64XQ. These data accompany the pamphlet and map sheets of Johnson, S.Y., Dartnell, P., Cochrane, G.R., Hartwell, S.R., Golden, N.E., Kvitek, R.G., and Davenport, C.W. (S.Y. Johnson and S.A. Cochran, eds.), 2018, California State Waters Map Series—Offshore of Point Conception, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1024, pamphlet 36 p., 9 sheets, scale 1:24,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181024. This map shows physical marine benthic habitats in the Offshore of Point Conception map area. Marine benthic habitats represent a particular type of water quality, substrate, geomorphology, seafloor process, or any other attribute that may provide a habitat for a specific species or an assemblage of organisms. Marine benthic habitats are classified using the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS), developed by representatives from a consortium of federal agencies. CMECS is the U.S. government standard for marine habitat characterization. The standard provides an ecologically relevant structure for biologic, geologic, chemical, and physical habitat attributes. This map illustrates the geoform and substrate components of the standard. This map was derived from geologic and geomorphic map units by translation of the unit description into the best-fit values of CMECS classes. The CMECS classes are documented at https://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/cmecs-folder/CMECS_Version_06-2012_FINAL.pdf.