Bathymetry, topography, and acoustic backscatter data, and a digital elevation model (DEM)

The Cache Slough Complex and Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta were surveyed between 2017 and 2018. Data collection used multiple platforms including a research vessel, personal watercraft, and backpack-mounted GNSS systems to map underwater and land surfaces. The U.S. Geological Survey merged these new surveys with existing data to produce 1-meter resolution digital elevation models, funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Use Cases

• Modeling water flow and habitat quality based on high-resolution bathymetric and topographic data.
• Assessing the influence of landscape features on ecosystem function based on the seamless digital elevation model.
• Planning and evaluating restoration actions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta based on detailed elevation data.

Strengths

• Surveys were performed between 2017 and 2018, providing relatively recent data.
• Data integration from multiple platforms (research vessel, personal watercraft, backpack GNSS) resulted in good coverage of main channels and shallow embayments.
• Final digital elevation models have a high grid resolution of 1 meter.

Limitations

• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The description notes that topographic data collection was largely ineffective in marshes due to dense vegetation.

Provenance

Source

United States Geological Survey

Collection Method

Surveys performed using interferometric sidescan sonar, single-beam sonar, and backpack-mounted GNSS receivers.

Time Range

2017-2018

Geography

Cache Slough Complex and Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA