Lake Superior Bathymetry Grid from NOAA and Canadian Hydrographic Service

A 3 arc-second (~90 meter cell size) bathymetric grid of Lake Superior, compiled from over 150 years of nautical charting data. This dataset results from a cooperative NOAA project to rescue and publicize Great Lakes geological and geophysical data, involving the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service.

Use Cases

• Analyze lake floor geomorphology using the 3 arc-second bathymetric grid to model underwater topography.
• Integrate bathymetric contours with geological data for Great Lakes floor studies and baseline environmental monitoring.
• Support nautical charting and navigation safety applications by utilizing the compiled historical depth soundings.

Strengths

• Data compilation spans over 150 years of collection efforts by multiple authoritative agencies.
• The core data product is a detailed 3 arc-second (~90 meter) resolution grid of the lake floor.
• Project is a formal cooperative effort between NOAA divisions and the Canadian Hydrographic Service.

Limitations

• The specific temporal coverage and completion timeline for bathymetric contours are not defined.
• The dataset's structure, specific file formats (HTML, WMS, WCS, ESRI REST), and access methods may require specialized geospatial tools.
• Sample data and detailed columnar or attribute information are unavailable for review.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce, in cooperation with the Canadian Hydrographic Service.

Collection Method

Compiled from bathymetric data collected historically by the US Army Corps of Engineers (pre-1970), NOAA National Ocean Service (post-1970), and the Canadian Hydrographic Service for nautical charting.

Time Range

Data collection spans over 150 years; specific temporal coverage for the compiled grid is not provided.

Freshness

Metadata was last updated in October 2024.

Geography

Lake Superior, within the Great Lakes region of North America.