A seismic reflection survey with concurrent bottom sampling was conducted in western Massachusetts Bay to obtain information on bottom topography and sediments, subbottom structure and composition, and the location of sand deposits potentially usable for restoration and nourishment of nearby beaches. Primary sediment data was derived from 43 cores. The predominant sediments of the surface and shallow subsurface deposits in the study area are fine sand, sand and gravel, and clayey silt. Sand suitable for beach restoration and nourishment on the contiguous coast occurs only locally and in generally small quantity relative to other sediments of the study area.

This data set includes the locations, identifiers, grain-size data and(or) textural descriptions of surficial sediments collected at stations based on topographic and backscatter data of the seafloor in Boston Harbor and the harbor appraoches, Massachusetts. The sediments were collected with a modified Van Veen grab (mini-SEABOSS) during USGS survey 04019, conducted September 14-17, 2004.

Presented in this dataset are data determined from sediments collected by different means during a variety of cruises to the northwest Atlantic Ocean. These data have been collected in an attempt to gain knowledge of the interrelationships between early diagenesis and remineralization of organic matter, bioturbation, and dissolved ion exchange between sediments and the overlying water. All data are from surficial sediments (0-3 cm below the sediment-water interface).

The sediments and geomorphology of a portion of the northeastern continental shelf between Hudson Canyon and Georges Bank have been investigated. Wave-cut terraces at 13, 45, 65, and 80 fathoms indicate four former low sea levels, while concentrations of beach ridges around 35 fathoms reveal a fifth. The pre-Holocene drainage pattern, still exposed over part of the area, shows that Block Channel was the main stream system which drained most of southern New England. The surface sediments on the western part of the study area are Late Pleistocene fluvial deposits. Overlying these coarse deposits in the central part of the outer shelf is a sandy silt facies that is also relict. The youngest facies and the only area of present deposition, is in the northeastern part where sand eroded from Nantucket Shoals is being deposited on the shelf.

These data are qualitatively derived interpretive polygon shapefiles and selected source raster data defining surficial geology, sediment type and distribution, and physiographic zones of the sea floor from Nahant to Northern Cape Cod Bay. Much of the geophysical data used to create the interpretive layers were collected under a cooperative agreement among the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Coastal and Marine Geology Program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Initiated in 2003, the primary objective of this program is to develop regional geologic framework information for the management of coastal and marine resources. Accurate data and maps of seafloor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine resources, and assessing environmental changes because of natural or human effects. The project is focused on the inshore waters of coastal Massachusetts. Data collected during the mapping cooperative involving the USGS have been released in a series of USGS Open-File Reports (http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/html/current_map.html). The interpretations released in this study are for an area extending from the southern tip of Nahant to Northern Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts. A combination of geophysical and sample data including high resolution bathymetry and lidar, acoustic-backscatter intensity, seismic-reflection profiles, bottom photographs, and sediment samples are used to create the data interpretations. Most of the nearshore geophysical and sample data (including the bottom photographs) were collected during several cruises between 2000 and 2008. More information about the cruises and the data collected can be found at the Geologic Mapping of the Seafloor Offshore of Massachusetts Web page: http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/coastal_mass/.

The sediment data contained in this set were produced as part of the site description and monitoring phases of an aquaculture demonstration project. The site is located off the coast of New Hampshire in the Gulf of Maine.

The reconnaissance maps upon which this data set is based show the areal distribution of the major bottom sediment types covering the sea floor off Massachusetts between Cape Ann and Cape Cod. The maps were intended as a guide to the future mapping of gravel, sand, silt, and clay, and, because these sediments reflect the hydraulic conditions, they are also helpful for deducing the important sediment transport mechanisms.

These data are part of the effort to map geologic substrates of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) region off Boston, Massachusetts. The overall goal is to develop high-resolution (1:25,000) interpretive maps, based on multibeam sonar data and seabed sampling, showing surficial geology and seabed sediment dynamics. The data were collected in collaboration with the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and will aid research on the ecology of fish and invertebrate species that inhabit the region. Sediment samples were collected aboard the Sanctuary's research vessel, R/V Auk at 679 locations on and near Stellwagen Bank using a customized Van Veen grab sampler integrated into the USGS SEABed Observation and Sampling System (SEABOSS). The SEABOSS, equipped with a video camera, was deployed from the Auk and allowed to drift for a shore period of time approximately 1 meter from the sea floor collecting video imagery of the sea floor. The SEABOSS drift typically culminated in the collection of a sediment sample used for grain-size analysis. Biological specimens were collected from the sediment, if present, and retained by scientists at teh SBNMS in Scituate, Massachusetts.

The sediment data presented in this data layer were from an ecological study sited near the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine. The analog data were originally converted into digital form for inclusion in a Gulf of Maine Contaminated Sediments Database.