This GeoTiff is a bathymetry model of the seafloor of Northeast Puerto Rico that contains the shallow water area (0-35m deep) of the Northeast Ecological Reserve: including the waters off of Fajardo and Luqillo, to the Former Roosevelt Roads Navy Base, the Vieques Sound, La Cordillera Reserve, the Luis Pena Reserve, and the waters around Culebra Island. The bathymetry model was created by integrating soundings from several different sources (1900-2013), including high resolution coastal LiDAR, NOAA Single-beam and multibeam bathymetry, and historical lead line soundings. In order to combine the many different data sources and densities, the model consists of three different resolutions (4m, 20m and 100m). In addition to the depth model, a depth uncertainty layer was also produced. The bathymetry model is the basis for the benthic habitat map which was produced by remote sensing analysis tools that delineated the habitats using a semi-automated classification process.
The multibeam bathymetry, WorldView-2 Satellite imagery and ground validation video imagery were used to create benthic habitat maps, helping NOAA meet its mapping commitment to the US Coral Reef Task Force. The resulting publicly-distributed data is also a contribution to the greater scientific community interested in the Caribbean seafloor. The spatial products developed from this bathymetry model will: (1) inform local managers as to the current distribution of resources, (2) provide a point of comparison for past and future mapping efforts, (3) help locate sensitive marine communities, and (4) guide monitoring efforts and prioritize management actions.
ground condition
Note: NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION. These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.
1305 East West Highway, SSMC4
9th Floor, #9311
Primary contact mode: email
Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA), Biogeography Branch
All users should independently analyze the dataset according to their own needs and standards to determine data usability.
This geotiff was created by integrating all of the available bathymetry sources downloaded from NGDC 2013, and included data from different time periods (1900-2013), remote sensing platforms, and spatial resolutions within the area of interest.
See NOAA Technical Memorandum: Benthic Habitats of Northeast Puerto Rico and Culebra Island
National Ocean Service, Office of Coastal Survey, and US Army Corps of Engineers collected the source data that were provided to the Biogeography Branch through the National Geophysical Data Center.
NGDC Bathymetry Data
Kriging and Uncertainty Models
Bathymetry datasets within the Northeast Reserve area of interest were acquired through the NGDC data viewer and were vertically referenced to the NOAA MLLW tidal datum and projected coordinate system.
The multiresolution bathymetry model and its associated uncertainty layer were created from a hydrographic source datasets separated into three classes based on the density of soundings (4m, 20m, and 100m) in Global Mapper.
Bathymetry datasets within the Northeast Reserve area of interest were acquired through the NGDC data viewer and were vertically referenced to the NOAA MLLW tidal datum. The Bathymetry datasets were used to create three bathymetry models (resolution 4m, 20m, and 100m) using kriging in Surfer. The three layers were stacked with the highest resolution on top and merged to one multiresolution surface. Simple kriging in ArcGIS was used to minimize the edge interpolation effects between the three models. The stacked multiresolution bathymetry model and uncertainty surface was up-sampled to 4m resolution using a spline function to create the final bathymetry model.
These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.
1305 East West Highway, SSMC4, 9th Floor #9226
